Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East WASHINGTON (AP) -- Steve Bannon, the combative former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, was interrogated for 20 hours over two days this week as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the process. The person, who declined to be named because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation, said Bannon answered every question that was put to him by Mueller's team. That's in contrast to a Thursday interview with the House intelligence committee, where Bannon declined to answer some of lawmakers' questions, despite a subpoena. While the exact questions for Bannon are unknown, Mueller is investigating whether there was any coordination between Trump's campaign and Russians who meddled in the 2016 election, and also whether there have been any efforts to obstruct the ongoing FBI probe into those contacts. The House panel is investigating the meddling and whether Trump's campaign was involved. Because Bannon was one of Trump's top advisers, both Mueller and the lawmakers were expected to question him about key events during his time in the White House, including Trump's firings of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former FBI Director James Comey. After Bannon's roughly three-hour interview on Capitol Hill, Republicans on the House intelligence panel were weighing whether to hold him in contempt. Like his first visit to the House intelligence committee in January, Bannon declined to answer questions in the closed-door session. According to lawmakers of both parties, Bannon would only answer 25 questions that had been pre-approved by the White House when asked about any events in the time period after President Donald Trump's election. His answer to each question was "no" and he told the committee he was not authorized to elaborate. Bannon was already under subpoena as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been critical of the White House's sweeping interpretation of executive privilege and its contention that pretty much everything is off limits until the president says it's not. The escalating fight between Congress and the White House over the privilege issue has centered around Bannon, an outsized figure in President Donald Trump's campaign and White House and an inspiration to some conservatives as he has publicly battled the Republican establishment. He was fired from the White House last summer, and more recently had a falling out with Trump after the January publication of a book in which he sharply criticized Trump family members. Despite his fractured relationship with Trump, Bannon has followed White House direction as the House lawmakers have sought to talk to him. At issue is whether Bannon can talk about the presidential transition, his time at the White House and communications with Trump and others since he left last summer. Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the panel's Russia probe, said Bannon would only answer the pre-approved questions about any time period past the day Trump was elected in November 2016. He said committee Republicans would discuss whether to hold Bannon in contempt with House lawyers and with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is likely to have the final say. "That's an ongoing conversation we'll have among an awful lot of lawyers," Conaway said after Bannon's interview. At least one Republican on the intelligence panel said before the interview that a contempt vote would be necessary if Bannon were uncooperative. Florida Rep. Tom Rooney said Tuesday that if Bannon didn't cooperate with the panel and they didn't hold him in contempt, that would set a bad precedent. "For not just our committee but every committee, that (subpoenas) don't mean anything, that it's just a hollow threat," Rooney said. "You can't do that." Democrats are pushing for a contempt vote, with the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, California Rep. Adam Schiff, saying he believed Bannon's non-answers were all an attempt to draw out and block the Russia probe. "That's not how privilege works, that's how stonewalling works," Schiff said. "And we cannot take that kind of stonewalling for an answer." Negotiations between the House and White House have been ongoing since Bannon's first interview, and several interviews have been scheduled and postponed in recent weeks. Lawmakers headed into the meeting ahead of Bannon's entrance appeared unsure if he would arrive. Bannon is one of the committee's few remaining witnesses in its Russia probe, which Republicans on the panel have said they want to wrap up early this year. Guwahati: Journalists Forum Assam (JFA), while expressing shock over a news portal for its unauthenticated uploading and subsequent retreating after rebuttal, has reiterated its old demand for an affective regulatory authority over the alternate media. The forum also appealed to the mainstream media of India to join in the chorus for its own interest. It may be noted that a lesser known news portal (NewsJoint) last week uploaded a sensational item narrating the Bhartiya Janata Partys northeast in-charge Ram Madhav in a compromised position with two local women, but later the portal went diminishing when the saffron party strongly reacted to it. The portal claimed that BJP general secretary Madhav was caught red handed with the Naga women in a Dimapur hotel and he was held in captivity by the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland rebels. The NSCN rebels recorded the incident and threatened to make the full video footage public if the BJP-RSS do not agree in calling off the State Assembly elections. The news titled Has Ram Madhav landed the BJP in trouble in Nagaland spread like wildfire as the content was picked up by many regional newspapers of the region. Reposing full faith on Madhav, Nagalands saffron party leaders denounced the content and lodged complaints for legal actions against the portal. As the debate went on viral in social media as well, the concerned portal (www.thenewsjoint.com/.../has-ram-madhav-landed-the-bjp-in-trouble-in-nagaland/) went down with the message displayed on the screen that the resource has been removed or is temporarily unavailable. The 60-member Nagaland Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled for 27 February next, counting of which will take place on 3 March. The saffron party leaders have been rigorously campaigning for the polls, even though a section of Naga politicians decided to boycott the elections demanding an early Naga solution prior to the electoral exercise. The Hindu, February 14, 2018 The danger of counterfactuals Neera Chandhoke To ascribe Partition to the machinations of the Congress is to distort a very complex history In democracies, citizens have a right to know why, where and how the government spends public money. Each year we, therefore, await the Prime Ministeras response to the Presidentas address in the Budget session of Parliament. This year, Prime Minister Narendra Modias speech was less about the financial implications of the intended policies of his government, and more about blaming the Congress for the disasters that track Indians since 1947. In the process, he neatly sidestepped the basic obligation he owes us: accountability. Equally troubling is his rather rash allegation that the Congress was responsible for the partition of the country, and for the division of Jammu and Kashmir. We know that representations of history tend to wander far away from actual events, and even construct them. But Mr. Modias explanation of the Partition has little to do with one of the most catastrophic divisions of territory and people in the subcontinent. It has more to do with a personal obsession. Counterfactuals The claim that if Sardar Patel had been the head of the government, Kashmir would have remained united belongs to what is called counterfactual history. In a somewhat random comment, the famous French mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) wondered whether the history of the world would have been different if Cleopatraas nose had been shorter. Interestingly, the observation inspired RenA Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, authors of the delightful comic book series AstArix. Throughout the story of a group of gutsy Gauls fighting the Romans, Getafix the venerable druid, extols Cleopatra and her perfect nose and yearns to rub noses with her. We envy Cleopatra her nose, but we simply do not know whether a shorter version would have given us a different history. We can only speculate. But speculation is hardly history, an endeavour that is deeply contested. The Partition, which led to one of the biggest mass migrations in world history, and to the death of an estimated one million people or more on both sides of the border, is one of the most debated issues among historians. The puzzle can hardly be under-estimated. Till the middle of the 1940s, Partition was just one of the political alternatives before the country. Historians tell us that Jinnah preferred a federation because the Muslim population was spread across India, and Nehru wanted a centralised and unified state. How did these differences spill over into the calamity of the Great Partition? The complex answers historians give to the question, awhy Partitiona, are based on meticulous research of documentary, literary and biographical sources. Most scholars agree that the causes can be traced to the turn of the 19th century. The colonial project, intent on intellectually colonising Indians, proceeded to shape a loose, plural and de-centred tradition known as Hinduism, cast it in the mould of Semitic religions, and create a aunifieda faith. A homogeneous version of Hinduism, and later Islam, politicised religious identities and harnessed them to competitive nation-making projects. Colonial policies gave an added fillip to this politicisation through group representation. By the early 20th century, the politicisation of religious identities led to communal violence. Another group of historians focusses on the role of elites in the making of independent nation states. Elites proceeded to tap religious identities, forge a constituency, and mobilise struggles for independence and for a separate state. In recent times, attention has shifted from the causes of the Partition to its consequences: murder, rapes, mutilation, displacement, and generalised suffering. People were mercilessly removed from their homes and hearths in a land that had suddenly become another country. And yet another strain of writing on Partition focalises the making of new nation states through the creation of boundaries, passports, recovery of abducted women, and consolidation of territory. We can hardly discern one reason for the Partition. To ascribe the tragic event to the machinations of the Congress party distorts the multiple, complex and often contradictory developments that led to the separation of Pakistan from India. More significantly, the Prime Minister ignores the role of his own constitutive community, and its ideology of Hindutva, in the making of the Partition. Cause for unease History has taught us a bitter lesson. If a political movement is successful in tapping deep structures of sentiment in a society, these sentiments must already be there, lurking under the skin of a shallow modernity expected to usher in a secular age. After all, religion cannot be harnessed to the cause of communal mobilisation until it has some grip on peopleas minds and psyches. Yet, this neat formulation a customised prejudice translates into murderous assaults on the aothera community a gives us cause for unease. People may or may not be inclined towards religiosity, and yet might hesitate to dine or socialise with members of another community. But this does not mean that they ritually inflict harm on the bodies of other people. We can believe that others have their own reasons for thinking and doing what they think and do, and we have different reasons for thinking and doing what we wish to do. For many reasons, people construct symbolic and spatial barriers between themselves and others. Note, however, that the bracketing-off of identities is a social phenomenon. Despite these social barriers, forms of cooperation can and do arise in the workplace, in social and political organisations, in and through movements, and through associational life. When these identities are transformed into political weapons in pursuit of symbolic or material gains, a sociological phenomenon translates into a political movement that lays exclusive claims upon the body politic. The politicisation of identities leads to open and ruthless competition for all sorts of power, invariably at the cost of human lives. What is important is that the transition from, often, hidden animosities to violence involves a trigger. The trigger is provided by organisations that belong to the religious right and/or entrepreneurs and merchants of hate who excel in excavating unarticulated sentiments of resentment against other communities, and in playing up incidents that otherwise can be easily passed off as minor. The trigger stokes and evokes hellfires of hatred, devastating violence, and eternal damnation. When politicised religious identities compete for the same spatial and material resources, communities are motivated to inscribe in-erasable injuries on others, and on the polity. Each new morn The Partition teaches us that the eruption of insane political violence under the banner of athisa or athata religion, the suspension of civil ties between erstwhile neighbours, and the merciless brutality inflicted upon the bodies of children, men and women leaves ineradicable scars on collective memories, and destroys civilisations. We should have learnt that religious identities, once evoked, cannot be controlled. The history of religious strife in the subcontinent establishes that the trajectories of identity politics are unexpected, and that they take unforeseen and shocking routes. These routes inevitably lead to devastation. aEach new morn,a says Macduff of war in Shakespeareas Macbeth, aNew widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows Strike heaven in the face, that it resounds.a Yet, till today, communal organisations continue to trigger the brutalisation of social and political identities, creation of divides, exacerbation of hitherto muted schisms, and the creation of new ones. We have, it appears, not paid heed to these warnings. If we had, India would not re-enact the horrors of the Partition. Neera Chandhoke is a former Professor of Political Science at Delhi University Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. 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. The only medieval whorl with an inscription found in Poland comes from Czermno The only early medieval whorl (a small, biconical object, a moving part of a spindle) with an inscription found in Poland has been discovered by archaeologists in Czermno (Lublin province). The only early medieval whorl (a small, biconical object, a moving part of a spindle) with an inscription found in Poland has been discovered by archaeologists in Czermno (Lublin province). Spindle whorl adds weight to a spindle, prevents the threads from sliding off and maintains or increases the spin. Whorls come in different shapes - they can be spherical and biconical. They have a hole in the middle. They are usually made of clay, less often of stone. The object in question was found during excavations over 60 years ago. However, Iwona Florkiewicz from the Institute of Archeology of the University of Rzeszow only now noticed the inscription during the analysis of the artefacts discovered at that time. "Interestingly, archaeologists who conducted research in Czermno in 1952 did not notice that the seemingly chaotic lines formed an inscription. This is an unprecedented situation - it is the only spindle whorl from this period covered with writing known in Poland" - says Florekiewicz. The archaeologist notes that there could be other objects of this type in the collections of Polish museums that have not yet been identified. "Archaeologists probably did not expect spindle whorls to have inscriptions, so these objects were not analysed in this respect" - she concludes. The object from Czermno was made of the so-called Owrucz slate, which is not a local raw material - its outcrops are located in present-day Ukraine, near Owrucz (hence the name). "It is hard to say whether the whorl was been made in Czermno or imported from the east, but it is certainly of Russian origin. Similar whorls covered with letters are known from the same period from the former Kievan Rus' territory, that is present Ukraine, Russia and Belarus" - the archaeologist says. Palaeographic research (on the form of writing) carried out by Dr. Adrian Jusupovic, historian from the Institute of History PAS in Warsaw, shows that the inscription was made in the second half of the 12th century or in the 13th century. The spindle whorl bears an inscription composed of 6 letters in Cyrillic, which can be transcribed as Hoten\'. It is a masculine name that means a lover, volunteer or master. It is also possible that the inscription was a toponym. In that case it should be associated with the name of a town or village. But researchers find this second possibility is less likely. According to archaeologists, today's Czermno in the Lublin region was the historical Cherven - the administrative centre of the Cherven Cities, over which the Piasts had been fighting with the rulers of Kievan Rus' since the 10th century. Bolesaw the Brave managed to recapture them in 1018, but after his death Yaroslav the Wise retook the territory in 1031. It was not until the 14th century that Casimir III the Great reincorporated the former Cherven Cities into Poland. "Thus, the spindle whorl probably comes from the time when this area was a part of Kievan Rus'. Remember that Czermno was a borderland town, where cultural influences from the east and the west mixed" - adds Florkiewicz. "We are not sure whether the spindle whorl was used for its original purpose - spinning - or had a secondary function as an amulet. The latter possibility should not be ruled out" - Florkiewicz believes. She adds that according to the researchers, similar inscriptions could be signs of ownership. There are known spindle whorls that bear the names of women and men. "It is also possible that in this case it is the name of the object's maker" - she concludes. The spindle whorl was discovered inside the settlement but outside the buildings, which may suggest that it was lost. The object is currently in the collection of the Zamosc Museum. Scientists stumbled upon the spindle whorl while doing an inventory of archival finds from Czermno (discovered over several decades) as part of the scientific project "Golden Apple of Polish Archeology...", funded by the National Program for the Development of Humanities and supervised by Prof. Marcin Wooszyn. PAP - Science in Poland, Szymon Zdziebowski szz/ agt/ kap/ tr. RL CBI programme could help SVG Major Leacock Social Share The New Democratic Partyas (NDP) St Clair Leacock thinks that a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme can help to improve the economic situation in the country. Making his contribution to aThe Peopleas Budgeta last Tuesday at the NDP headquarters, Leacock said this programme is lawfully and readily available to us and we have been ignoring it. CBI (also known as economic citizenship) is the granting of citizenship status to an individual (and immediate family members), contingent upon a specified and quantifiable investment in the country. Dominica, St Kitts Nevis, Grenada, St Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda offer CBI programmes which have generated millions of dollars in revenue for those governments. However, many of these programmes have also received international criticism in relation to the ability of nations to undertake the necessary due diligence about the background of individuals to whom passports are to be issued. Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves strongly opposes these programmes, likening the selling of passports to selling oneas birthright. But Leacock, who is the parliamentary representative for Central Kingstown and vice-president of the NDP, thinks that a CBI programme will bring new opportunities and much needed capital to the country. He said that there are persons who fly the Vincentian flag under the pretext that they are Vincentians and people are fishing in our waters, taking advantage of certain licences while we have people who work as consuls general in places overseas that are not born and bred Vincentians. aSo, what are we talking about when we have this readily source of funds available,a asked Leacock. He noted also that the marijuana industry can help the situation in the country and we should look seriously not only at medicinal marijuana, but legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes and looking at exporting organic weed. In relation to the 2018 budget presented by Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves, Leacock said that there is little indication of the new opportunities that the new finance minister spoke about in his address. The Central Kingstown representative said that in his opinion, the budget does not bring real meaning to the people and is more of the same, aa balancing act, balancing the book as it were, without any due regard of whether they could give meaning to the things there; it is mirage, now you see it, now you donat.a He stated that he has read reports from the Director of Audit which complain, athere are no notes next to the financial statement and as such the statements do not provide adequate information for the proper interpretation of the accounts.a He said these statements show a consistency in the way the government has been conducting its business. Going on, Leacock noted that there have been instances where reports show that in one year, the Ministry of Education spent $7 million less than what it said it should spend, the Ministry of Agriculture $3 million less than it should, the Ministry of Health and Environment $4 million less, the Ministry of Tourism $8 million less and this is what has been creating a lot of issues in the country. aItas not the quantum of the less I want to emphasize, it is the fact that the government knows in advance that these figures stated in the financial statement, that they will make very little effort to expend those monies, so the budget sometimes get into balance by default by non-performance and invariably that non-performance is at the expense of you, the taxpayer that do not receive the kinds of goods and services that you should be receiving,a said Leacock. He stressed that when the new finance minister spoke about a surplus, it is far away from the truth. aaIf I send you to a supermarket with a five dollar bill to bring me back 10 dollars worth of goods you will look at me and ask what is wrong with meaand this happens repeatedly,a stated Leacock. He added that this year, public servantsa salaries, wages and pensions, take up almost 60 per cent of the budget, while other payments, including loans, will equal 90 per cent of the budget spent, with 10 per cent left for other things. Leacock said that these figures explain why the police do not respond as they should, and why the Roads, Buildings and General Services Authority (BRAGSA) and the Tourism Authority are underperforming and certain goods and services that persons are entitled to are not available. aI hope and trust that a picture begins to unfold that our people must come to grips with,a said Leacock, adding, aand that is the relationship between the government and its people and that relationship is that the government, year after year, puts its hands in your pocket and you are left to fend for yourself.a aThe Peopleas Budgeta is the NDPas alternative to the 2018 Budget presented in Parliament on February 5. The NDP did not return to Parliament after the Throne Speech to debate the Budget.(LC) Largo Heights man takes third round spot in Guinness pool competition Social Share Last weekend, the third round of the 2018 Guinness Eight Balls of Fire pool competition played on for over nine hours and at the end, it was Largo Heights resident Phillip Martin who emerged victorious. Martin defeated Glenroy Cupid in the final game of the third round, which was held at Auntie Merleneas Bar in Mesopotamia, last Friday, February 9. aI have been playing pool for 40 years, since I eleven and this is excitement, but is a regular thing me winning,a said Martin, after receiving the EC$600 third round prize money from the St Vincent Breweryas Trade marketer Romario Delicia. Martin said the competition is aa good onea, but he would like to see a few things changed. Apart from winning the third-round prize money, Martin has also booked his place in the Saturday, March 24 finals, where he will play for EC$6,000. aIn the finals, I will be winninga, boasted Martin. The competition continues at the Tree House Bar in Arnos Vale this Saturday, February 17. It moves to the Skyline Bar Bequia (Saturday, February 24). Drop Off in Sans Souci (Friday, March 2), Police Canteen in Kingstown (Friday, March 9) and Azard Bar in Troumaca (Saturday, March 17). The competition is being co-ordinated by Breweryas Trade marketer Cleve aSkipa McKenzie. Rocky Punnett won the competition in 2016 and Alson Barker won in 2015.a Osmond aOzziea St Hillaire, last yearas winner, is hoping to do the double, but has so far been unable to secure a grand finale spot. The other persons into the 2018 finals so far are Brian John of Hopewell and Martello aMartya Knights of Pembroke. John won the first round at the West Side Bar in Rose Place on January 26 and Knights won at Nani Bar in Pembroke on February 3. Man found close to Richland Park Playing Field with gunshot wounds Social Share Twenty-five-year-old Romel Diamond of Glenside Mesopotamia was gunned downed in the wee hours of Sunday morning. According to a police report, Diamondas body was discovered in close vicinity of the Richland Park Playing Field, with multiple gunshot wounds on February 11, 2018. The deceased, who was unemployed, was a father of two children, the older child being under two years old and the other less than one month old. Family members are very close lipped about their deceased relative, but displayed little grief over his demise. One family member said aa menace is a menace,a when asked how he felt. Police are asking persons with information that may assist the investigation to contact the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Major Crimes Unit (MCU), or any police station in the country. TGHF to host cultural activities to celebrate Heritage Month Social Share The Garifuna Heritage Foundation (TGHF) has launched activities to celebrate National Heroes and Heritage Month in March. At a media launch on Tuesday, David aDarkiea Williams, president of the Garifuna Heritage Foundation, said the first event will be a Cultural Market Place on March 8 and 9 at Heritage Square. He said over the past four years of the market place, craftsmen have always benefited. He urged the public to visit the exhibition and to make purchases. On March 9, the fourth Annual Schools Garifuna Folk Festival will be held at the Victoria Park, from 9 a.m. Claydonna Peters, Dance Development officer in the Ministry of Education, explained that from 8:30 a.m., students will march from the Bishopas College Kingstown to the Victoria Park, after which the festival will take place. She explained that the march will be accompanied by the Royal SVG Police Force Band and the CW Prescod School Band, with the students attired in yellow, black and white, the Garifuna colours. Peters said so far, 11 primary schools and 10 secondary schools have confirmed participation. Peters explained that athe festival is geared toward heightening the studentsa interest in the Garifuna heritage, making learning fun and exciting: celebrate our heritage and to showcase the talents of our children.a Aldia Gumbs-Dyer, senior education officer, said the aim of the festival is to transfer aspects of Vincentian culture to youths and heighten their sensitivity to the issues of cultural preservation. On March 11-12, the first inaugural meeting of the Network of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Caribbean Region will be held. Williams explained that the regional organization was developed to strengthen preservation goals. aThe meeting will see representatives coming from, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Suriname, Guyana and from other regions and countries, who have an interest in what is happening in the Caribbean,a he said. Then the 5th Annual International Garifuna Conference will be held at the Peace Memorial Hall on March 12 and 13. At 5 p.m. on March 12, the keynote address will be delivered by Dr Yanique Hume, lecturer, Department of Cultural Studies, UWI Cave Hill Campus. The theme for that event is aThe Island of Balliceaux: Sacred Lands or Economic Opportunitya. On March 13 from 9 a.m., various scholars and practitioners of the Garifuna culture, particularly those from indigenous communities, will have the opportunity to interact with Vincentians. Finally, a musical theatre production called aMalia will take place on March 23 and 24 from 8 p.m. at the Peace Memorial Hall. Williams explained that the play is unique, since the castas members are mostly students, who will use elements of the Garifuna culture to depict issues which affect women. The entrance fee is EC$25. The Garifuna Heritage Foundation made an appeal for the public to support the events and for tour guides and taxi drivers to bring visitors to view the cultural events.(CB) If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). New GAO report explores "Federal Prisons: Information on Inmates with Serious Mental Illness and Strategies to Reduce Recidivism" | Main | Should jail inmates face tougher sentencing for applauding charged cop killer as he was brought into jail? This notable NBC News piece, headlined "Criminal justice reformers aim big by targeting local DA races," reports on how greater modern attentiveness to the role of prosecutors in the criminal justice system is now leading to greater modern concern for who gets elected to these positions. Here is how it gets started: If you cant win big, go small. Thats the strategy gaining momentum among criminal justice reformers in the age of Trump, as the federal government hardens its approach to law enforcement. Instead of pouring money and energy into squeezing change out of Washington, national civil rights organizations are teaming with local groups to push their agendas in county-level district attorney races, where a few thousand votes can determine who asserts the most influence over the local justice system. Picking their targets carefully, and crunching election data to influence pivotal voter blocs and benefiting from the largesse of liberal billionaire George Soros these crusaders have already racked up big wins, most recently in Philadelphia, where civil rights lawyer Larry Krasner was elected chief prosecutor last year. Using Krasner as proof that their strategy can work, the American Civil Liberties Union, Color of Change and like-minded political action committees are now fixating on several 2018 races, with Dallas at the front of a list that could also include Baltimore; Charlotte, North Carolina; Los Angeles; Oakland, California; San Diego and St. Louis, as well as parts of Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Oregon. Each will involve teams of campaign strategists and targeted voter-education drives, from public forums to digital advertising, and the hiring of formerly incarcerated men and women to canvass neighborhoods, asking voters to demand that candidates pledge to curb mass incarceration and to cast ballots for those who agree. In some cases, political action committees will steer donations to campaigns that embrace their vision. In others, reformers are recruiting upstart candidates. We want to send a clear message that these are the real issues and the litmus test in the election, and to demonstrate the public demand for it, said Scott Roberts, a senior campaign director at Color of Change, which organizes online campaigns focused on ending injustices against African-Americans. We can put out a press release, but the candidates, the people who are trying to get votes, will respond on a deeper level when theyre hearing about it from people as they are out campaigning. This is a new development in American politics, where district attorney races have rarely attracted outside attention, let alone intense interest from voters. Incumbents usually run unopposed, research has found. And when they do face opposition, they usually win, with races focused on the candidates character and experience, or controversial cases, rather than discussions of policy. That conventional wisdom has been turned on its head, said David Alan Sklansky, a professor at Stanford Law School who studies prosecutors and how they wield power. In a growing number of races, people have defeated incumbents by running on platforms that are very policy heavy. Theyre not calling for more punishment, but more sensible policies, from police oversight to criminal sentencing. The trend began about five years ago, when Ken Thompson defeated longtime Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. Since that 2013 election, self-described reform candidates have taken office in Chicago, Denver, Houston, and Orlando, Florida, and in smaller jurisdictions in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Many were lifted into office by outcries over police shootings, wrongful convictions or the disproportionate numbers of poor people and minorities behind bars. The movement has been supported by new research into the causes of the three-decade rise in prison populations, which peaked in 2009, long after crime began to decline. In his 2017 book, "Locked In," Fordham University law professor John Pfaff blamed prosecutors, the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system, for driving drastic increases in felony cases, all but a tiny fraction of which result in plea bargains. Those locally elected prosecutors, Pfaff wrote, are rarely held accountable by voters for their decisions. But Pfaff also documented how reform candidates have started to challenge that narrative. Some have received donations from political action committees connected to Soros, who heads the Open Society Foundation. Some have received tactical help from national reform groups like the ACLU and Color of Change. But others havent, which Sklansky takes as evidence that the movement has been driven from the bottom as much as from the top. Kennebunk Post Extensive work on the steeple, the Aaron Willard Jr. clock and the weathervane of the 1824 building is complete. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Remarks on February 15, 2018 2018/02/16 Q: According to reports, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh" on February 15. What is your comment? A: China's position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut. The Chinese government has never recognized the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh" and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader's visit to the disputed area. We will lodge stern representations with the Indian side. China and India have reached important consensus on properly managing disputes. The two sides are working to resolve the territorial disputes through negotiation and consultation. The Chinese side urges the Indian side to honor its commitment and abide by the relevant consensus, refrain from taking any action that may complicate the boundary question, cherish the hard-won momentum of improvement in bilateral relations and create enabling conditions for the boundary talks and the development of bilateral relations. At the risk of offending every comic book geek across the globe, the truth is, Black Panther (Marvel Studios) is a self-indulgent, formulaic, overly long origin story that is a declawed disappointment. Borrowing liberally from Wonder Woman, The Lion King and the James Bond series, Black Panther is surprisingly unoriginal and toothless. Black Panther begins in Oakland, California in 1992 with the death of deceitful African prince NJobu (Sterling K. Brown) who stole some of the valuable and potentially deadly metal vibranium which can only be found in his fictional African nation homeland of Wakanda. The princes young half-American son is left fatherless, setting the stage for the films central revenge story. Years later, following the death of king TChaka (John Kani), and after winning a ritual battle, prince TChalla (Chadwick Boseman) is crowned king and assumes the mantle of Black Panther. Among his duties are keeping his kingdom, and its precious vibranium stockpile safe from harm. However, the theft of an ancient Wakandan vibranium-made weapon from a museum in Britain, by South African psycho Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and his military-trained accomplice Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) mean that TChalla, his great love Nakia (Oscar-winner Lupita Nyongo) and his warrior general Okoye (Danai Gurira), must leave the safety of Wakanda for the outside world. They venture to Busan, South Korea for a showdown with Klaue. Its there that TChalla first encounters Killmonger and see that he wears a royal ring, similar to his own, on a gold chain around his neck. To say anymore would spoil the one great twist in Black Panther. Suffice to say that once its revealed, its dragged out in a series lengthy and violent battles and chases. In a concerted effort to find something nice to say about Black Panther, its not unreasonable to point out the way that supporting cast members are the ones who actually the best part of the movie. Two in particular Letitia Wright as TChallas brilliant and wickedly funny whiz-kid sister Shuri and Winston Duke as antagonist turned comrade MBaku walk away with every scene in which they appear. Unfortunately, the same cant be said for Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda and Forrest Whitaker as shaman Zuri and Get Out Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya as TChallas fickle second-in-command WKabi. Also, the special effects are rather run-of-the-mill. Do you know what might be the worst part about Black Panther? That director Ryan Coogler, the man behind the acclaimed films Fruitvale Station and Creed (both of which starred Jordan) would get involved with such a franchise. Rating: C- This article discusses the recent meetings of the three HIV planning and advisory bodies in Broward: the Broward County HIV Prevention Planning Council (BCHPPC), the Broward HIV Planning Council (HIVPC), and the South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN). The BCHPPC is the planning body for HIV prevention in Broward. The HIVPC is the planning body for the Ryan White Care (RWC) Program of Broward (Broward-RWC). SFAN is the advisory body for the RWC program of the Florida Department of Health in Broward. On January 1, 2018, the second year of Broward Countys current Five-Year Plan began. That plan integrates prevention and treatment services. The Broward HIV Prevention Planning Council met on January 18, 2018. Martha Duarte, Florida Department of Health-Broward (DOH-Broward), reported on the changing HIV epidemic in Broward. HIV diagnoses have increased among Latinx adults, relative to other racial groups. Among all adults newly diagnosed with HIV in 2016, the percent of Latinx adults rose above that of White adults. Among all adults newly diagnosed with HIV, the percent of Latinx adults has almost doubled since 2007. Nicky Montgomery (DOH-Broward) reported on the Test and Treat program that links people to HIV treatment within 24 hours. That program began May 1, 2017. As of December 27, 2017, 664 clients have enrolled in the program. Of those enrolled, 44.1 percent were newly diagnosed. The other 55.9 percent had been in treatment, but providers had failed to retain them in care. Joshua Rodriguez (DOH-Broward) reported that Broward receives 14 million dollars in HIV prevention and treatment funding. He reported that the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) serves 5,283 people living with HIV in Broward. The Broward HIV Planning Council met on January 25, 2018. This planning council elected Requel Lopes as its new chair and Carla Taylor-Bennett as its new Vice-Chair. Each candidate had run unopposed. The HIV Planning Council can move money between service categories. It decides what to move based on use patterns and its priorities. It voted to move $78,000 to Ambulatory Care from Case Management, Substance Abuse, Medical Case Management, Mental Health, and Legal Assistance. Leonard Jones (Broward-RWC) reported that the January government shutdown had minimal impact on Broward-RWC. An agreement on a short-term budget fix quickly resolved the shutdown. Jones noted that these short-term budget fixes have negative consequences. They result in the inability to plan for the long-term and the partial awarding of federal grants. SFAN met on February 1, 2018. Michael Ruppal, the Florida HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network, reported on new threats to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Governor of Idaho has issued an order that threatens the ACA in other states. That governor has ruled that insurance policies in Idaho do not have to follow ACA regulations. That ruling could allow insurance companies to cap lifetime expenses or to bar coverage for pre-existing conditions. If the Federal Government fails to challenge this order, other GOP governors could do the same. Announcements Jersey Garcia, DOH-Broward, has requested feedback on its HIV website (http://browardgreaterthan.org). People should send any comments or criticisms to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The MSM Advisory Group is seeking new members. This advisory group provides guidance on the issues of gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men. If interested, contact Mark Reyes (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). The next SFAN Meeting will be on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 6:00 p.m., at the Holy Cross Healthplex, 1000 NE 56th Street, Ft. Lauderdale. The HIVPC will not meet in February. The next Broward HIV Prevention Planning Council meeting will occur on April 19, 2018 from 1:30 to 4:30 in the Administrative Building First Floor Auditorium. 780 SW 24th Street. Follow Sean McShee on Twitter @SeanMcShee 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. Three billion miles away on the farthest known major planet in our solar system, an ominous, dark storm -- once big enough to stretch across the Atlantic Ocean from Boston to Portugal -- is shrinking out of existence as seen in pictures of Neptune taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Immense dark storms on Neptune were first discovered in the late 1980s by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft. Since then, only Hubble has had the sharpness in blue light to track these elusive features that have played a game of peek-a-boo over the years. Hubble found two dark storms that appeared in the mid-1990s and then vanished. This latest storm was first seen in 2015, but is shrinking. Like Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS), the storm swirls in an anti-cyclonic direction and is dredging up material from deep inside the ice giant planet's atmosphere. The elusive feature gives astronomers a unique opportunity to study Neptune's deep winds, which can't be directly measured. The dark spot material may be hydrogen sulfide, with the pungent smell of rotten eggs. Joshua Tollefson from the University of California at Berkeley explained, "The particles themselves are still highly reflective; they are just slightly darker than the particles in the surrounding atmosphere." Unlike Jupiter's GRS, which has been visible for at least 200 years, Neptune's dark vortices only last a few years. This is the first one that actually has been photographed as it is dying. "We have no evidence of how these vortices are formed or how fast they rotate," said Agustin Sanchez-Lavega, from the University of the Basque Country in Spain. "It is most likely that they arise from an instability in the sheared eastward and westward winds." The dark vortex is behaving differently from what planet-watchers predicted. "It looks like we're capturing the demise of this dark vortex, and it's different from what well-known studies led us to expect," said Michael H. Wong of the University of California at Berkeley, referring to work by Ray LeBeau (now at St. Louis University) and Tim Dowling's team at the University of Louisville. "Their dynamical simulations said that anticyclones under Neptune's wind shear would probably drift toward the equator. We thought that once the vortex got too close to the equator, it would break up and perhaps create a spectacular outburst of cloud activity." But the dark spot, which was first seen at mid-southern latitudes, has apparently faded away rather than going out with a bang. That may be related to the surprising direction of its measured drift: toward the south pole, instead of northward toward the equator. Unlike Jupiter's GRS, the Neptune spot is not as tightly constrained by numerous alternating wind jets (seen as bands in Jupiter's atmosphere). Neptune seems to only have three broad jets: a westward one at the equator, and eastward ones around the north and south poles. The vortex should be free to change traffic lanes and cruise anywhere in between the jets. "No facilities other than Hubble and Voyager have observed these vortices. For now, only Hubble can provide the data we need to understand how common or rare these fascinating Neptunian weather systems may be," said Wong. The first images of the dark vortex are from the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, a long-term Hubble project that annually captures global maps of our solar system's four outer planets. Only Hubble has the unique capability to probe these worlds in ultraviolet light, which yields important information not available to other present-day telescopes. Additional data, from a Hubble program targeting the dark vortex [], are from an international team including Wong, Tollefson, Sanchez-Lavega, Andrew Hsu, Imke de Pater, Amy Simon, Ricardo Hueso, Lawrence Sromovsky, Patrick Fry, Statia Luszcz-Cook, Heidi Hammel, Marc Delcroix, Katherine de Kleer, Glenn Orton, and Christoph Baranec. Reference: Wong's paper appears online in the Astronomical Journal [http://aj.aas.org] on Feb. 15, 2018. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and M.H. Wong and A.I. Hsu (UC Berkeley) The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington, D.C. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. This is why we cant have nice things. The AV Club is reporting that creator of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Sprudges new bff Jerry Seinfeld is being sued for allegedly stealing the idea for Comedians. As the AV Club notes, Its hardly the kind of premise you imagine requiring much workshopping, but a new lawsuit questions its origins. Producer Christian Charles states he brought the idea to Seinfeld all the way back in 2002, which the suit claims Seinfeld was very interested in, going so far as to even shoot a pilot, as per AV Club. Charles alleges Seinfeld didnt want to share ownership of the show, and went off and made it without him. In the suit, he is requesting a created by credit and financial compensation. In a response, Seinfelds lawyers tell TMZ, [t]his lawsuit is delusional. Jerry independently created Comedians In Cars and Mr. Charles only concocted this claim after the show became a commercial success. We are confident that this shakedown lawsuit will go nowhere. The timeline is a bit interesting. If what Charles is saying is true, he brought the show to Seinfeld in 2002. Then, as the AV Club notes, he directed an episode of the show in 2012. And there was no sign of a lawsuit until 2018, after Seinfeld sits down for an interview with Sprudge. Are we to understand that our interview skyrocketed the Seinfeld co-creator's popularity so much that now, at long last, his new show would be worth suing over? Or is it all, you know, a big coincidence? Read it all via AV Club. Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge. With a full year of racing and learning under his belt, 25-year-old Lucas Wallin is looking forward to his second season training his own stable. And while Wallin is interested in seeing how his young horses develop through the remainder of this winter with an eye toward summer success, he is happy to have a seasoned veteran to watch right now. Rossini, an eight-year-old gelding, will try to make it two wins in a row at the Meadowlands Racetrack when he competes against nine rivals in a conditioned trot Friday. Rossini, who won in 1:54.2 on February 3, is 9-2 on the morning line and will have the services of regular driver Eric Carlson. The race will air as part of the Meadowlands Harness Live broadcast from 9-10 p.m. on SNY (SportsNet New York). Prior to the current Meadowlands meet, Rossini had made only 16 starts in his career, a span of 100 races, on a big track (either one mile or seventh-eighths). His past five starts, though, all have been at the Big M and he has posted two victories as well as a third-place finish. He was racing well before, but he really seems to like the Meadowlands, Wallin said. Hes feeling really good. His last race when he won at the Meadowlands he raced really good. He feels the same right now. We gave him a week off and hes training good into this race. It looks really interesting (Friday). If everything works out in the race and he has some luck, he will be there, I think. Rossini, a son of Classic Photo-Beverly Crusher, has won 29 of 105 lifetime starts and earned $457,552 in purses. He is owned by Steve Organ, who also bred the horse. He is a three-quarter brother to stakes-winners In Focus and Not Afraid. Rossinis top win came in the 2013 Galt Stakes at Maywood Park. I enjoy his personality, Wallin said about Rossini. Hes eight years old, but hes acting like a two-year-old. Hes playing all day. He really enjoys his life. Wallin grew up in Sweden, where he was driving ponies at the age of eight. Several years later, he began helping at his uncle Joakim Wallins stable. In mid-2014, he was alerted to an opportunity to work for Ake Svanstedts stable in the U.S. by childhood friend Oskar Florhed. Wallin spent two years with Svanstedt before deciding to go on his own. Last year, Wallins stable won 18 of 110 races and earned $183,712 in purses. This season, he has 19 horses in training, with nine being two-year-olds. I learned a lot of things, thats for sure, Wallin said about his first full season. It was an OK year. The horses that raced, they raced good, and we won a couple of smaller stakes races. Of course you always want to win more and bigger races, but I was happy with my first year. Its a lot of responsibility and I have really good owners that trust me and tell me to do the best for the horses. They never rush. Wallins two-year-olds are Anniversary Magic (Lucky Chucky-Beach Magic), Bartolo (Muscles Yankee-Cameo Credit), Cotton To You (Trixton-Polyester Hanover), Death Bringer (Explosive Matter-Agenda Tom Ridge), Luisa (Andover Hall-Ashleys Carousel), Quiksilvr Bluechip (Credit Winner-Sea Raven), Rendezvous Kemp (Trixton-Smarty Had A Party), Tenacious Seelster (Trixton-Tara Seelster), and Valentin (Muscle Massive-Nirvana Blue Chip). Another new addition to his stable is stakes-winner Signal Hill, a four-year-old trotter purchased for $95,000 at the Tattersalls January Select Mixed Sale at the Meadowlands. Of course every year you want to see the two-year-olds. Last year we had five two-year-olds and this year we have nine two-year-olds. We bought a little better breedings and were looking forward to them. They look good. Were not in a rush. Some stick out a little more than the others, but all of them are doing good right now. I dont want to say any names, but there are a couple that look really interesting. Were hoping for a good season. I have a couple of three-year-olds, especially the fillies, that look really interesting. We took it easy with them last year; they only raced like five to seven times. They won some overnights and they did good. I think they can develop and be in a little bigger races this year. (USTA) A 54-year-old man from Florida was recently arrested on suspicion of killing his live-in girlfriend on the 30th of January. The suspect mistook the Marion County Detectives phone number with his wifes to whom he wrote about his impending arrest. Marion County Detective would have found this bungle amusing if a person had not died. Marion County Detective Notified About Foul Play via Text Messages According to the Marion County Sheriffs Office, on the 30thof January, the authorities were summoned to the house of 54-year-old David W. Roming regarding a possible home invasion. Upon arriving, the authorities discovered the body of 64-year-old Sally Kaufmann Ruff, Romings live-in girlfriend. During his police interview, the man claimed waking up in the middle of the night to see a man wearing a headlamp leaning over him and watching him sleep. Roming also recalls seeing that the alleged home invader held a revolver in his right arm. Seeing the man with the gun, the 54-year-old jumped him and attempted to take his weapon. Roming told the authorities that he heard two gunshots during the fight and that the suspect somehow escaped. Although there was no physical evidence to suggest otherwise, the authorities took Kaufmann-Ruffs body away and searched for clues. According to Damon Baxley, the Marion County detective who handled Romings case, the mans testimony was dubious from the very beginning. However, things started to unfold after Baxley received a text message from the suspect in which he wrote about the police coming in to arrest him. After Roming was booked on suspicion of murder, he told the authorities that he had blackouts from time to time, outer body experiences and that he did indeed wake up that night standing over Kaufmann-Ruffs body with the murder weapon in his hand. Image source: Flickr A Juneteenth celebration in 2020 kicked off the movement to return the two parcels to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce. A little more than a year later, a state bill that will allow LA County to so awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature. Afghans submitted 1.17m war crimes claims to court Abdul Wadood Pedram, of the Kabul-based Human Rights and Eradication of Violence Organization, gives an interview to The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghnistan. Since the International Criminal Court began collecting material three months ago for a possibl AP, Kabul : Since the International Criminal Court began collecting material three months ago for a possible war crimes case involving Afghanistan, it has gotten a staggering 1.17 million statements from Afghans who say they were victims. The statements include accounts of alleged atrocities not only by groups like the Taliban and the Islamic State group, but also involving Afghan Security Forces and government-affiliated warlords, the U.S.-led coalition, and foreign and domestic spy agencies, said Abdul Wadood Pedram of the Human Rights and Eradication of Violence Organization. Based in part on the many statements, ICC judges in The Hague would then have to decide whether to seek a war crimes investigation. It's uncertain when that decision will be made. The statements were collected between Nov. 20, 2017, and Jan. 31, 2018, by organizations based in Europe and Afghanistan and sent to the ICC, Pedram said. Because one statement might include multiple victims and one organization might represent thousands of victim statements, the number of Afghans seeking justice from the ICC could be several million. "It is shocking there are so many," Pedram said, noting that in some instances, whole villages were represented. "It shows how the justice system in Afghanistan is not bringing justice for the victims and their families." The ICC did not give details about the victims or those providing the information. "I have the names of the organizations, but because of the security issues, we don't want to name them because they will be targeted," said Pedram, whose group is based in Kabul. Many of the representations include statements involving multiple victims, which could be the result of suicide bombings, targeted killings or airstrikes, he said. Among those alleging war crimes is a man who asked The Associated Press to be identified only by his first name, Shoaib, because he fears for his safety. Shoaib said his father, Naimatullah, was on a bus in Dawalat Yar district in Afghanistan's central Ghor Province in 2014 when a band of gunmen stopped it and two other buses, forced the passengers off and told them to hand over their identity cards. The 14 Shiites among them were separated from the rest and killed, one by one, he said. The slayings outraged the country. A Taliban commander was soon arrested and brought before the media, but no news about a trial or punishment was ever reported, said Shoaib, who is in his 20s. Displaying a photo of the man he believes killed his father, Shoaib said he doesn't go to the authorities for information about the incident because the commander had connections with the police and the local government administration. "Please don't say where I live, or show my face," he implored a reporter. "What if they find me? There is no protection in Afghanistan," he said. "Everybody knows that they have connection in the government," he added. "I think in Afghanistan, if you have money, then you can give it to anyone, anywhere, to do anything." Several powerful warlords, many of whom came to power after the collapse of the Taliban in 2001 following the U.S.-led intervention, are among those alleged to have carried out war crimes, said Pedram, who also is cautious about releasing any names. After receiving death threats last year, Pedram fled Kabul briefly and now keeps a lower profile, no longer speaking to local media. "The warlords are all here. You have to be very careful," he said. "In the morning, I kiss my little son goodbye, I kiss my wife goodbye because I don't know what will happen to me and when, or if I will see them again." Established in 2002, the ICC is the world's first permanent court set up to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The ICC can only investigate any crimes in Afghanistan after May 2003, when the country ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court. Former President Bill Clinton signed the treaty, but President George W. Bush renounced the signature, citing fears that Americans would be unfairly prosecuted for political reasons. In November, when ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda sought judicial authorization to begin the investigation, she said the court had been looking into possible war crimes in Afghanistan since 2006. Bensouda said in November that "there is a reasonable basis to believe" that crimes against humanity and war crimes were committed by the Taliban as well as the Haqqani network. She also said there was evidence that the Afghan National Security Forces, Afghan National Police and its spy agency, known as the NDS, committed war crimes. Bensouda also said evidence existed of war crimes committed "by members of the United States armed forces on the territory of Afghanistan, and by members of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in secret detention facilities in Afghanistan," as well as in countries that had signed on to the Rome Statute. The secret detention facilities were operated mostly between 2003 and 2004, she said. South African police issue arrest warrant for Ajay Gupta PTI, Johannesburg : South African police on Thursday said they have obtained an arrest warrant for absconding Ajay Gupta, the India-born close aide of scandal- hit former president Jacob Zuma, media reports said. The Hawks-the police's elite high-priority crimes unit-on Wednesday arrested three people as they raided the posh home of India-born Guptas, a controversial business family linked to Zuma, who resigned on Thursday. Ajay Gupta the patriarch of the embattled Gupta family is "on the run" and surrounded by a team of heavily armed bodyguards, Times Live reported quoting police officials. Hawks officials confirmed that Ajay Gupta was a fugitive from the law and that they had obtained a warrant for his arrest, the report said. The warrant comes amid media reports indicating that Ajay Gupta's brother Atul was also being sought. Their nephew Verun Gupta on Thursday appeared before the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on charges of corruption, fraud and theft, the report said. The charges relate to the theft of 220-million rand (USD 19 million) from the Free State agricultural department. Verun Gupta appeared alongside his co-accused and Gupta family lieutenants Ronica Ragovan Ashu Chawla Nazeem Howa Kamal Vasrum and Free State agricultural officials Peter Thebetha and Takisi Janki Masiteng and chief of staff of national mining department Sylvia Dlamini. Howa Gupta Chawla Vasrum and Gupta were released on 200 000 rand bail each while Thebetha Masiteng and Dlamini were each released on 10 000 rand bail, the report said. NARAYNAGANJ: AT M Kamal, General Secretary, Narayanganj City Unit BNP speaking at a hunger strike programme demanding release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Wednesday. BAF observes death anniv of Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque BSS, Chittagong : Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) yesterday observed the 49th death anniversary of Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque with due solemnity. On this day in 1969, Sergeant Zahurul Haque was shot by the Pakistani Army when he was detained in the Dhaka Cantonment in connection with the Agartala conspiracy case, an ISPR release said. On the occasion, a milad mahfil was arranged at the central mosque of Bangladesh Air Force Base Zahurul Haque after Zohr prayers seeking the divine blessing for the departed soul and also for the continued peace and prosperity of the country. Assistant Chief of Air Staff (operations) Air Vice Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat, Air Officer Commanding of the base Air Commodore Murshed Hasan Siddiqui, senior officers, airmen and other members of the base attended the milad mahfil. AIUB student to attend Commonwealth events Campus Report : Rezwanur Rahman, a student of Computer Science Department of American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) has recently been selected as a National Delegate of Bangladesh in Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018 which will be held in 2nd week of April at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom. Total two delegates have been selected from Bangladesh to represent the country at the international stage and play an active role in the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF). Rezwanur will attend the 11th Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) 2018 and Commonwealth Youth Council General Assembly, which will be held during CHOGM on 16-18 April 2018 at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London. Rezwanur will play a full and active role in the Youth Forum giving a voice to their peers at home, voting on behalf of their country on policy issues which directly affect them, and engaging fully in the democratic process to elect a new Youth Council Executive. The honorable Prime Ministers from 52 Commonwealth countries will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018. Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina will also attend the meeting. Rezwanur Rahman has also been invited and joined for Commonwealth Youth Summit - 2017 to represent Bangladesh as well as AIUB, which is the first Commonwealth Youth Summit 2017 and concluded on November 3, 2017 at and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Cyberjaya, Malaysia, wherein young leaders from 52 Commonwealth countries took a pledge cohesion and building global equity and fulfill the commitment of the "Sustainable Development Goals" adopted by United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). During the summit, Rezwanur got the chance to discuss about his initiative "Coding Camp" and initiative called "MentorNations" with His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Wales. CUB celebrates Nat'l Library Day - 2018 Campus Report : Canadian University of Bangladesh (CUB) has celebrated 1st National Library Day- 2018 at its Banani Campus recently by arranging a discussion on 'Impact of Digital Library to Build a Digital Nation'. Dr Dipu Moni, MP, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs of National Parliament of Bangladesh and former Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh was present as the chief guest in the discussion. Md. Kanok Monirul Islam, Convener, Open Access Bangladesh and also Librarian, Prime Minister's Office was the Keynote Speaker while Mohammad A. Arafat, Professor of Management and Head of Advisory Board, CUB chaired the program. The speakers said historically library plays an important role in building an educated nation and now with the development of modern technology digital library inspires us to use library more as books are digitized and easily accessible. Prof Dr Mohammad Mahfuzul Islam, Vice Chancellor, Canadian University of Bangladesh and Dr Md. Anwarul Islam, Secretary General, Library Association of Bangladesh were present as special guests. Brigadier General Md. Asaduzzaman Subhani (Retd.), Registrar delivered welcome speech while Md. Rashed Nizami, Library In-charge and Assistant Librarian, Sajeda Chowdhury Library, CUB conducted the event. Digitisation brings silent revolution in curbing corruption City Desk : By virtue of digitisation, the common people are getting government services quickly in a hassle free manner in the process of building a middle income digital Bangladesh and subsequently, a developed country. "Digitisation is factually bringing a silent social revolution in curbing corruption," said Director General (Admin) and Project Director of Access to Information (A2I) Programme of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Kabir Bin Anwar. He made the observations at a discussion after inaugurating a Digital Innovation Fair-2018 by releasing balloons and cutting ribbons on Public Library ground in Rangpur recently as the chief guest. The district administration has been arranging the fair to further accelerate digitisation through sensitising and bridging common people with ICT and reaching services easily to their doorsteps by realising Vision 2021 for building a digital Bangladesh. The Access to Information (a2i) Programme of the Prime Minister's Office being funded by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), USAID and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been assisting in organising the fair. The government departments, non- governmental and private sector organisations, union digital centres (UDCs), financial and educational institutions and entrepreneurs have set up 60 stalls in the fair showcasing their various digital innovations. With Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan Ahmed in the chair, Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Minu Shill and Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Wahiduzzaman addressed the discussion as special guests. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and ICT) Rashidul Monnaf Kabir delivered welcome speech. The chief guest narrated the chronological developments of civilisation and struggles for independence under leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the development process started by him in the war-torn country. "The Vision 2021 as envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given the nation concrete direction of building a middle income digital country and we have achieved all targets of the millennium development goals timely," he said. He said a digital system has been built using ICT in reaching services to the common people and the process of educating the young generations with science and ICT- based education continues. "We have set up multimedia classrooms in 30,000 educational institutions and more multimedia classrooms will be established in 50,000 educational institutions by this year to inspire the young generations with digital attitude," Anwar added. Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hassan Ahmed said the fair would inspire the people in building a middle income nation and subsequently, a developed Bangladesh by 2041 as envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Legality of drawing proceeding when suits are pending in civil court High Court Division : (Criminal Miscellaneous Jurisdiction) AKM Asaduzzaman J Zafar Ahmed J Sirajuddaula (Md) ............Petitioner vs State and another........Opposite-Parties (In all cases) Judgment November 20th, 2016 Code of Criminal Procedure (V of 1898) Sections 344 and 403 It is not an invariable rule that there cannot be any parallel proceedings on the same facts in criminal and civil courts. At the same time, Section 344 of the CrPC vests power upon the Court to postpone or adjourn criminal proceedings for any other reasonable cause. Proceedings in Criminal Court should be stayed or adjourned where identical issues based on same facts as in criminal cases are involved in suits pending in civil court. ............. (38) Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972 Article 35(2) Code of Criminal Procedure (V of 1898) Section 403 The principle protects a person from trial for the same offence for which he has already been convicted or acquitted (autrefois convict or a autrefois acquit). The protection is available only when both the proceedings are for criminal proceedings and both the prosecutions are for the same offence. The principle of double jeopardy has no manner of application to the issue in hand. The proposition of law, which is no longer a res integra, is that a criminal case and civil suit, though arising out of the same transaction, can proceed simultaneously............(17 & 18) Monzur Alam (Md) vs State, 55 DLR (AD) 62; Shamsul Islam Chowdhury vs Uttara Bank, 11 BLC 116; Majed Hossain vs State, 17 BLC (AD) 177; Pankajhai Nagjibhai Patel vs State of Gujrat, AIR 2001 SC 567; Vasu Vydier vs State of Kerala, 1975 CrLJ 494, 497 and R vs Overseers of the Parish of Tonbridge (1884) 13 QBD 339 ref. Sk Abu Musa Muhammad Arif, Advocate - For the Petitioner (In all cases). Sabel Newaz, Advocate-For the Opposite-Party No. 2 (In all cases). Judgment Zafar Ahmed J : Separate Rules were issued in the instant applications filed under Section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure in which the accused-petitioner has prayed for quashing the respective proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. In all the cases the parties are same, they arise out of similar facts and the issue involved for adjudication is identical. Hence, they are heard together and disposed of by this single judgment. 2. Md Sirajuddaula, who is the accused in all the cases, has filed the instant applications. The proceedings in question are now pending in the Court of Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Court No.3, Chittagong. 3. In Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2893 of 2016, the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 593 of 2013 arising out of CR Case No. 1540 of 2012 have been challenged. 4. In Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2895 of 2016, the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 253 of 2013 arising out of CR Case No. 1498 of 2012 have been challenged. 5. In Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2896 of 2016, the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 592 of 2013 arising out of CR Case No. 1521 of 2012 have been challenged. 6. In Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2897 of 2016; the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 354 of 2013 arising out of CR Case No. 1005 of 2012 have been challenged. 7. In Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2898 of 2016, the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 674 of 2013 arising out of CR Case No. 1480 of 2012 have been challenged. 8. In Criminal Miscellaneous Case No. 2899 of 2016, the proceedings of Sessions Case No. 586 of 2013 arising out of CR Case No. 1550 of 2012 have been challenged. 9. The opposite party No.2 Eastern Bank is the complainant of all the CR cases. Facts of the cases are almost similar. The accused petitioner obtained credit facility from the complainant bank. In order to discharge the loan liability, he gave separate cheques to the bank which, on presentation to the bank for encashment, were dishonoured on ground of insufficiency of fund. Following compliance of the statutory procedure laid down in Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (in short, the Act, 1881) the bank filed the respective CR cases against the accused. The cases were ultimately transferred to the Court of Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge, Court No.3, Chittagong for disposal. 10. The proceedings have been challenged and sought to be quashed not on the ground of any violation of the provisions of Section 138 of the Act, 1881 rather, mainly on two separate grounds, firstly, the cheques are post dated blank cheques which were given to the bank as security against the loan, and the bank subsequently filled in the cheques and used them at its own sweet will which, according to the petitioner, is illegal and secondly, the bank has already filed Artha Rin Suit against the accused claiming the amount which also covers the value of the cheque in question. It has been argued that the bank is not allowed to pursue two separate proceedings for the same cause of action and for the same purpose i.e. recovery of loan which amounts to double jeopardy and unjust enrichment. 11. The learned Advocate for the petitioner made submissions in support of the Rule. On the other hand, the learned Advocate for the opposite party bank opposed the Rules. We have heard the learned Advocates of both sides and perused the materials on record. 12. Section 6 of the Act, 1881 defines a cheque as a bill of exchange drawn on a specified banker and not expressed to be payable otherwise on demand". A cheque is a negotiable instrument. There are some presumptions regarding a cheque under the Act, 1881. As to date, the presumption of law is that every cheque bearing a date was made or drawn on such date (Section 118(b)). This presumption has to be read in conjunction with Section 20 under which presumption is made in favour of the holder of a cheque which was delivered to him blank or incomplete that the drawer has given prima facie authority to him to make or complete it, as the case may be, into a negotiable instrument for the amount, if any specified therein, or where no amount is specified, for the amount, not exceeding, in either case, the amount covered by the stamp. Again, every negotiable instrument is presumed to. be made or drawn for consideration: and it so accepted, indorsed, negotiated or transferred for consideration (Section 118(a). When a negotiable instrument is made, drawn, accepted, indorsed or transferred without consideration, or for a consideration which fails, creates no obligation of payment between the parties to the transaction (Section 43). 13. It is a common scenario that the bank/financial institution files a case under Section 138 of the Act, 1881 against the borrower stating that the cheque in question was given to it to repay the instalment(s) towards adjustment of the loan 1iability. The accused, who is also the borrower, moves this Division invoking its inherent power to quash the proceedings on the grounds that the cheque in question is a postdated security cheque ; that it was a blank cheque ; that it was an undated cheque ; that it I was obtained by the bank prior to issuance of the loan sanction advice and disbursement of the loan instalment(s) and hence, no consideration passed when the borrower was compelled to sign the blank undated cheque; that it as obtained through undue influence, coercion or that the borrower was under duress and had no option but to sign the blank cheque albeit sufficient property was mortgaged as security against the loan; that the cheque was signed for purposes other than as a method of realisation of loan etc. By raising these points the accused attempts to argue that the cheque in question cannot be treated as a cheque within the meaning and ambit of the Act, 1881. Some of these points are simply irrelevant. Some other points involve resolution of disputed question of facts which cannot be determined without taking evidence, Inevitably, this Division refuses to exercise its inherent power to quash the proceeding. 14. Sufficient it to say that once it is proved that the complainant has filed the case after compliance of the provisions of the Section 138 of the Act, 1881 and that the cheque has been executed by the accused, the presumptions laid down in Section 118 of the Act, 1881 and other presumptions discussed hereinbefore come into operation in favour of the complainant. It is then for the accused to establish his defence by adducing evidence to rebut the presumptions to be absolved of the criminal liability. 15. It is a common practice that the bank/financial institution takes recourse to Section 138 of the Act, 1881 and simultaneously files a suit against the borrower under the Artha Rin Adalat Ain, 2003 (in short, the Ain, 2003) for recovery of loan. Invariably, the accused in the criminal proceeding is also a defendant in the civil suit. The accused in the criminal proceedings, while invoking the inherent power of this Division under Section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, raises the above mentioned points and in addition takes a plea that the criminal proceedings under the Act, 1881 is barred by the non-obstante clause contained in Section 5 of the Ain, 2003 and that to allow the criminal proceedings to continue along with the civil suit would amount to double jeopardy. The case in hand falls within this scenario. 16. It has been stated in the instant applications that on 31-7-2012, the complainant bank as plaintiff filed Artha Rin Suit No. 90 of 2012 before the Court of the Artha Rin Adalat No.1, Chittagong against the petitioner and another for recovery of Taka 39,12,98,043.39. The said suit is still pending. The amount claimed in the suit covers the alue of the cheques and that both the Artha Rin Suit and the instant criminal cases arise out of the same loan transaction. The learned Advocate for the complainant bank does not dispute this factual matrix. 17. The principle of double jeopardy, as argued before us, has been incorporated in Article 35(2) of the Constitution and the concept is firmly established in Section 403 of the CrPC. The principle protects a person from trial for the same offence for which he has already been convicted or acquitted (autrefois convict or autrefois acquit). The protection is available only when both the proceedings are for criminal proceedings and both the prosecutions are for the same offence. Here, we are dealing with two proceedings one is criminal and the other is civil. Therefore, the principle of double jeopardy has no manner of application to the issue in hand. 18. The proposition of law, which is no longer a res integra, is that a criminal case and civil suit, though arising out of the same transaction, can proceed simultaneously. Monzur Alam (Md) vs State 55DLR (AD) 62 and Shamsul Islam Chowdhury vs Uttara Bank 11 BLC 116 are authorities on the point. 19. Parliament enacted the Artha Rin Adalat Ain, 2003 (in short, the Ain, 2003) for recovery of loans given by the financial institution. 'Financial Institution' includes banks and financiai institution established under the Financial Institutions Act, 1993. Section 5(1) of the Ain, 2003 states that notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, all suits relating to recovery of loan of a financial institution shall be filed and disposed of in Artha Rin Adaiat. Referring to Section 5 of the Ain, 2003, it has been argued, which we have already noted, that because of the nonobstante clause contained in the section, the financial institution is barred from filing a criminal case under the Act, 1881 for dishonour of cheque which is essentially also a mode for recovery of loan. 20. The argument is misconceived. Proceeding under Section 138 of the Act, 1881 is for trial of the offence although it is quasi civil and criminal in nature. It would be seen at later part of the judgment that the proceeding serves two fold purposes trial of the offence and recovery of the value of the dishonoured cheque. But payment of the amount of dishonoured cheque by the accused to the complainant or recovery of the same during the pendency of the criminal case does not absolve the accused of the criminal liability nor the proceeding is dropped automatically for this reason unless the complainant opts for non- prosecution. of the case. If the offence is proved, and the accused is found guilty, the payment of money can be considered as a mitigating factor and the Court shall certainly take into account of the same so far as sentencing is concerned. 21. It follows from the above discussions that the criminal proceeding under the Act, 1881 cannot be throttled on the ground of pendency of Artha Rin Suit or even after ending the suit in decree in favour of the bank/ financial institution. 22. So far as permissibility as to simultaneous civil and criminal proceedings is concerned, the position in India is no different. The Indian position. on the issue is succinctly stated in S Krishnamurthi Aiyar's 'Law Relating to The Negotiable Instruments Act' . (10th Ed.) where at pp. 760-761 the author observed by referring to Indian case laws that The filing of civil suit and criminal proceedings are the alternate remedies available to the complainant and they create different types of rights in the complainant which he can legally proceed in the Court. (To be continued) The civil and criminal proceedings are not only different but also they are independent from each other. Simply because a suit has been decreed in a case of dishonoured cheque, that ipso facto does not decide criminal proceedings and vice-versa. It is so for the reason that in such matter in criminal proceedings relief would be for punishing a person for the offence committed whereas, in civil proceedings, the relief would be for the amount of the bounced cheque and thus, for the same matter the remedies/reliefs under Civil Law and Criminal Law are different and independent. Section 138 of NI Act being a quasi civil and criminal nature, it would be wrong to say that under Section 138 proceedings could not have been launched at all by the complainant because of the pendency of the civil suit. Ultimately at the most if the complainant is successful in getting the fruits of the decree in the civil suit, it would be helpful only as a mitigating circumstance while imposing sentence under Section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act." (underlining is ours) 23. Be it noted that in India there is no analogous law to that of Artha Rin Adalat Ain. 24. In Majed Hossain vs State 17 BLC (AD) 177 an issue was raised as to whether a proceeding under Section 138 of the Act, 188-j would lie against the drawer of the unpaid/ dishonoured cheque(s) when the accused obtained the loan by creating equitable mortgage and the complainant had the option to recover the loan money by selling the mortgaged property. The apex Court observed. "A close reading of sub-section (1) of Section 138 of the Act 1881 shows that it has nothing to do with the recovery of loan amount. The whole scheme of the law as discussed hereinbefore, is to haul up the drawer of the unpaid/ dishonoured cheque(s) for not arranging the funds against the issuance of such cheques(s) and then its/his failure to make the payment of the amount of the money of the unpaid/ dishonoured cheque(s) on demand by the payee or, as the case be, by the holder in due course of the cheque(s) in writing within thirty days of the receipt of such notice as provided in clauses (b) and (c) respectively of sub-section (1) of Section 138 of the Act, 1881." (emphasis supplied) 25. The decided cases in our jurisdiction have echoed the Indian view that Section 138(1) has nothing to do with the recovery of loan amount and the proceeding is for trial of the offence for dishonour of the cheque. The inevitable conclusion that follows from the decided cases is that there is no bar upon the bank/ financial institution to file criminal case under Section 138 of the Act, 1881 and at the sante lime civil suilunder the Artha Rin Adalt Ain, 2003 for recovery of the loan amount. 26. Be that as it may, the settled proposition of law does not answer the issue in hand which is whether the bank can simultaneously proceed with the criminal proceedings under the Act, 1881 and the civil suit filed under the Ain, 2003. The answer to the issue requires a comparative study of the relevant laws of both India and Bangladesh. 27. In India, Section 138 is not divided into any sub-sections. II contains a proviso and an explanation'. Originally, in Bangladesh the provisions of Section 138 were identical to those of Indian Section 138. However, by Act No. XVII of 2000 dated 6th July, the words" or discharge in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability" contained in main body of Section 138 in Bangladesh were repealed. The 'explanation' to the section was also omitted. The omitted 'explanation' stated that, "For the purpose of this section, "debt or other liability" means a legally enforceable debt or other liability". By the amending Act, sub-sections (2) and (3) were also added to Section 138 in Bangladesh. Thus, Section 138, as it now stands in Bangladesh, is divided into three sub-sections. In India, the words "for discharge in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability" are still contained in the section and 'explanation' has not been amended. Both in India and in Bangladesh the Act, 1881 has been subjected to various amendments. However, those amendments have no bearing upon the adjudication of the issue in hand. In spite of the amendments to Section 138 in Bangladesh, the elements or conditions precedent to the commission of the offence of dishonour of cheque have remained similar to those of Indian law except some minor differences which have no impact upon the main ingredients of the offence. 28. Sub-sections (2) and (3) of Section 138 of our law, which are absent in Indian law, run thus: (2) Where any fine is realised under subsection (1), any amount up to the face value of the cheque as far as is covered by the fine realised shall be paid to the holder. (emphasis supplied) (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-sections (1) and (2), the holder of the cheque shall retain his right to establish his claim through civil Court if whole or any part of the value of the cheque remains unrealised. 29. Fine referred to in sub-section (2) may extend to thrice the amount of the cheque, or both. In India the fine may extend to twice the amount of the cheque. 30. Fine or part of fine received or recovered from the convict is deposited with the Treasury (rule 602 of the Criminal Rules and Orders (Practice and Procedure of Subordinate Courts), 2009). Whenever a Criminal Court imposes a fine, or a sentence of fine, or a sentence of which fine forms a part, the Court may, when passing judgment, order that the whole or any part of the fine recovered to be applied in the payment to any person of compensation for any loss or injury caused by the offence when substantial compensation is, in the opinion of the Court, recoverable by such person in a Civil Court (Section 545(1)(b) of the CrPC). Section 117 of the Act, 1881 provides rules for determination of compensation payable in case of dishonour of a cheque etc. 31. Generally, fine imposed by a Criminal Court cannot be equated with or treated as compensation. Section 545 of the CrPC deals with circumstances in which fine can be converted into compensation and paid to the person who sustained loss or injury caused by the offence. Special penal law may contain provisions regarding distribution of fine. For example, Section 15 of the Nari-O-Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain, 2000 provides-that, ??? ??????? ???????? ???? ?????- - ?? ????? ???? ? ???? ?? ??????? ????????? ???????? ??????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ?????-??, ???????????, ???????????? ??????? ????? ??????????? ???????? ????????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ?????- ?? ??????????? ???? ?-?? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?? ????, ???????? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ????????? ???? -- ???????? ???? ??????? ??? ???????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????- ?? ????? ?? ??????????? ???? ????????? ?????? ??. ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ? ????'???? ???, ???? ????? ???? ?? ????? : ??? ??????? ???? ?????? -- (?) ?? ???????? ???? ???? ???????? ? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ???? ?- ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ???????? ??% ??????????? ???? ????? ?? ?????????, ??????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??? ????????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? (?) ????? ??-???? (?) ?? ???? ????? ????????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ????????? ??????? ?????? ????? 33. Under sub-section (2) of Section 138 of the Act, 1881 fine is paid to the holder for the amount up to the face value of the cheque so far as covered by the line and thus, this provision is an exception to the general principle regarding fine that fine or part of fine, if paid or recovered, is deposited with the Treasury. 34. The sub-section (2) was added to Section 138 in 2000, but the offence was triable by a Court of Metropolitan Magistrate or a Magistrate of the first class. It caused a practical problem. A Metropolitan Magistrate or first class Magistrate has the power to impose fine up to Taka 10,000. Cases, in which, the value of the cheque exceeded Taka 10,000, a Magistrate could not impose fine for the entire amount. To remove this anomaly, Section 141 of the Act, 1881 was amended by the Act No. III of 2006 and now, the offence is tried by a Court not to inferior to that of a Court of Sessions. By the said amending Act, section 138A was inserted by which it has been made a condition precedent to deposit 50% of the amount of the dishonoured cheque before filing an appeal against the order of sentence. No deposit is required under the Indian law to file an appeal against order of sentence. 35. We have already noted that the corresponding Indian Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 does not contain any analogous provision contained in Section 138(2) of our Act, 1881. The offence under Section 138 in India is tried by a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Judicial Magistrate of the first class who cannot impose a sentence of fine exceeding Rs 10,000 (previously it was Rs. 5,000). In a deserving case where the Magistrate thinks that the complainant must be compensated with his loss, he can resort to the course indicated in Section 357 of the Indian CrPC (similar provisions albeit not the same are contained in Section 545 of our CrPC). The power of awarding compensation to the complainant has been dealt within two phases in Section 357 of Indian CrPC. When sentence of fine is imposed, the trial Court as well as the appellate Court can order the whole or any part of the fine recovered to be paid by way of compensation if any loss or injury is caused by the offence. Under Section 357(3), compensation can be ordered only when a Court imposes a sentence, of which fine does not form a part. There is no limit for "warding compensation. Thus, in Pankajhai Nagjibhai Patel vs State of Gujrat AIR 2001 SC 567 the Indian Supreme Court retained the sentence of imprisonment of six months, but deleted the fine portion from the sentence and directed the accused to pay compensation of Rs. 83,000 lo the complainant. 36. Reverting back to the law of our land, we note that the legislature did not use the word compensation in Section 138(2) and hence, it intended the added sub-section (2) of Section 138 as a mode for recovery of the amount of the dishonoured cheque al though Section 138(1) has nothing to do with the recovery of the same. Thus, the criminal proceeding under the Act, 1881 in our jurisdiction serves two purposes, firstly, to punish the offender, and secondly, to recover the value of the cheque as compensation in the name of fine, if the same is not yet paid to the holder. The absence of analogous provision in Indian law suggests that in India the purpose of the criminal proceeding under the Act, 1881 is to try and punish the offender only. In India fine is not equated with compensation. 37. There is another aspect of the scenario. To recapitulate, the adjudication involves a situation where the bank has filed criminal case under Section 138 of the Act, 1881 as well as civil suit against the same accused under the Artha Rin Adalat Ain over the same loan transaction(s). If the accused is awarded a sentence, he has to deposit 50% of the amount of the dishonoured cheque to file an appeal. Again, if the Artha Rin Suit is decreed if favour of the bank, the same accused being a defendant has to deposit 50% of the decretal amount to file the appeal. 38. The above discussions and comparative study of the relevant laws of India and Bangladesh pose an important question whether the criminal proceeding under Section 138 of the Act, 1881 should be stayed pending the Artha Rin Suit which are between the same parties and over self same loan transactions or they can proceed simultaneously. It is not an invariable rule that there cannot be any parallel proceedings on the same facts in criminal and civil courts. At the same time, Section 344 of the CrPC vests power upon the Court to postpone or adjourn criminal proceedings for any other reasonable cause. Thus, proceedings in Criminal Court should be stayed or adjourned where identical issues based on same facts as in criminal cases are involved in suits pending in Civil Court (Vasu Vydier vs State of Kerala, 1975 CrLJ 494, 497 (Ker). If the object of the criminal proceedings, instituted while a civil suit in respect of the same matter is pending, is in reality to prejudice the trial of the civil suit by a preliminary enquiry into the subject matter of the suit or to coerce the accused to authorise a compromise, it will only be just and fair to stay the criminal proceedings (Shaikh Davud vs Yusuff (l954) Travan 1326). 39. It is often found that laws enacted for the general advantage do result in individual hardship and inconvenience; for example laws of Limitation, Registration, Attestation although enacted for the public benefit, may work injustice in particular cases but that is hardly any reason to depart from the normal rule to relieve the supposed hardship or injustice in such cases. 40. A construction that results in hardship, serious inconvenience, injustice, absurdity or anomaly or which leads to inconsistency or uncertainty and friction in the system which the statute purports to regulate has to be rejected and preference should be given to that construction which avoids such results. According to BRETT, M.R., the inconvenience necessitating a departure from the ordinary sense of the words should not only be great but should also be what he calls an "absurd inconvenience" (R vs The Overseers of the Parish of Tonbridge (1884) 13 QBD 339). 41. In the case in hand, a sentence of fine under Section 138 of the Act, 1881 may result in a proceeding of execution of decree (Section 386(3) of the CrPC). Again, the same person may face an execution of decree proceeding under the Artha Rin Adalat Ain, 2003 for the same loan transactions which may together exceed the actual claimed amount. If the accused decides to file appeal against the sentence of fine as well as the decree passed in Artha Rin Suit, he has to deposit 50% of the amount of the dishonoured cheque and 50% of the decretal amount which in aggregate would almost cover the claimed amount. This may lead to unjust enrichment and thus, the inconvenience through legal process may lead to absurdity. The ends of justice and fairness demand that the process of law must not be allowed to calise or result in 'absurd inconvenience. 42. The accused-petitioner did not make any application before the trial Court for adjournment of the criminal proceedings. In the instant applications, he has invoked the inherent power of the High Court Division under Section 561A of the CrPC to quash the criminal proceedings. We have already held that the criminal proceedings under the Act, 1881 cannot be throttled on the ground of pendency of the Artha Rin Suit. In the instant applications, the petitioner has not made any prayer for adjournment of the criminal proceedings till disposal of the Artha Rin Suit. 43. The inherent power of the High Court Division can be exercised: (a) to make such orders as may be necessary to give effect to any order under the Code, or (b) to prevent abuse of the process of any Court, or (c) to otherwise to secure the ends of justice. It is now settled principle of law established through judicial pronouncements that the inherent power has to be exercised sparingly with circumspection and in the rarest of rare cases. For the reasons discussed above, the case in hand, in our view, falls within the category of rarest of rare cases where an order of stay of the criminal proceedings under the Act, 1881 during pendency of the Artha Rin Suit which are between the same parties and over the same loan transactions, should be passed to give effect to section 344 of the CrPC in order to prevent abuse of the process of the Court and to secure the ends of justice. 44. Hence, it is ordered that the proceedings of the respective CR cases shall remain stayed till disposal of the Artha Rin Suit No. 90 of 2012 now pending in the Court of Artha Rin Adalat, (Chittagong. Adjournment sine die is not in accordance with law. Therefore, if the Artha Rin Suit is stayed or adjourned at the instance of the accused-petitioner, the order of stay shall stand vacated and the proceedings of the respective C.R. cases shall continue. 45. With the above observations and directions, the Rules are disposed of. 46. There is no order as to costs. Meaning of defaulter borrower (From previous issue) : As per the said subscription agreement, petitioner No. 2 nominated petitioner No. 1 as its nominee-director in the Board of the Benetex and, accordingly, Form-12 of the Benetex has disclosed the name of the petitioner No. 1 as one of its directors. That, subsequently, the petitioner No.2 decided to withdraw its equity investment from Benetex and, thus, transferred its entire share in the Benetex and thereby petitioner No. 1 seized to be a director of Benetex vide its board resolution dated 31-3-2011. 4. However, in the meantime, Benetex obtained different credit facilities from GSP Finance Company (Bangladesh) Ltd. (hereinafter called "GSP") (respondent No.4) under lease financing for procurement of garments machineries and instruments. It is stated that, though the petitioner No. 1 was the nominee director of petitioner No.2 at the relevant time of obtaining such credit facilities, he never executed any personal guarantee or any charge documents to secure the said loan. However, it is stated, GSP illegally referred the name of the petitioner No. 1 to the Bangladesh Bank under Section 27Ka Ka of the Bank Companies Act, 1991 for publication of the same in its CIB report and, accordingly the name of the petitioner No. 1 appeared in the impugned CIB report as a guarantor. As against this back-drop, both the petitioners made several representations to the GSP as well as the Bangladesh Bank to get the CIB report corrected, namely to delete the name of the petitioner No. I from the same, but to no avail. It is stated that as a resulted of such publication of the name of the petitioner No.1 in the CIB, he became disqualified to obtain any loan for his personal purpose from any bank or financial institutions. It is further stated that, since the petitioner No. 1 only represented the petitioner No.2 company as its nominee director in the board of the Benetex even if there is any consequence for withdrawal of equity investment from Benetex in 2011, the petitioner No. 1 should not suffer as he had only acted as an agent of petitioner No.2. Under such circumstances, the petitioners moved this Court after serving demand justice notice on the GSP and Bangladesh Bank for correction of the impugned CIB and obtained the aforesaid Rule. At the time of issuance of the Rule, this Court, vide ad-interim order dated 27-11-2015, stayed operation of the impugned CIB report till 15-12016, which was subsequently extended on several occasions for certain periods. It is further stated by the petitioners that though the Benetex obtained credit facilities from other bank, and financial institutions, e.g. Rupali Bank Ltd., One Bank Ltd. etc., they did not refer the name of the petitioner No. 1 in the CIB. Rather, they only referred the name of the promoter directors of the Benetex in the CIB. 5. The Rule is opposed by GSP (respondent No.4) by fling affidavit-in-opposition contending, inter alia, that, the petitioner No. I was the nominee-director of petitioner No.2 in the board of the Benetex at the relevant time when the Benetex obtained credit facility from GSP and that neither the petitioner nor the Benetex took any written consent from the GSP at the time of withdrawal of share-holding from Benetex in violation of the provisions under Section 27 Ka of the Bank Companies Act, 1991. It is further contended by this respondent that, since the petitioner No.1 was a member of the board of the Benetex which obtained different credit facilities from GSP, it was incumbent upon the GSP to refer the name of all directors of Benetex to CIB in view of the provisions under Section 27KaKa of the Bank Companies Act, 1991 inasmuch as that, being a director of the Benetex, the defaulter borrower company Benetex became ^v_ mswko cOwZovb (interested establishment) of the petitioner in view of the definition of 'defaulter borrower' as provided by Section 5(GaGa) of the Bank Companies Act, 1991 (as amended). It is further contended that, since the Benetex defaulted almost all credit facilities provided by GSP, the GSP has already filed several Artha Rin Suits before the Artha Rin Adalats and obtained decrees in some of them followed by continuation of execution proceedings against the Benetex and petitioner No.1. Submissions: 6. Mr. AF Hassan Ariff, learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioners, has argued at length regarding the law relating to different incidents of agency agreement or agency relationship between principal and its agent. Mr Ariff submits that, since the petitioner No. 1 was the salaried Managing Director of UBICO (petitioner No.2), which is a government to government joint venture between UAE and Bangladesh, he only represented UBICO as its Managing Director and nominee Director of UBICO in the board of the Benetex. Therefore, according to him, it was in fact UBICO which was the Director of Benetex and that petitioner No. 1 was merely an agent of UBICO. Thus, he submits, even if any wrong has been done by the petitioner No. 1 in withdrawing from the board of the Benetex without consent of GSP, petitioner No. I cannot face any consequences of such withdrawal of share holding inasmuch as that it was the UBICO which in fact withdrew the share holding without the consent of GSP. Therefore, learned advocate argues that, the petitioner No.1 will not come under the mischief of 'defaulter borrower' as defined by Section. 5GaGa of the Bank Companies Act, 1991 in view of the fact that it was the petitioner No. 2 which was in fact the director of Benetex. Further referring to the Form XII of Benetex, as submitted before the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (as annexed to the writ petition), learned advocate submits that, though the Form XII does not show anything about UBICO or that it does not show the petitioner No. 1 as nominee director of UBICO, the admitted fact remains that the petitioner No. 1 was the nominee director of UBICO. This being so, he submits, non mentioning the name of UBICO in the Form XII Benetex (Annexure-B series) dated 26-7-2011 is a mere mistake on the part of the Benetex in submitting Form XII before the Registrar, Joint Stock Companies. Learned advocate further submits that, unless the name of the petitioner No. 1 is deleted from the CIB thereby exonerating him for the default of his principal, the entire purpose of the Bank Companies Act as well as the principles of agency will be frustrated. Accordingly, he submits, this Court should direct the concerned authority to delete the name of the petitioner No. 1 from the impugned CIM report of Bangladesh Bank. 7. As against above submissions, Mr Ruhul Amin, learned advocate appearing for GSP (respondent No.4), upon referring to the definition of the term 'director' as defined by Section 2(f) of the Companies Act, 1994, submits that, a director of a company is a director by whatever name he or it is called. According to him, even if the petitioner No.1 was a nominee-director of UBICO, all the incidents of director will fall upon him and, accordingly, he will also come under the definition of the term 'defaulter borrower' as provided by Section 5(GaGa) of the Bank Companies Act, 1991. Mr Ameen further argues that, the admitted position being that neither the Benetex nor the petitioners took any prior consent from GSP before withdrawal of UBICO share-holding from the Benetex or before change of management of Benetex by transfer of shares of UBICO, such transfer of shares or change of director ship in Benetex by such transfer will not be regarded as valid transfer and change of management in the eye of law inasmuch as that, according to Section 27Ka of the Bank Companies Act, 1991, such resignation of a director or transfer of shares will not take effect under the law. This being so, according to him, the GSP did not commit any illegality in referring the name of the petitioner No. I, who was admittedly in the board of the Benetex at the relevant time, to Bangladesh Bank for publication of the same in the CIB. Further referring to various certified copies of decrees in Artha Rin Suit as well as execution case filed against Benetex and its directors including the petitioner No. 1 learned advocate submits that, the issues involved in this writ petition have already been decided' by the Artha Rin Adalat and, as such, the petitioners do not have any case before this Court except filing appropriate appeal in accordance with law against the said judgment and decrees passed by the Artha Rin Adalat. Deliberations of the Court: 8. It appears from materials on record, in particular the Form XII of Benetex, as submitted before the Joint Stock Companies and Firms on 26-7-2011 (Annexure-B series), that, the petitioner No. I was in fact shown as a director of Benetex. He was also shown to have seized to be such director with effect from 31-3-2011. This is admitted position that Benetex obtained credit facilities from GSP before such seizure of directorship of petitioner No. I and that petitioner No. I was in the board of the Benetex at the relevant time of obtaining such credit facilities. It is also admitted position that the petitioner No. 1 in fact was in the board of Benetex as a nominee director of UBICO (petitioner No.2). Therefore, it cannot be denied by the petitioners that the petitioner No. 1 was the part of management of Benetex at the relevant time when Benetex obtained the said credit facilities and, as such, it was incumbent upon the petitioner No. 1 and/or petitioner No. 2 to withdraw, UBICO shareholdings from the Benetex and to resign as director of Benetex with prior consent of GSP in view of the provisions under Section 27Ka of the Bank Companies Act, 1991. Admittedly, neither the Benetex nor the petitioners took such prior consent of GSP. Therefore, whatever share transfer took place in 2011 or whatever change of management took place at that time, such transfer or change of management did not in fact come into force in view of the provisions under Section 27Ka of the Bank Companies Act, 1991, which provides that, no resignation of any director of borrower company shall take effect and no director of borrower company shall be entitled to transfer or sell his shares without approval of the authority of the lender bank or financial institution. This being so, we have no doubt to declare that the said purported transfer of shares and change of management which took place in 2011 did not become effective in the eye of law. The consequence of which is that, in so far as the obligation of GSP to refer the name and status of defaulter-borrowers to CIB under Section 27Ka Ka of the Bank Companies Act is concerned, they were required to send the names of Benetex and its directors in the CIB including the name of the petitioner No. 1, as, admittedly, petitioner No. I was the director of the Benetex at the relevant time. 9. Since the law, namely the definition of 'director' as provided by Section 2(C) of the Companies Act, 1994 and the definition of 'defaulter borrower' as provided by Section 5 (Ga Ga) of the Bank Companies Act, 1991, do not distinguish between director or nominee-director, we are of the view that, merely because the petitioner No. 1 was the nominee-dircctor of UBICO and representing UBICO in Benetex, that does not give him any extra benefit in so far as referring his name to CIS under Section 27 Ka Ka is concerned. However, it appears from the impugned CIB report, as annexed to this writ petition as Annexure-C series, that, only the name of the petitioner No.1 was published therein as a 'guarantor' of the credit facilities obtained by Benetex. We are of the view that, since the admitted position is that it was the UBICO which was in fact holding the shares in Benetex and, as such, the petitioner No. 1 was the human face of the UBICO in Benetex board, the names of petitioner Nos. 1 and 2 should have been referred to for publication in the CIB disclosing their separate characters therein in that the petitioner No. I should have been shown as nominee-director of petitioner No.2 UBICO. This follows that, both the petitioner Nos. 1 and 2 will face the consequences of non-obtaining consent from GSP before withdrawal of share-holding or change of management in the Benetex in view of the provisions under Section 27Ka of the Bank Companies Act, 1991. Further, since the admitted position is that neither the petitioner No. 1 nor the petitioner No.2 executed any guarantee securing the credit facilities obtained by the Benetex, none of them should be referred to in the CIB as guarantor. Rather, they should be referred to as director and nominee-director of Benetex, the same being an interested establishment of the petitioners in view of the definition of 'defaulter borrower' as provided by Section 5 (GaGa) of the Bank Companies Act, 1991. 10. In view of above, though we do not find any substantial merit in the Rule, we are of the view that, concerned authorities like GSP as well as the Bangladesh Bank should take necessary steps for correction of the concerned CIB report in line with our above observation. 11. Regard being had to the above facts and circumstances of the case, we do not find any merit in the Rule and, as such, the same should be discharged. In the result, the Rule is discharged without any order as to costs. The ad-interim order if any thus stands recalled and vacated. Uncomfortable truth about meeting the wrong persons The European Union's involvement in holding our national polls goes back more than a couple of decades. As one may expects, this time also the political and economic union of 28 member states expects for an all-inclusive, free and fair polls to take place in Bangladesh. Last Wednesday a European Parliamentary delegation hoped that the political atmosphere in Bangladesh would become less confrontational and hostile in the coming months leading up to the national polls. The delegates also had a meeting with the Election Commission and discussed how the next national election can be made all- inclusive, free and fair. In fact, not only the EU all our foreign friends including the UN expects for the same. In that regard, the EU must held meetings with the political leadership - so to materialise its expectations. Unless the ruling party is motivated for holding credible polls - meetings, seminars with the ineffective Election Commission (EC) or holding press conferences will do little to meet EUs expectations. The outline and political culture for holding elections in Bangladesh has been mostly determined by the party in power. It's right on this point where the nail has to be hammered on the head, not elsewhere - meaning the EU must hold meeting with the PM - the actual person in power for ensuring and holding credible polls. Given the decades old dictatorial sick political culture prevailing in the country - by now it shouldn't be too difficult for the EU to comprehend that our state organs and constitutional autonomous bodies have ceased to function independently long time ago. They had become pawns in the hands of political leaderships. However, the EU has mostly contributed in our national elections by providing aid and sending observers, but compare to any pre-election period before the country's political situation is far much worse today. We expect the EU to actively engage with the political leaders in the upper echelons of power in order to make its engagement meaningful for holding free, fair and an all-inclusive national election in Bangladesh. Encourage farmers to use organic fertilizer The government should take serious steps to stop adulteration of fertilizers as substandard agricultural input decreases yields. We know balanced use of fertilizer along with organic fertilizer is a demand of time. Experts have also laid emphasis on strong monitoring to check the quality of imported potassium, potash and phosphate fertilizers at the stage of storage and distribution to check adulteration. There are some areas in Bogra, Jessore and Jhenaidah where people carry out adulteration of fertilizer at midnight and wrap up activities before the dawn. That means it is not out of the local administration's knowledge. Agriculture is the driving force of our economy. It comprises 16 percent of the country's gross domestic product. Of the agricultural income, crop agriculture alone accounts for 55 percent. But the boost to farm yield would be crucial in the future as the country loses 0.66 percent of farmland to mainly non-farm uses. Against this backdrop, proper use of farmland with pure and balanced fertilizer is a must to get healthy harvest. The era of single fertilizer is long gone. Crop plants require 16 nutrient elements for their optimum growth, development and yield. But most of the farmers do not know how to use the micronutrient like copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, Zinc, boron due to lack of motivation. Mixed fertilizer is very good in terms of balanced fertilization. At present, the contaminated fertilizers have posed a serious threat to our agriculture. If it continues, fertility of the soil would be affected very much. A study of the Food and Agriculture Program of Practical Action Bangladesh on organic fertilizer promotion had revealed that there was a lack of understanding of the requirements of soil and soil fertility testing. Organic fertilizer works slowly on soil and its productive efficiency is lower than chemical fertilizer, which is costly. Organic fertilizer production costs are higher; very few companies produce organic fertilizer and some of its quality is questionable. The government provides a higher subsidy for chemical fertilizer that makes more vested interests so that disparity exists regarding the political economy of fertilizer policy and promotion. We think, the government should gear up its monitoring to stop adulteration of fertilizers. The fertility of soil in our country is very high. So, the government must not give scope to anyone to destroy it using imbalanced and adulterated fertilizers. Here, the increased use organic fertilizer should be encouraged. PM returns home today BSS, Dhaka : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who reached Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning from Rome concluding her four-day official visit to Italy and Vatican City, returns home today evening after a stopover in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital. "An Etihad Airways flight carrying the premier and her entourage members is scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi International Airport for Dhaka at 1.35 pm (Abu Dhabi time)," a spokesman of the Prime Minister's Office told BSS yesterday. He said the flight is expected to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8 pm today. The premier departed Leonardo da-Vinci Fiumicino Airport in Rome for Abu Dhabi at 10 am local time on Wednesday (3 am BST Thursday) winding up her four-day official visit to Italy and Vatican City. In Italy, she attended the annual governing council meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at the invitation of IFAD President Gilbert F Houngbo. At an invitation of Pope Francis, Sheikh Hasina also visited the Holy See (Vatican City) and held meetings with the Pope and Secretary State of Vatican City Cardinal Pietro Paroline. No place like Boi Mela for young UNB, Dhaka : Whether launching a book, meeting their readers, be they fans or critics, or getting the chance very often to meet and interact with their own favourites, or even just to indulge, like the vast majority of attendees, their love of books, the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, the country's very own literature festival, is a must for any budding writer. Besides, roaming the fairgrounds there is no dearth of young, would-be writers determined to make their mark on the fabric of Bangla literature, even as naysayers warn that 'Reading is going out of fashion'. Young writers UNB spoke to at the Fair are mostly unfazed by the onslaught of technology on the publishing industry, seen as posing an existential threat to everything from newspapers to books. Debutant novelist Niaz Mehedi, whose 'Aowaler Vhat Ghor' had a Boi Mela release from Batighar, a publishing house, even quashed the talk that good writers are finding it more and more difficult to get a publisher these days. "I think good writing with good content will always attract publishers. So young writers should always strive to keep writing better and better, whether serious issues or light topics, both will have a market but the writing has to be good enough," said Mehedi, while talking about his first ever book. Mehedi was keen to focus on lending something 'unique' to one's writing that should set it apart from the rest, rather than trying to replicate some theme that may have worked for others. Once a writer is able to master that, his or her work will be elevated from the rest of the field and publishers are bound to pay attention. Poet Kazi Jawad Murchid, whose volume of poetry 'Noroker Chilekothay' came out during this year's Boi Mela, was somewhat more gloomy in his assessment. "We lack good books," said Murchid. "Especially we are seeing the acute crisis in the poetry section. Young writers and poets should come forward and face the challenge with their talent." He also stressed that we should explore the reasons behind the declining popularity of poems, as the trend is worsening day by day. "I can present something new with my poems," he added. Kamelia Rownak Othoi, another Boi Mela debutant, appreciates the space provided by the month-long soiree, for writers to be amongst their readers. "I enjoy the interaction, it can only be helpful for your writing to stay connected to readers. Also as a woman writer, it is different experience," said Kamelia, whose novel 'Otindria' came out from the up-and-coming Dari Koka publishing house, and has garnered positive reviews. Kamelia's story even reflects the possibility of technology becoming a boon for writers. "I started out writing on social media, and did that for a long time, gaining followers and feedback. After a certain point, I felt ready to get published. The response is beyond anything I could have imagined," the young writer said. Novelist Harun Pasha, whose second novel 'Teesta' based on the Teesta River has been published at this year's festival, said writers should look beyond romance as the content of their novels, if they want to produce serious books that will stand the test of time. Some 144 new titles were released at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Thursday, taking the total number above 2000 for this year, just past the halfway mark. A total of 2076 have so far hit the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair including the 15th day's entrants. Poetry volumes continue to dominate the genres in terms of numbers. So far, of the 2076 books released, 618 fall in poetry category. They are followed by novels, collections of stories, and essays with 358, 279, and 113 respectively. The number of books released this year till the 15th (2076) far outstrips the corresponding number from last year (1776). BD hands over list of 8,032 Rohingyas Bangladesh-Myanmar Home Ministers-level meeting was held at the Secretariat on Rohingya repatriation including border security issues on Friday. Staff Reporter : Bangladesh has handed over a list of 8,032 Rohingya refugees comprising members of 1673 families to visiting Myanmar Home Minister Lt. Gen. Kyaw Swe for repatriation in the first phase at a meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Friday afternoon. He said Bangladesh has duly registered 10,60000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The Myanmar side at the meeting has assured taking all refugees in phases after verification of their identity in the light of 10-point programme both sides earlier agreed, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters after the meeting. In the meting, he said both sides mainly discussed issues how to ensure safe repatriation with dignity in the Rakhine state, in addition to running combined operations on both sides of the border to check rapid spread of Yaba trafficking from Myanmar side of the border. It also included meetings of the head of police forces of both the countries and the chief of border guards to apprise current situation in every three or six months, setting up boarder liaison office to take instant actions to solve instant problem and demarcation of the Naf River. Myanmar earlier sought the list of refugees as family unit and after handing over the list yesterday, the Myanmar side said they would check the list and come up with their response. The main issue however remained the need to create a congenial atmosphere and build confidence that Rohingyas will be treated fairly in safety and dignity and Myanmar would rebuild their homes and return lost business and property. The Myanmar Minister is visiting Dhaka with a 12-member delegation to review the progress so far attained after signing the physical arrangement for repatriation on January 16 in the light of the initial MOU for repatriation signed on November 23 Rohingyas are reluctant to return to the Rakhine state without international guarantee for safety and the UNHCR and other human rights organization are equally pushing the issue on the table. Any progress in the repatriation process now depends on how Myanmar is going to address this basic issue. How Myanmar should also stop the influx of drug trafficking across the boarder which is yet another big law and order issue as Yaba is now flooding Cox's Bazar area while the Myanmar government is doing nothing to stop it. It has so far not paid heed to Bangladesh's demands to dismantle drug factories inside Myanmar border and evidence suggests organized groups from inside Myanmar are pushing the drug inside Bangladesh. About repatriation Home Minister Asaduzzaman khan told reporters after the meeting, over 10 lakh Rohingyas entered Bangladesh so far. Out of them Bangladesh has handed over the first list from duly registered refugees to start repatriation. He said over 655,000 Rohingyas arrived into Bangladesh alone following violence in August last year. The Home Minister said another meeting will take place on February 20 in Myanmar to finalize the return of 6,500 Rohingyas now stranded at zero point on Bangladesh Myanmar border. The Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar will visit Myanmar on that occasion to take part in the meeting. The Minister said, "Myanmar officials have assured of taking back all the Rohingyas in phases after completion of verification. We have also asked them to take effective measures to stop new arrival of refugees, in addition to remove the stranded on the border," Kamal said. Home Minister also said that they have also asked Myanmar to take effective measures to stop narcotics production and drug trafficking across the border. Election corruption is mother of all corruption: Mainul Staff Reporter : Taking part in a talk show on Ekattor Tv Thursday night, Barrister Mainul Hosein blamed election corruption as the mother of all corruption. 'It is the election corruption that is responsible for corrupting the whole system of government and politics', he said. Barrister Hosein sought a reply from those who very loudly say that the election will be held under the Constitution but under which Constitution. It was on the demand of Sheikh Hasina that all the parties together made the election time caretaker government part of the Constitution. Now Awami League is insisting to hold the election under their government by changing the Constitution one-sidedly. By denying the people the free election we have the government by vested coterie, he said. About politicisation politics, he observed, to be found in communist countries but in Pakistan days we struggled for democratic politics. It was imported "without tax and VAT" because our people struggled long for democratic politics. Barrister Hosein said plainly that a free and fair election is not a matter between Awami League and BNP. No nation is free that cannot choose their government freely, he pointed out. Disagreeing with the notion that BNP will join the election under the present government Barrister Hosein feared that if nothing is conceded for making the election free, then a political storm is bound to rage through the country. Arrogance and peace do not go together, he warned. The talk show was conducted by Syed Istiaque Reza. It's not easy to type a 632-page verdict: Anisul Staff Reporter : Law Minister Anisul Huq on Friday said, the government will not interfere in getting the certified copy of the verdict of Zia Orphanage Trust case in which BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia was sentenced five years in jail. Rejecting the allegation of dillydallying in preparing the certified copy of the verdict, the Law Minister said, "It's not easy to type 632 pages. It will be given to the lawyers in time. The government has no foul intention there." The Minister was speaking to reporters after visiting the dead body of a Akhaura Upazila Awami League Leader Obaidul Haque. BNP has been accusing the government of hindering the process of issuing the certified copy of the verdict, saying that the ruling party wants Khaleda behind the bar for a long time. "Khaleda has not been shown arrested in any other case," the Law Minister said. Judge of the Special Court-5 in Dhaka, Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, on February 8 in 2018 sentenced BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and five others to imprisonment for five years and 10 years respectively in the controversial Zia Orphanage Trust case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). 100 shops gutted in Ctg fire A devastating fire that broke out on Friday at City Gate Colonel Hut area beside Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. Fire fighters trying to douse the flame. About 100 shops including 15 furniture show rooms were gutted. UNB, Chittagong : At least 100 shops, including 15 furniture showrooms, were gutted as a fire broke out in a market in City Gate area beside Dhaka-Chittagong highway on Friday morning. Sarwar Jahan, an operator of Agrabad fire service control room, said that the fire broke out in the market around 8:30am. On information, 13 vehicles of five firefighting units from Agrabad, Bandar, Nandankanon and Kumira fire stations rushed to the spot and doused the flame around 10am. The fire gutted at least 100 shops, including 15 furniture shops, and an ATM booth of Dutch Bangla bank. Mahbub Rashid, owner of a furniture shop of the market, alleged that a powerful group had been trying long for evicting the shop owners from the area. The group might be behind the fire incident. The affected shop owners said that the estimated loss caused by the fire would be around Tk 30 crore. Question leakage wave children Staff Reporter : Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on February 4 declared bounty amounting to Tk 5 lakh for capturing or giving authentic information about those involved in question paper leaks. The ministry has formed an 11-members probe committee in this regard, but no progress. Educationists and elite group held the ministry responsible for failure to check leakage. The guardians said, question papers were supplied by private tutors through messengers, whatsApp, face book and different other sources paying Tk 100 to 2,500. They also claimed that Mathematics, Physics and English Paper-II got about five to 10 hours and other subjects' questions were received by them about an hour before the examinations. However, the law enforces picked up several teachers, examinees, and guardians with leakage question papers. Many of got leak question papers through face book, messenger and whatsApp. Ten out of 11 SSC examinees who were detained on Tuesday were produced before a Chittagong court on Wednesday over question paper leaks were given bail following their guardians' undertakings. Their lawyers alleged that main culprits of question paper leaks were not caught, whereas the students as 'victims' were detained. A tidal surge of question papers leaks has just swept the nation. The children have now been victims of such deluge (of question paper leaks)," Zafar Iqbal, a lawyer who represented the students, told the Chittagong Metropolitan Juvenile Court. He insisted that the government must first stop "the surge of question paper leaks". "Why do those who are behind the question leaks remain untraced? Here, those who are victims are being blamed," said Monzurul Haque, another lawyer. A total of 40 lawyers stood for the detained students in the court on Wednesday opposing remand sought by the police. Judge Jannatul Ferdaus granted bail prayers for 10 students as their guardians assured the court that they would comply with law. Explanation from the guardian of one more examinee was satisfactory to the court. Some 24 examinees of science section were expelled and nine students and one female teacher detained as they were allagedly caught red-handed with Physics question paper of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations, on board a bus near Mahila Samity High School and College centre in Chittagong. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the New Nation on Thursday that they need more time to identify real culprits and nab them. State Minister for Technical and Madrasa Education Kazi Keramat Ali said "There are more than 4,000 exam centres in the country. Some dishonest teachers take images of question just before the exam starts and upload that on Face book to embarrass the government. Speaking with media, brother of one of the female examinees, present on the court premises, said his sister was not involved in the question paper leaks. She got the questions from the Facebook and Whatsapp, he claimed. He observed that the children are being harassed by the detention process and their implications in the lawsuit. "It's in fact the responsibility of the state to address the question paper leakage." Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam of Dhaka University said, "I think that question paper leaks will become normal. This is a failure of Education Ministry, administration and law enforces agencies." Govt' delaying Khaleda's full verdict: Fakhrul Rally in city on Feb 22, Mass signature campaign from today, Senior leaders meet with lawyers, Special prayers for Khaleda held in jail gate Staff Reporter : The BNP wants to hold a public rally in the city on February 22 demanding immediate release of the party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia from jail. The women wing of the party also held a special prayers for Khaleda Zia in jail gate on Friday to press home her release. Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday blamed the government for delaying the certified copy of Khaleda Zia's verdict, in clear violation of law. Mirza Fakhrul said, "The government intentionally delaying to handover the certified copy of the verdict to Khaleda Zia's lawyers. They are delaying it to delay the release of the party chief on bail." BNP Secretary General made the remark while talking to journalists after meeting with pro-BNP lawyers on Friday after noon in the party chairperson's Gulshan office. The close-door meeting discussed the political situation after the imprisonment of Begum Khaleda Zia. It also discussed the legal positions of all cases filed against her by the government. The meeting also took stock of the future political situations, as it is unfolding the rough out the country. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Members Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Abdul Moin Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Vice-Chairmen Ad. Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Mir Nasir, Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Joint-Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and Organizing Secretary Ad. Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu was present. BNP announced rally in city on Feb 22: Meanwhile, BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, they will hold a rally in the city's Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of the Nayapaltan central office of February 22. "We have decided to hold a public rally either at Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of the Nayapaltan central office on February 22 demanding immediate release of party chief Begum Khaleda Zia," Rizvi said while speaking at a press briefing at the BNP's central office. They have already sought permission from the authorities, he said. He further said the party's countrywide mass signature drive demanding the release of Khaleda Zia will formally begin at 11:00am at Nayapaltan central office on Saturday. BNP on Thursday announced another round of peaceful countrywide protest programme. Besides, the party will stage demonstrations in all the district towns and metropolitan cities, except Dhaka, on Tuesday. Special prayers for Khaleda in jail gate: Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, the BNP's women wings performed a special dua mahfil in front of the jail gate on Friday in old Dhaka where Khaleda Zia is being held. Mahila Dal General Secretary Sultana Ahmed, the party leaders Noor-e-Ara Safa, Meherun Nesa, Helen Zerin Khan, Shamsun Nahar Begum, Ferdousi Kabir Mina, Hosne Ara, Nasrin Putul and others were present. BD woman killed in US road crash UNB, Dhaka : A Bangladesh women was killed on Wednesday night after she was struck by a car while crossing a street in Chicago. Bina Chowdhury, 42, a resident of Hoffman Avenue in Park Ridge area, was crossing Potter Road north of Farrell Avenue just after 6pm (local time) when she was hit by a car, reports local newspaper The Chicago Tribune quoting police. Park Ridge Deputy Police Chief Duane Mellema said Bina was alone at the time she was crossing the street. She was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where she later died of her injuries, police said. Bina immigrated to the US with her family as a teenager and settled in Chicago, her nephew Sakif Ahmed told the newspaper. Bina's death remains under investigation by the Park Ridge police, authorities said. Senate rejects immigration bills, leaves dreamers in limbo Reuters, Washington : The U.S. Senate rejected a series of bills to protect "Dreamer" immigrants on Thursday, leaving in limbo the future of 1.8 million young adults brought to the United States illegally as children. The Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to move forward on four separate proposals, including one backed by President Donald Trump and a separate bipartisan bill that had been the most likely to win approval in the deeply divided Senate. Trump helped defeat the bipartisan bill, which went down in a 54-45 vote, by labeling it just hours earlier as "a total catastrophe." He instead backed a Republican plan that would offer Dreamers a path to citizenship but also commit funding to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and impose much tougher restrictions on legal immigration. In a blow to the Republican president, 14 senators from his own party opposed that bill, which failed by an emphatic 60-39 vote. The Senate votes were the latest in a series of failures in Congress in recent years to pass a comprehensive immigration plan, and left lawmakers and immigration advocates searching for a way forward for the young Dreamers. Democrats complained Trump's uncompromising approach was sinking efforts to find a deal in Congress. "This vote is proof that President Trump's plan will never become law. If he would stop torpedoing bipartisan efforts, a good bill would pass," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. The White House in a statement late on Thursday blamed Democrats for the failure to pass legislation, saying that "they are not serious about immigration reform, and they are not serious about homeland security." Although the protections under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are due to start expiring on March 5, federal judges have blocked that from taking effect amid litigation. Republican Senator Bob Corker, who has worked with Democrats in trying to find an immigration deal, told reporters there could now be debate on attaching a short-term extension of protections from deportation for Dreamers on a government funding bill that Congress must pass by March 23. "This does not have to be the end of our efforts to resolve these matters," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the vote, although he blamed Democrats for the deadlock. "I would encourage members to put away the talking points to get serious about finding a solution that can actually become law." While Trump has offered a deal for Dreamers, he has also insisted on building a border wall, ending a visa lottery program and imposing curbs on visas for the families of legal immigrants. The White House pushed Trump's preferred bill, introduced by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, but the 14 Republicans who voted against it included John Thune and John Barrasso, members of the Senate Republican leadership, and conservatives such as Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. The leading bipartisan measure, crafted by a group led by Republican Senator Susan Collins, would have protected the Dreamers and included a $25 billion fund to strengthen border security and possibly even build segments of Trump's long-promised border wall with Mexico. But the White House threatened a veto, saying the proposal would weaken enforcement of current law and produce a flood of illegal immigration. The Department of Homeland Security and Attorney General Jeff Sessions also blasted it. A narrow bill focusing just on Dreamers and border security, put forward by Republican John McCain and Democrat Chris Coons, failed on a 52-47 vote. A fourth measure, focused on punishing "sanctuary cities" that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts, also fell short of 60 votes. "It looks like demagogues on the left and the right win again on immigration," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who backed all four proposals. McConnell had set a deadline for the Senate to pass an immigration measure by the end of Thursday. But Senator Mike Rounds, a leading Republican sponsor of the failed bipartisan proposal, said senators would keep trying. "We'll have a chance to regroup, and take a look at what we can do to take a bipartisan approach, modify some of those things where there are questions," he said. "The issues are not going to go away. We've still got DACA kids that are going to have to be addressed. We've still got a border security system that the president says is a priority. We want to give him an opportunity to make that a success.". Frank Sharry, executive director of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice, noted an overwhelming majority of Americans supported protections for Dreamers. "It is noteworthy that the only vote to reach a supermajority of 60 votes was the resounding defeat of Trump's racist and radical immigration plan," he said. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Yes, the decision belongs on the local level No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks Vote View Results The Pasar Lama area of Tangerang is believed to be the site of one of the first Chinese settlements in Indonesia. Its history can be traced back to 1407, when Chen Ci Lung led a group of people sailing from China and arriving on the Cisadane River near the Lama Market. Because of these roots, the traditional marketplace is surrounded by cultural sites that are well worth visiting to learn about the history of the settlers, who have since become known as Cina Benteng, which translates to the Chinese of the fort. That name refers to a Dutch fort built in the 17th century in a bend of the Cisadane River. How to get there Pasar Lama is located approximately a five-minute walk from Tangerang train station, which is the last stop on the Tangerang line. The entrance to the traditional market that gives the area its name is located on the corner of Jl. Kisamaun and Jl. Bakti Saham. Numerous becak (pedicabs) operating in the area can take you to nearby places. What to wear As it is a traditional market with a cramped combination of indoor shops and outdoor stalls, things can get messy. Several shops sell prayer items, such as prayer incense sticks, for those going to the temple. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari) Its advisable to wear casual clothes, such as T-shirt and jeans. Although covered shoes are highly recommended, locals prefer to wear sandals for convenience. Read also: Jakpost guide to Glodok What to do Visit Lama Market to do some grocery shopping, as basic everyday ingredients can easily be found, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Meat, poultry and seafood are also widely available at the market. Lama Market in Tangerang (JP/Wienda Parwitasari) In preparation for the celebration of Chinese New Year in early February, the market was stocked with traditional decoration, angpao money gift envelopes, toys commemorating the new Year of the Dog, as well as with sweets and cakes, including kue keranjang, or nian gao (basket cake). Since the market is also located near a Chinese temple, the historical Boen Tek Bio, several shops sell prayer items, such as prayer incense sticks. Boen Tek Bio Temple in Tangerang (JP/Wienda Parwitasari) While in the area, visitors could enter the Boen Tek Bio temple, which is the oldest Chinese temple in Tangerang. Located on the corner of Jl. Bakti Saham and Jl. Cilame, the historical site was founded in 1684, with the oldest part of the present structure believed to date back to 1775. The temple has gone through several rounds of renovation, with its largest one conducted in 1904. As it is a sacred place of worship, visitors should be respectful when entering the temple complex, minding their behavior, using polite language as well as dressing appropriately. Further down Jl. Cilame, youll find the Benteng Heritage Museum. Inside the Benteng Heritage Museum in Tangerang (JP/Wienda Parwitasari) There, visitors can learn about the life and history of Chinese settlements in Indonesia. The museum, which is a restored house of Chinese architecture believed to have been built around 17th century, also hosts Chinese artifacts found in the vicinity of old Tangerang. Read also: Benteng Heritage Museum: Pearl of Tangerang Near the market is the Cisadane River, where those looking to get some light exercise could stroll along the path on the riverbank all the way down to Taman Gajah, which has a playground and a small park. Gajah Park in Tangerang (JP/Wienda Parwitasari) What to eat On Jl. Kisamaun, the main stretch just outside of the entrance to Lama Market, visitors can find numerous restaurants that are open throughout the day. One of the well-known local eateries is Laksa Sari, with its signature dish of a bowl of savory laksa broth filled with lontong (rice cake), shredded chicken, tofu and vermicelli noodles and topped with emping (nut crackers). Another dish to try at Laksa Sari is asinan sayur (pickled vegetables), which consists of boiled vegetables and crackers drizzled with creamy peanut sauce and kecap (soy sauce). Laksa and asinan dishes at a local eatery near Lama Market (JP/Wienda Parwitasari) At night, the street transforms into a culinary hotspot, with food stalls stretching out along both sides of the road. Visitors can find anything from rice dishes, satays and soto (Indonesian soup dishes) at the night market. Tips: Reverend Adolf Davis interacting with fathers and students male representatives at the forum that focused on Being Responsible Fathers. The CW Prescod Primary School (CPPS) last Monday, held its second Daddy Day at School. This time around, the exercise catered for fathers and male figures in the lives of students from Grade 2 to 5. Following devotions with the children, the fathers and fathers representatives engaged the students in session in which they shared information on their occupations, gave pep talks and simply interacted. During the break, students and their fathers or representatives shared snacks together, following which a mini- conference was convened. Rev. Adolf Davis of the Methodist Church, who addressed that forum on the topic Being Responsible Fathers, implored those in attendance to embrace their roles. In his usual down to earth, man-to-man style of delivery, Rev. Davis called on fathers, to be "care- takers and protectors (to be) fathers as authority figures in the home. Using the Lords Prayer as the basis of his delivery, Rev Davis analogized, "God the father as one that is honoured and respected. He appealed to the fathers, that as "God as provider God as forgiving, to do likewise, and called on them to perform their duties diligently, irrespective of what might be going on between them and the mothers. Guidance Officer at the CW Prescod Primary School - Patsy Ann Garraway - in evaluating the days activities, assessed, "It was a productive day, immensely refreshing and rewarding, adding, "We were pleased with the turnout of the fathers, and we know that the day was impacting on those who attended. The Daddy Day at School was borne out of a conference, held by the Parents Teachers Association of the school on 25th May last year, under the topic Bridging the Gap: The Role of Fathers in the Education of their Children. Emerging from that conference was a Fathers Support Committee, which sought to take the process forward. The support group then hosted the inaugural Daddy Day at School: Linking School and Work on October 23 last year, for students from the Kindergarten and Grade One classes. Catisha Pierre-Jack wrote herself into the history books with respect to enforcement of the tenets of the Cyber Crime Act. Acting Commissioner of Police Colin John has described this countrys first conviction under the Cyber Crime Act 2016, on Monday, as a historic development which proves that the Act is working. The accused, Catisha Pierre-Jack, 29-year-old seamstress of Lower Questelles, was not only the first person to be convicted under the Act, but also the first o be charged under it. "The conviction shows that the Cyber Crime Act is not just another piece of legislation on the law books here, but is a living instrument that can be utilized by persons whose reputations are tarnished by postings on social media, John told THE VINCENTIAN on Wednesday. He is warning people generally, not to commit these crimes against other persons. He pointed out that, under the Cyber Crime Act, as well as under international law, persons could be prosecuted for such offences. He assured that the police will do their best to investigate any report of this nature. Acting Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Clauston Francis told this publication, "I hope that the public is taking note of this development, and rest assured, the police will continue to enforce this legislation. Pierre-Jack was charged on four counts of posting on her facebook page a number of libelous remarks against her sister Crystal Pierre, January 30, 2018. She was charged with posting on her facebook page libel by electronic communication, to wit, This girl Crystal Pierre abuse her own daughter, try to kill this little girl with an icepick, (2) to sell her own house and put her out on the street (3) I am asking for help for Louren Pierre to fight against her own daughter Crystal who is selling her mother house and putting Louren Pierre to live on the street, a sick woman, three strokes, came close to death door twice because of stolen documents Crystal took from her own mother, and (4) I am asking everyone on facebook to help me share this post so the world can know the truth about this house and the stolen documents Crystal took to sell her mother house and poison a pot of food to kill her own family, someone please help Louren Pierre to fight against Crystal. Pierre-Jack, who is on station bail, pleaded guilty to the charges when she appeared before Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett at the Kingstown Magistrates Court on Monday. She will be sentenced today (Friday). Section 19(1) of the Act, under the heading, Libel By Electronic Communication, states that, "Any person who uses a computer system to unlawfully publish any defamatory matter concerning another person with intent to defame that person commits an offence. Section 19(2) states that, "A person who commits an offence under Subsection 1, is liable on conviction to a fine of $50,000 or two years in prison, or both. Pierre-Jack was unrepresented when she made her court appearance on Monday. Charlotte NC Shooting Range Setting the Bar High If you are new to the area or just want a place to hone your skills with an old-fashioned feel, then you might want to check out the Charlotte NC shooting range. This is where you will find traditional hunting as well as the latest technology at your fingertips. The indoor facility is clean, organized, and stocked with anything you need to be a success. From youth programs to military training, from the newest technology to the oldest bows and arrows, you are sure to find something that will fit your needs. This range offers everything from youth programs to military training, from new technologies to the oldest bows and arrows. If youre looking for the very best in bow hunting equipment, this is the place to go. From bow hunting beginners to the most seasoned hunters, you will find it all at this one of a kind facility. With everything you need including bows, recurve and compound bows, arrows, shooting accessories and apparel, this is the place to be. If you own your own business, this is the perfect place to advertise, display your wares and raise money for your favorite cause. If youve always wanted to start your own business, this great shooting range is the perfect setting to do it in. With all the benefits of a professional location, as well as being within a short driving distance from Charlottes professional downtown area, your business will boom. Your customers will come from all over the world, which is always a good thing when youre trying to expand. Its a truly win-win situation for everyone involved. Leading UAE-based telecom services operator du has a registered a record revenue of Dh13 billion ($3.53 billion) for 2017, up 2.2 percent over the previous year supported by a solid performance in its fixed line business. The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) has a registered a record revenue of Dh13 billion ($3.53 billion) for 2017, up 2.2 percent over the previous year. Impressed with the results, the company has proposed a final annual dividend payment of Dh997 million bringing the total annual dividend for the year to Dh0.35 per share, of which Dh0.22 per share is the final dividend payment for the year, subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting. The company had awarded Dh0.13 per share an interim dividend in October 2017. Commenting on the results, chairman Ahmad bin Byat, said: "2017 was a strong year for our company, with revenue reaching the mark of Dh13 billion for the first year since inception. As a result of our solid financial performance and a good efficiency programme we can deliver on a sustainable dividend policy in spite of the increasing pressure on the margins of telco service providers globally." "The successes achieved last year are an indication that the strategic transformation our company has undertaken is enabling us to adapt to the evolving industry and accommodate the changes in customer and business behaviour," he noted. Bin Byat stated that du's strategic goals have the UAE at their core, contributing to the nations sustainable growth through digital transformation. "During 2017 we made good progress in this regard, having developed the Dubai Smart City platform, now fully operational, with core infrastructure in place and delivering," he added. CEO Osman Sultan said: "This solid result comes as we continue to attract higher quality customers resulting in a 12.3 per cent growth in our post-paid segment during the year, stimulated by our increased focus on that segment. Revenue growth was also supported by a solid performance in our fixed line business." Net Profit after Royalty had an excellent growth quarter on quarter, up 14.9 per cent in Q4 2017 to Dh425 million, which helped maintain a stable annual Net Profit after Royalty of Dh1.71 billion, recovering from a weak quarter in Q1 2017. "Growth was supported by the increase in revenue, improvement in gross margin and the impact of our cost optimisation programme. Ebitda margin is solid at 40 percent for the year," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Saudi Aramcos Ras Tanura Refinery (RTR) recently celebrated the successful completion of a major turnaround and inspection (T&I), with proper planning and a collaborative effort from everyone involved credited for the success. Responsible for a significant portion of fuel production in the Kingdom, production up-time of the RTR Gas Condensate Fractionation and the Platformer/Naptha Hydrotreater (NHT) units is of the essence at RTR. The T&Is on both units were completed in a new best-in-class duration for the respective units when compared to their global peers as per globally accepted Solomon Study refinery benchmarks. The Fractionation Unit T&I was completed in 27 days, and the Platformer Unit T&I was completed in 32 days, against their benchmarks of 28 days and 35 days, respectively. Planning and successfully executing the scope required a team effort, RTR general manager Yahya A Abushal said during the celebration event. The management team appreciates the efforts of the RTR team and the support extended by all of the departments within Saudi Aramco that went to extra lengths to support the RTR T&I, including Support Services and Central Engineering, along with all of our RTR contractor partners. Refinery Maintenance manager Sami Burushaid said: beating Solomon top performers, increasing RTRs 2017 cash margin significantly, and the additional value created are only glimpses of the success story of this exemplary T&I. Raed AlSaadoun, Refinery Maintenance superintendent and T&I chairman, said: The success of this major T&I was measured by zero safety incidents, worldwide best-in-class duration, significant cost avoidance, early start-up, and most importantly, knowledge transfer to the major company asset our young workforce. The RTR Gas Condensate Fractionation unit and the Platformer/NHT units were shut down for the T&I to carry out inspections and maintenance as per the Equipment Inspection Schedule (EIS), and to execute other maintenance and projects that require plant downtime. The plants are on a five-year T&I cycle. - TradeArabia News Service Cathay Pacific Group today released combined Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon traffic figures for January 2018 that show a decrease in number of passengers carried and an increase in cargo and mail uplifted compared to the same month in 2017. Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon carried a total of 2,911,355 passengers last month, marking a decrease of 1.9 per cent compared to January 2017, according to data released by Cathay Pacific Group. The passenger load factor dropped 2.3 percentage points to 84.2 per cent, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 2.6 per cent. The two airline s carried 172,622 tonnes of cargo and mail last month, an increase of 14.2 per cent compared to the same month last year. The cargo and mail load factor rose by 3.5 percentage points to 65.4 per cent. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, was up by 4.6 per cent while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometres (RTKs) increased by 10.5 per cent. Cathay Pacific director Commercial and Cargo Ronald Lam said: Overall performance in January was distorted because of Chinese New Year starting later this year when compared to 2017. Demand for premium class travel continued to be robust during the month, while student return traffic on long-haul routes, especially those to the United Kingdom and Southwest Pacific, was strong early in the month. Indian routes were our star performers, with passenger volumes rising higher than capacity increases. Meanwhile, our cargo business got off to a solid start in 2018. As expected, airfreight volumes subsided a little after the year-end peak, but overall, markets remained relatively buoyant in January. The pre-Chinese New Year rush out of Hong Kong and mainland China was a little softer than anticipated, but this enabled the carriage of more trans-shipment across our network. The inbound load factor improved across all route groups, with overall tonnage growing ahead of capacity. In terms of products, the flow of perishables into Asia and e-commerce movements from the region continued to be healthy in the lead up to the Chinese New Year holiday period, he added. TradeArabia News Service Turkey's Systematic Persecution of Religious Minorities The St. Gabriel Assyrian Monastery, founded in 397 A.D., in Midyat, Turkey. Despite the world-wide recognition of the status of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as the spiritual leader of all Orthodox Christians, the government of Turkey will give no legal standing and status to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the historical Holy Center of Orthodox Christianity at the Phanar, in Istanbul. The lack of legal standing and status in essence nullifies property and other fundamental civil rights in Turkey for the Ecumenical Patriarchate which precludes its full exercise of religious freedom. The Ecumenical Patriarchate cannot own in its name the churches to serve the faithful or the cemeteries to provide for their repose. Since it lacks a legal standing, the Ecumenical Patriarchate is powerless to pursue legal remedies to assert property rights or even seek to repair deteriorating property without government approval. Instead and in lieu of legal standing, Turkey has established a system of minority (community) foundations for Orthodox Christians and other non-Muslim religious minorities to hold properties supervised and controlled by the Turkish government's General Directorate of Foundations. The Directorate regulates all the activities of religious community foundations which include approximately 75 Greek Orthodox, 42 Armenian and 19 Jewish foundations. The 1935 Law on Religious Foundations, and a subsequent 1936 Decree, required all foundations, Muslim or non-Muslim, to declare their properties by registering the same with the General Directorate of Foundations. "All facilities and authorisation will be granted to the pious foundations, and to the religious and charitable institutions of the said minorities at present existing in Turkey, and the Turkish Government will not refuse, for the formation of new religious and charitable institutions, any necessary facilities which are guaranteed to other private institutions of that nature." (Article 42, para. 3). Through its controls, the government of Turkey has nationalized and/or declared certain Greek Orthodox and other religious minority foundations as non-functioning with no right of appeal. This resulted in the systematic seizure of thousands of properties of Christian and other non-Muslim religious minorities in the years that followed, including thousands of income producing and valuable properties of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In 1936 the Ecumenical Patriarchate, its churches and institutions, owned approximately 8,000 properties. In 1998, 2,000 remained and today fewer than 500 properties are owned by minority foundations loyal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, most of which are churches, cemeteries, or other properties which produce no income. With Turkey seeking accession to the European Union, it sought to improve the property restrictions on non-Muslim religious minority foundations. In this regard, the 1935 Law on Religious Foundations was amended during the years of 2002 to 2008 to allow religious minority foundations, with restrictions, to acquire properties and apply for the return of confiscated properties. Within this historical context, Turkey's then Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (now President), also announced by Decree, not parliamentary law, on August 27, 2011, that 162 recognized minority foundations may apply to regain religious properties declared and registered in 1936 and confiscated from them by the state or they could seek compensation. The Decree provided that applications to regain properties generally had to be made within 12 months--by August 27, 2012-- and regulations for implementation were adopted October 1, 2011. Of the 162 recognized minority foundations, more than 70 Greek Orthodox foundations claimed and timely submitted applications for more than 1200 properties in issue. Of these applications, more than 300 were accepted, and some 900 were rejected. Of the applications that were accepted, few resulted in the actual transfer of title and few were income producing properties. Although disputed by Turkey, religious minorities reported that administration by the General Directorate of Foundations was slow and arbitrary as even accepted applications were not always processed. The August 27, 2012 submission deadline also did not allow sufficient time to submit the required volume of paper work for most of the property applications. This was further complicated by the fact that local Turkish Government offices did not timely respond to requests for title documents which prevented processing within the deadline. In addition, the Decree is limited. Properties not declared by religious minority foundations under the 1936 law are not covered. Also, certain religious institutions, including Catholic churches, do not have foundations or a legal status and are not covered. Most important, it does not address the properties of seized religious minority foundations that the government took over because of its claim of lack of foundation management or charitable purposes. Further, under the Decree, the determination of compensation, when in issue, is not made by an independent body but rather by the government. Accordingly, despite Turkey's claims that the value of properties returned to all non-Muslim religious minorities exceeds one billion dollars, the application procedures in reality proved to be more form over substance. In the end, it was not just the number of properties returned to foundations loyal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate or other religious minority foundations that mattered, but the quality of properties returned. If properties are not income producing, they cannot be properly maintained. In this regard and of most importance, the Turkish government continued to delay or allow the election of religious minority foundation board members to manage the properties. Without functioning religious minority foundations, the return of property is meaningless because the properties, under existing Turkish law, cannot be managed effectively. Turkish law also restricts the eligibility of Orthodox Christians who wish to serve as religious minority foundation board members to manage the foundations. Clergy are not allowed to serve. With the significant decline in population of Orthodox Christians eligible to be elected board members, the religious minority foundations will not be able to sustain returned properties. With the lack of legal standing and status, the government then has the ability to declare the property abandoned and seize the same without compensation. While Turkey points to the fact that its Sunni Muslim majority religion also lacks a legal personality, the Sunni Muslims are treated in a more favorable manner. For all practical purposes Sunni Muslims have a "legal status" exercised through The Diyanet or Directorate ( Presidency ) of Religious Affairs of the government which is all Sunni Muslim, and in effect controls the exercise of religious freedom in Turkey. The Diyanet administers mosques which must be all Sunni and oversees all its religious training schools. It obtains billions of dollars from the government to function. Imans and other religious employees are paid by the government. Without any such financial support combined with the lack of a legal status, non-Muslim religious minorities, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Turkey's Alevi Muslim minority, have difficulty in exercising religious freedom without sufficient foundation properties to produce income. The General Directorate of Foundations in its administration has limited the financial viability of religious minority community foundations. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has been an alternative avenue to pursue Christian and other non-Muslim religious minority property rights in Turkey. For example, after extensive litigation, the Ecumenical Patriarchate obtained a ECHR Judgment in 2008 for the return of the Prinkipos (Buyukada) Orphanage Building. The Judgment produced in November 2010 a deed title for the property in the name of Rum Patrikhanesi, Patriarchate of the Roman Greeks, the official name for the Ecumenical Patriarchate used by the government of Turkey. The deed title as issued and accepted by the Turkish courts in the name of Rum Patrikhanesi in effect created a de facto legal status. It established a legal argument to further the cause of obtaining official recognition of a legal personality for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and all religious minorities. Also, in March 2011, Turkey implemented a ECHR Judgment of March 2009 which returned property rights to the Greek Orthodox minority foundation, Kimisis Theodokou Greek Orthodox Church, on the island of Tenedos (Bozcaada). Further, a significant ECHR case was settled in 2013 whereby the General Directorate of Foundations returned the historic former Ayia Foka Greek Elementary School building in Istanbul to the foundation despite the fact that it was utilized as the offices of the government's European Union Ministry. However, the government of Turkey has refused to recognize these developments as confirming legal status and has failed to register additional properties in the name of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The lack of legal status persists. This is in stark contrast to Turkey's international and national human rights obligations. Turkey is a member of the United Nations, Council of Europe, NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and in 2005 began formal accession negotiations to join the European Union. Moreover, by virtue of its membership in all these organizations, Turkey has taken on binding obligations to protect the rights of religious minorities. As a participating state in OSCE, Turkey has obligations under Article VII of the Helsinki Accords to guarantee and protect the rights of national minorities. The Concluding Document of the 1989 Vienna Meeting of the organization requires participating states to protect the rights of religious communities. As a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Article 9 of the Convention requires Turkey as a member state to protect freedom of religion, including the right to manifest religion in worship, teaching, practice, and observance, subject only to limitations as necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of the public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. In the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, Turkey guaranteed freedom of religion to its non-Muslim religious minorities. Articles 40 and 42 granted non-Muslim religious minorities autonomy and legal status.With the lack of legal standing on property rights for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other non-Muslim religious minorities, these rights have not been respected by Turkey. History has also shown that the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself has been further deprived of other significant properties by virtue of its religious identity. During the time of the Treaty of Lausanne negotiations, the Turkish delegation demanded that the Ecumenical Patriarchate be removed from Turkey as it symbolized the last remnants of an international Christian and Greek religious presence in Turkey. Further, at that time, a bill was introduced in the government of Turkey to establish a so-called Turkish National Orthodox Church to counter the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This attempt to create a Turkish National Orthodox Church with government support was led by a since excommunicated village priest known as "Papa Eftim," who in 1922 proclaimed a "Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate" with no authority, recognition or congregation. The status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to be recognized and remain in Turkey was finally settled by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 and reaffirmed by a League of Nations Settlement in 1930. However, this unrecognized priest, with Turkish government support, had seized in the interim Ecumenical Patriarchate churches and properties in the Galata region of Istanbul that his family descendants continue to hold to date. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has repeatedly called upon the government of Turkey to return the churches and properties unlawfully seized but to no avail. Further complicating religious freedom, property and fundamental rights for Christian and other non-Muslim religious minorities is the recent political unrest in Turkey. In July 2016, an attempted coup against the government of Turkey took place by an alleged faction of the military which Turkey blamed on Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric and his followers. The government called on Turkish citizens to flood the streets and thwarted the coup. Thereafter, Turkey called for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen who now resides and is based in the State of Pennsylvania. A massive government crackdown occurred, that resulted in an estimated 9000 police fired, 6000 military arrested, 3000 judges suspended, 21,000 teachers suspended, and 1500 university deans ordered to resign. Turkey ordered a 3-month state of emergency followed by the government shutdown of 45 newspapers, 16 television channels, and 15 magazines. As the above significant events unfolded in Turkey, false and derogatory articles were reported in Turkey and Greece seeking to tie His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Fethullah Gulen and the failed coup. The intent was to disparage the Ecumenical Patriarchate and further inflame an anti-Christian climate in Turkey. Although the Ecumenical Patriarchate is committed to the resolution of all issues of religious freedom and property rights peacefully and within the existing government in Turkey, the false reporting threatens the progress to seek additional property rights and religious freedom for Orthodox Christians and other religious minorities. In April 2017, Turkey's Constitutional Referendum vote approved calls for 2019 elections that will replace Turkey's parliamentary system with an all-powerful presidency and abolish the office of prime minister. The result will likely be to cement the absolute control of President Erdogan and his political ruling party. With absolute control coupled with Sunni Muslim dominance, Alevi Muslims, Christian, and other religious minorities fear further restrictions on religious freedom. Turkey should embrace the historical roots of Christian heritage and other faiths in its lands. It should look upon His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and all religious minority leaders, and their institutions, for their accomplishments and their desire to live in peace with equal property and fundamental rights. Turkey seeks to join the European Union and has binding obligations to ensure religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other religious minorities that must be enforced. However, the recent political movement in Turkey toward Sunni Muslim uniformity in the government, education, and institutions throughout the country is cause for concern. The need continues for world-wide diplomatic efforts from other countries to exert political pressure on Turkey to require the government to comply with its binding human rights and religious freedom obligations. Legal standing and status for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other religious minorities that will provide meaningful property rights is the first step. The Hon. B. Theodore Bozonelis is a retired State Chief Judge and Secretary of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He is Chairman of the Order's Patriarchal Properties and Minority Concerns Committee. By Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, TwoCircles.net In a controversial step, students of Aliah University surrounded the University Authorities and more than 25 Faculty members for 18 hours when they assembled for a meeting at the Newtown Campus on yesterday. The agitating students claimed that they have been cheated by the University with the false promise that the University has All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval for B.Tech and M.Tech courses. But in reality, it does not have any approval for the M.Tech course. The University Authority, agreeing with the students claim, clarified that AICTE approval is not necessarily the yardstick for employment in public or private sector jobs. The acting Vice-Chancellor of the University retorted that the cancellation of stipend as Teaching Assistantship for the first year M.Tech students from the University Fund is the reason for the students agitation. Support TwoCircles On Thursday, more than 96 students from first-year M.Tech courses gathered at the Aliah University New Town Campus compound and locked the main entrance gate when all the faculty heads from various Departments of the University entered to attend a meeting to draft new procedures for admission in the coming session at around 4.30 P.M. Since then, all the Faculty heads, Controller of Examinations and other Staffs have been detained into the Campus. However, the Acting V.C, who is also the Registrar of the University and who attended the meeting, was allowed to leave the Campus due to illness. The protesting students confided that they have been agitating for the last six months, but the University did not pay any attention to their demands. They blamed the University Authority for publishing wrong information in advertisements and in the University Prospectus that the University has AICTE approval. Kazi Minhazul Islam, a first-year M.Tech student and one of the protesting students spoke to TwoCircles.Net and he said, We were assured by the University Authority through various public notices, through the University Prospectus and through a Fact Finding Report done for the last years chaos in the University Campus that the University has AICTE approval. But the Authority does not have any Letter of Approval issued by the AICTE for M.Tech courses. They are playing with our career. What is the need for a degree that does not have any approval by concerned authority? He also points out that the University had said it would sanction stipend for M.Tech first-year students as Teaching Assistantship but this year it has been postponed. This has also created unwanted problems for the students. For the last three years since the course was started in 2015, the first year M.Tech Students would get a stipend of Rs 8,000. We approached the Authority to ensure whether we will get that stipend. If not, we would have applied for other national-level scholarships. But the authority assured us that we would get the money and debarred us from applying for other scholarship. But they hanged a notice after 17 days of the National Scholarship deadline that the stipend for teaching assistant would not be given to us. Are they playing with our lives? The Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr Nurshad Ali said regarding the AICTE approval: We have AICTE approval only for B.Tech courses and not for M.Tech courses. He added, The fact is that we will not get approval for M.Tech until 2021 according to AICTE rules and guidelines. He elaborated that since the University got AICTE approval in 2015 for its B.Tech courses, the university is not able to apply for approval for M.Tech courses until four B.Tech batches from 2015 pass out. As for scholarship, he rejected the students claim that they were assured with the stipend. When students took admission in the M.Tech Courses, they were told that they would not be given any stipend from the University Fund. It was stopped in March last year, a quite long time before their admission. He clarified the reason for not sanctioning the stipend. He said, the State government has initiated a new scholarship scheme, namely Swami Vivekananda Merit-Cum-Means Scholarship, for all university students and there our students are eligible for this scholarship. So they can apply for this scholarship. If the government does not sanction the money in the University Fund in order to disburse students as stipends, what will we do? The Dean of the Students Welfare, Dr Amzed Hossein, who is also among the 25 faculty members, said, we have called every teaching faculties today in order to come up to any solution for the welfare of the students. New Delhi, (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students protesting against the varsitys new attendance rule not to obstruct the way of the staff when they enter the administrative block. The court also barred them from holding demonstrations within 100 metres of JNUs administrative block. Justice V. Kameswar Rao directed the students to allow the Registrar and other staff to enter the admin block of the campus on Saturday and Sunday when the university would remain open for disbursing salary to its employees. Support TwoCircles However, it allowed the students to hold a peaceful protest on the Sabarmati lawn but directed them to follow the courts ruling which restrained them from holding demonstrations within a 100-metre periphery of the universitys administrative block. The court also granted permission to the authorities to call police in any extreme condition. The direction came on a plea by the university, seeking the courts direction to issue contempt notice against the students for violating the courts August 9, 2017 order. The court has also issued a notice to the JNUSU office- bearers on the plea and listed the matter for February 20. By their action of blocking and protesting at the administrative block they have once again brought the university to a standstill. The officials are unable to carry out their duties amid the blocking of the administrative block which on occasions turn violent and aggressive in nature, said advocate Monika Arora in the plea filed by the JNU administration. The counsel told the court that the protesters broke all the flower pots which were worth around Rs 3 lakh and did not allow an ambulance to enter to pick up an official who had fainted inside the admin block. Meanwhile, JNU students vacated the administrative block after occupying it for two days. However, the students continued their strike against the new attendance rule, as per which they would be forfeited of their hostel accommodation and scholarship/fellowship in case they do not achieve 75 per cent attendance. By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu): On the evening of February 12, Suresh, 33, from Gandhi Nagar, Orikkai, in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, a lorry driver by profession was called by one of the lorry owners. After he left for work, his 26-year-old wife Sankari and two children waited all night for his arrival and call but in vain. She kept calling him the whole night and the following day, but his phone was switched off. Finally, she called one of his fellow lorry drivers who informed that her husband was caught by Special Force of Kancheepuram police along with several others. Support TwoCircles The owner of the lorry Deepak also called them up to inform that several lorries have been caught by the police. This person also said that a total of five persons had been remanded including Suresh and were lodged at Vellore prison. He assured them that he will get Suresh out on bail immediately, said Geeta Charusivam, co-coordinator of Makkal Mandram, a human rights organisation. But to her utter dismay, she received a call on February 14 informing her that Sureshs body had been found in a lake. According to the information collected by Geeta from various sources, the Special Team caught Suresh in his lorry and forced him to drive towards Sirunai Village. The Special Force has been created to check the illegal sand mining. This is a lonely road with hardly any person at night and close to Kil Ambi lake, where his body was found. He died due to the beating and torture and then he was thrown in the lake, Geeta told TwoCircles.net. His body was shown as recovered from the lake at around 11.00 am on 14th Feb. At first, the police tried to pass it off as an unknown body and totally unrelated to the seizure of sand lorries. But the lorry he had driven is with the police. So they could not keep up that facade for long, she added. Geeta informed TwoCircles.net that Special Force uses arbitrary powers and has a barbaric behaviour towards the drivers, loaders and other workers and has tortured and beaten them up in the past. Some of them are highly casteist too and torture unfortunate Dalits and Adivasis who get caught doing this menial but hazardous work. This is not the first such incident of torture by the SF. About one and half months back, another Dalit youth, who too was a sand lorry driver from the same area, was badly beaten up by this team. He bared escaped alive, she said. The family members of Suresh along with different Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (Liberation Panthers), Makkal Mandram (Peoples Forum), Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, Periyar Sinthanaiyalar Iyakkam, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam the SDPI protested outside Kancheepuram General Hospital since February 14 seeking action against the Special forces members involved in custodial death of Suresh. The post-mortem of the victim was conducted without the consent of the family members. No one from the family gave their consent for the post-mortem. We had demanded that post-mortem should be conducted by a team of expert doctors, in front of independent witnesses and the whole process should be recorded on camera. As there was no response from the police side, the family did not give consent, she said. The police and hospital have played a very dirty and cruel game, to save the worthless skins of those murderous thugs in uniform from Kancheepuram Special Force, she added. While protesting outside the hospital, Sankari had given a complaint to Station House Officer, Baluchettychatram, giving details of the incident, seeking registration of FIR under Section 302 (or Section 306) and provisions of SC / ST (Atrocities) Act against members of the Kancheepuram Special Force. He had accepted the complaint and said that he would duly investigate the matter. However on Thursday morning, he informed the representatives of protesters and family members that the police had already filed FIR under section 174 of Cr.PC on February 14th morning and cannot alter it now to include the sections we had demanded viz., Section 302, 306 and Provisions of SC / ST Atrocities Act, till receipt of post-mortem report, Geeta told TCN. The family didnt accept the body till yesterday, but today they cremated the body amid demands for fair investigation and punishment to the guilty policemen for the custodial torture leading to the death of Suresh. The family members and activists are now demanding that case should be handed over to Crime Investigation Department and FIR be booked against 11 members of Kancheepuram Special Force, under section 302 of IPC and SC / ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Meanwhile, the repeated calls from TwoCircles.net to know the official version from District Collector Thiru P.Ponniah remained unanswered. [February 15, 2018] Canada's Facedrive to join the Malar Group of Companies Major banks and Investment firms watch closely as Facedrive, completes its round of financing with Malar, positioning it for rapid success and market conversion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180215005199/en/ Founder of Facedrive, Imran Khan, stated "Being raised in Toronto and sympathetic to the taxi community, I witnessed the meteoric growth of ridesharing across Canada, and I felt compelled to create an entity that would treat both riders and drivers fairly, unlike our competition. I am passionate about the issues faced by our community and the world as a whole. I also believe passionately in our environment and searched for a way to combine ride sharing with giving back to the earth. And so, Facedrive was born."Facedrive was created to offer a transportation network that focuses on vehicle emissions reduction. Customers can request rides in electric, hybrid and gas-powered vehicles through the Facedrive App. Trips on the system offset a little or a lot the CO2 (if any) emitted by contributing a portion of the fees to carbon offset, tree planting and other measured, sustainable programs. The company has currently formed partnerships with the City of Toronto Parks and Works, and the City of Mississauga Parks and Works to plant trees within communities, directly from fares generated through its app. Facedrivewill provide ridesharing through its app, and drivers will participate in revenue through a profit sharing program. Additionally, Facedrives' fees per ride will be less than its competition and are based on three levels; Electric, Hybrid and Gasoline at two levels, each of Sedan or SUV. Drivers earn 85% - 90% of the journey fare plus tips. CEO of Malar Group Inc., Sayan Navaratnam, adds, "Facedrives business model was exciting to us, and our group of companies. We seek opportunities around the world that are game-changing, sustainable and positively impact the planet. Imran and his team impressed us with their holistic approach to ridesharing where literally, everybody wins. It's a difficult and an expensive journey to become a taxi driver, where you are your boss every day, and every dollar counts. Facedrive will quickly become the technology of choice to bring thoughtful customers and responsible drivers, together. We have plans to deepen the ridesharing experience and taking it globally with some alternative creative strategies. " Malar Group will be leveraging several of its Companies to assist Facedrive in accelerating its growth globally. Over the next 90 days, the Company will be releasing several exciting announcements involving global partnerships. About Facedrive Inc.: Facedrive was created to offer a transportation network that was first and foremost CO2 emissions neutral. Facedrive is a unique people and planet first ride-sharing platform committed to doing business fairly and equitably with both our customers and our members. As a community platform, drivers are real partners in the company, benefitting from uniquely customized incentives and rewards that reflect our dedication to shared success. Our commitment to the planet is demonstrated by green-incentives for both drivers and customers because we believe that we all benefit when empowered individuals make positive choices. For more about Facedrive, visit www.facedrive.com About Malar Group Inc.: A Canadian Corporation holds a material interest in over 18 global companies including Connex Telecommunications, AC Technical Systems, DECOSTA Global, Dependable IT, Dyna Lync, Knowledgehook and Pulse (News - Alert) services among many others. Malar Group of companies also support many global charitable initiatives for children, women, cancer treatments, kidney foundation, sick kids foundation among others. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180215005199/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 China's position as a global superpower is indisputable. As leaders gather to set the agenda of global security at the Munich Security Conference, the EU is at a crossroads between Washington and Beijing. Global leaders are converging on Germany this week for the 2018 Munich Security Conference at a time when the declining US influence in international politics continues to play out under President Donald Trump. As Deutsche Welle writes in an article "As China takes 'center stage,' Europe stands at a crossroads", China, meanwhile, has increasingly been defined by a growing presence on the world stage, from the fight against climate change to global trade rules. The country's rise to the position of a superpower may not be a new phenomenon, but the past year has seen its status cemented. In a speech described by risk consultancy Eurasia Group as "the most geopolitically noteworthy event since Mikhail Gorbachev formally dissolved the Soviet Union," Chinese leader Xi Jinping pronounced Beijing's newfound status during China's 19th Party Congress in October. "With decades of hard work, socialism with Chinese characteristics has crossed the threshold into a new era," Xi said. "It will be an era that sees China moving closer to the center stage and making greater contributions to mankind. 'World leader, at all costs' In the 1990s, under the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, Beijing implemented a foreign policy that leaned toward slogans such as "hide our capacities and bide our time," which meant "maintaining a low profile" to focus on developing the country, according to the party-owned Global Timesnewspaper. But Chinese historian Zhang Lifan told DW that such a strategy "is no longer suitable for China's status of quo." "The current situation is China wants to be a world leader, at all costs," Zhang told DW. "The United States is now employing the 'America First' policy. China and Xi Jinping want to seize this opportunity to become the leader of globalization." In many ways, China's leadership role over the past year has been shaped by US foreign policy objectives under Trump. This has also seen China strengthening its position on strategic areas that will continue to drive international relations, including climate change, Arctic security, cyberspace, international trade and space exploration. China "seems to be the rational actor that's fighting climate change, that is keeping markets open, that is continuing to praise the merits of globalization, which are undeniable," Jan Gaspers, head of the European China Policy Unit at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), told DW. "Of course, most of that is just rhetoric and they're not living up to what they're saying." Europe's lifeline? For Europe, Beijing has tacitly started to fulfill a role that its traditional ally, the US, has seemingly cast aside under an "America First" doctrine. The Chinese government understands that by partnering with the EU, it can increase its legitimacy in the eyes of global stakeholders and ensure its influence in any shake-up of international leadership roles. "China and the European Union are global powers: We have a joint responsibility to work together toward a more cooperative, rules-based global order," Federica Mogherini, the EU's top diplomat, said as she wrapped up an official visit to Beijing last year. China is not seeking to undermine any kind of rules-based relationship in the near-term, and neither is Europe, especially as it redefines its position. But an increasingly relevant question is how the EU will position itself in what appears to "be a more conflicting relationship between the US and China. It will be interesting how Europe will navigate those difficult waters, especially given that Europe itself is not actually united and then there are growing differences between the EU and US on climate change, open markets and global trade," Gaspers said. China's 'better alternative' Besides the benefits of the EU being China's largest trading partner, Beijing's rise has also had an adverse affect in Europe. China's strong leadership has found support within the EU from the likes of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Czech President Milos Zeman. China has become much more confident in presenting its economic and political model as a "better alternative" to liberal democracy, Gaspers told DW, noting that China's influence had extended beyond Europe's political periphery. A report published by MERICS last year showed China "creating layers of active support for Chinese interests" by "fostering solid networks among European politicians, business, media, think tanks and universities," including in Brussels, the heart of European politics. "China's rapidly increasing political influencing efforts in Europe and the self-confident promotion of its authoritarian ideals pose a significant challenge to liberal democracy as well as Europe's values and interests," the report said. While the merits of a deep economic relationship will continue to push the China-EU relationship forward, serious concerns as to how this could develop at the political level, both domestically and globally, will impact the EU's liberal aspirations and China's ambitions to become a world leader. The already tense situation in Syria has been recently complicated by the contradictions between the US and Russia. The US military continues to occupy a 55-kilometer area near Al-Tanf, which has become a shelter zone for the remaining members of ISIS. Moscow is also concerned over the the US actions on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, where they came close to an open confrontation with the Syrian army seeking to support their Kurdish allies. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, "the Americans have been provoking Turkey, sending arms convoys for the Kurds through its territory." In return, Turkey has continued fighting the Kurds close to Afrin in the northwest of Syria as part of its Operation Olive Branch. The fighting in this area, in which Syrian armed opposition groups affiliated with Turkey are actively involved, was particularly fierce. Terrorists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) are still engaged in aggressive and provocative actions in the western part of the Eastern Ghouta de-escalation zone, including the heavy mortar-shelling of Damascus. A senior researcher at the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Boris Dolgov, believes that the progress in combating ISIS is obvious: "ISIS has been smashed as a military-political group, ISIS has no territories, no military and political structure, only fighters. But the fight against ISIS is only one of the components of the Syrian crisis: "There are tens of thousands of militants of the armed opposition in the Idlib area, in the zone of de-escalation. Jabhat al-Nusra, which is recognized as a terrorist group by the UN, represents a real force. These groups are, of course, supported by external actors, this is quite obvious as well. Creation of de-escalation zones was the right decision at some stage to reduce the level of armed confrontation, but these zones should exist only for six months. Further, they should become subject to the jurisdiction of the central Syrian government, which does not happen. External forces, primarily the US, are trying to use these de-escalation zones to decentralize Syria." Taking into account the victory over ISIS and the fact that the government forces have restored their control over more than 70% of Syrian territory, the advisor to the deputy chairman of Russia's Federation Council, Andrey Baklanov, proposes to divide the problem of the Syrian settlement into two parts: "The first part is the process of peaceful settlement in the liberated territory. The second is processes in the de-escalation zones. The opposition had a chance to enter the negotiation process, but most of the opposition associations have failed to do it, losing the war. And now they should play by the rules of the Syrian regime. Damascus already has a ministry that deals with reconciliation issues. I think the Syrian authorities are wise enough to consider the point of view of opposition forces, and actually implement their promises - the construction of Syria in a new quality, with new members, with a wider scale of forces involved in state administration... Strengthening the existing regime is the way to go for the main part of the country. And the regime must involve the maximum possible number of sensible actors and various forces willing to cooperate." Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov attended a roundtable on energy security within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, the republic's foreign ministry said. During the discussion, the participants discussed actual issues of energy security. Emphasizing Azerbaijan's role in ensuring Europe's energy security, the diplomat spoke about the Southern Gas Corridor and the strategic importance of the TANAP and TAP projects in this respect. Mammadyarov recalled that work on the TANAP project is going according to plan and that the project will be launched this year. The minister briefed the participants about the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Councils 4th ministerial meeting held in Baku, as well as about the decisions reached during that meeting. Baku was surprised at the reaction of the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry to the statements voiced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the 6th congress of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev said, AzerNews reported citing Trend. "Taking into account the relations of strategic partnership and the high-level dialogue between Azerbaijan and Russia, we consider such attitude to the presidents statements as improper," he said. Hajiyev stressed that the policy pursued by President Aliyev serves to ensure peace and security in the region, strengthen regional cooperation and eliminate potential regional risks. "At the sixth congress of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, President Aliyev spoke about the return of Azerbaijanis to their historical lands, rather than about the return of Azerbaijani historical lands," the spokesman said, noting that the presidents statement was spread in media in various languages, including a full translation into Russian. Hajiyev said that when commenting on the issues, it is necessary to know precisely their essence, not to take them out of context, and to refer not to the targeted distortions of Armenian media and Armenian politicians, but directly to the primary authentic source. The spokesman further noted that the forced mass expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, the destruction of the material and cultural heritage belonging to the indigenous Azerbaijani population in Armenia in various stages of history, including in the late 1980s, are historical facts confirmed by documents. "In general, why should anyone be concerned about the peaceful return of the Azerbaijani people to their historical lands? In all documents of the relevant international organizations on the settlement of various conflicts, including the UN and the OSCE, the return of people to their native lands, places of permanent residence is ensured as one of the fundamental rights," Hajiyev mentioned. The spokesman noted that according to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, one of the important components of the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is ensuring the return of more than one million Azerbaijanis subjected to bloody ethnic cleansing to their historical lands. Hajiyev stressed that the continuation of occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and seven adjacent regions by Armenia by using the military force, territorial claims to Azerbaijan and other neighboring states seriously threaten peace and security in the region and exacerbate the situation. "By grossly violating international humanitarian law, Armenia intentionally accommodates ethnic Armenians from Syria in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, he said. While making public statements, the Armenian political leadership voices claims related to Nakhchivan and other territories of Azerbaijan. Hajiyev added that while addressing the Armenian youth, the political leadership of Armenia speaks about young peoples participation in future wars for grabbing new lands for the sake of the so-called Great Armenia. The Armenian constitution reflects open territorial claims to another neighboring country. Armenia has also territorial claims to all its neighbors on the basis of the contradictory mythical ideology of "Armenian Highland, the spokesman said. The official dealer of Chinese cars in Azerbaijan, Sirena Motors, is opening a new regional representative office, abc.az The Company informs that the new dealer office will be opened in Lankaran city. The new office will present cars and spare parts service for car models Changan, BAIC, GAC, and JAC. This is Sirena Motors first dealer office in the southern region of Azerbaijan. Georgia's delegation, headed by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, will attend the 54th Security Conference in Munich on February 16-18, the Administration of the Georgian Government said. Kvirikashvili will take part in the events planned within the Munich Security Conference. He will also hold high-level bilateral meetings, including with the US Secretary of Defense, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, and other political leaders. In addition, Kvirikashvili will take part in the security conference event 'Georgian politics and literature' dedicated to Georgia, Agenda.ge reported. The delegation includes Georgia's Vice PM, Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, Minister of Defence Levan Izoria, Minister of Culture Mikheil Giorgadze, Chief of State Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri and Chairman of Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee Tedo Japaridze. A German journalist detained in Turkey for a year Deniz Yucel is being released from jail pending trial, German officials and his lawyer said. Yucel, a correspondent for German daily Die Welt, could still face up to 18 years in prison if convicted, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported. "Finally, a decision has been made to free my client Deniz Yucel," his lawyer Veysal Ok, wrote on Twitter. Yucel, who has both German and Turkish citizenship, was arrested in Istanbul on Feb. 14, 2017, on terrorism and propaganda charges that he denies. Dogan news agency reported prosecutors were charging the journalist with "engaging in terrorist propaganda" and "inciting public hatred and enmity," seeking a minimum of four years. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with Georgias Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili in Baku yesterday. During the ministerial meeting Aliyev and Kumsishvili talked about the existing close partner relations between the countries. Kumsishvili highlighted that Azerbaijan had become one of Georgias largest trade partners in recent years and also the share of investments from Azerbaijan was taking larger scope. Kumsishvili emphasised important joint projects implemented by Georgia and Azerbaijan such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, the Southern Gas Corridor, Chinas One Road-One Belt and other projects, Agenda.ge reported. Ilham Aliyev stressed that the Southern Gas Corridor project is being successfully implemented, describing this as a sign of the two countries` opportunities and partnership. Noting that the Southern Gas Corridor already covers seven countries, President Aliyev said that it is important to coordinate interests of producers and transit countries. "We have succeeded in it and this is the guarantee of our future achievements," he stressed. Iran on Friday expressed willingness to share its vast oil and natural gas resources with India and simplify visa norms to strengthen bilateral ties. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is on a three-day visit to India, said the current century belongs to Asia where New Delhi and Tehran have an important role to play, Hindustan Times reported. The Chabahar port in the Gulf country will open up the transit route for India to Iran and Afghanistan (bypassing Pakistan), Central Asian countries and Europe, he told a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid here after offering Friday prayers. Under an agreement, India is to invest $85 million for equipping the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran. Iran has abundant oil and natural gas resources and is willing to share them with India for its progress and prosperity of (its) people, he said. The president said Iran is hopeful India will reciprocate by simplifying visa rules to enhance people-to-people contact. Iran is willing to further simplify visa procedure (for Indians) and I am hopeful the Indian government, too, will look into it for better relations between the people of India and Iran. Israel estimates that it destroyed nearly half of Syria's air defense system in a retaliatory air force sortie after one of its F-16 fighter jets was shot down by a Syrian missile, according to a military assessment provided to local news media. The fighting broke out Saturday after an Iranian drone, launched from a site controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, flew into Israeli airspace, Los Angeles Times reported. Israel said it hit eight Syrian army targets and four Iranian sites in Syria, including an Iranian command trailer at the so-called T4 base, near the ancient city of Palmyra, from which the drone was launched early Saturday. Israeli Apache helicopters downed the drone, and four F-16 jets were dispatched into Syrian territory to bomb the site from which it was launched. One Israeli F-16 was hit by Syrian fire as it returned to Israel from the mission, leading to the massive Israeli retaliation. The deputy commander of Israel's air force, Brig. Gen. Tomer Bar, said earlier that Israel's aerial reprisal was "the biggest and most significant attack the air force has conducted against Syrian air defenses" since the 1982 Lebanon War. The planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Germany and Russia poses no threat to Europes energy security, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday, publicly disagreeing with her Polish counterpart, Reuters reported. Poland, Ukraine and Baltic states fear the pipeline to be laid under the Baltic Sea would increase Europes dependence on Russian gas and could cut off Ukraine - still fighting a conflict with Russian-backed separatists - from gas transit fees. We had different views on the Nord Stream issue, Merkel told reporters at a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Berlin. We think this is an economic project. We are also for energy diversification. We also want Ukraine to continue to have transit gas traffic, but we believe Nord Stream poses no danger to diversification, she added. Morawiecki said he disagreed that Nord Stream 2 would diversify supply. This is gas from the same source, but via a different route. We indicate the risks related to cutting Ukraine from transit, he said, adding however that Merkels comments on assuring Ukraines gas traffic fees were important. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised high results of Gazprom's activities and expressed the hope that the company will continue to work with the same efficiency, TASS reports. Speaking during a video conference with the new sport facilities built as part of the social program Gazprom for Children, the Russian leader congratulated the gas company on its 25th anniversary. "I want to congratulate you and all those who work in the Gazprom system, the whole huge team of our leading company on this occasion (the anniversary)," the president said addressing to Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. Putin noted that in 25 years, a tremendous effort was made to consolidate and develop the gas industry. "We remember, there was a time when the state practically lost control over this company, and without exaggeration it is a backbone for the economy. For many years, in the 1990s and the early 2000s when the country's economy was in a difficult situation, it largely relied on Gazprom - the company managed to meet the needs of the electric power industry and thermal generation, and did it at prices and tariffs which were definitely below market prices," the President noted adding that thanks to this fact, other industries were able to continue operating and invest resources in development. Putin also drew attention to the renewal of the companys capabilities over the year. "Now Gazprom is operating 151 fields, I doubt that any other company in the world has cast out its lines so wide in a good sense," Putin said. In addition, the head of state highly marked the export component of the company's work. "I would like to express hope that in the future Gazprom will work as efficiently as it has been doing so far," Putin said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin held a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, TASS reports from the venue. The previous meeting of the ministers, which was their first face-to-face contact, was held in December last year in Vienna, where an OSCE Ministerial Council meeting was carried out. Lavrov and Klimkin then discussed issues linked to prisoner exchange between the conflicting sides in Donbass. In January, the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers held a telephone conversation during which they discussed the Russian initiative to establish a UN mission to protect the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Donbass. Seven civilians were injured in the past 24 hours when militants from Eastern Ghouta shelled residential districts of Damascus, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Sides in Syria said. "Illegal armed groups continue to shell residential districts of Damascus from Eastern Ghouta. Eight shelling attacks were registered in the past 24 hours. The militants fired ten mortar rounds. Seven civilians were injured," TASS cited the center as saying. In total, 174 people returned to their homes in the past 24 hours, including seven in Homs, 11 in Damascus and 156 in Deir ez-Zor. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged greater pressure on North Korea over Pyongyangs nuclear ambitions. He added that while NATOs goal is a world without nuclear weapons, the alliance would remain a nuclear bloc as long as they exist, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty reports. A world where Russia, China, and North Korea have nuclear weapons, but NATO does not, is not a safer world, he said. Stoltenberg said he was encouraged by the declarations by Washington and Moscow this month that the two sides were in compliance with a 2010 arms-control treaty, known as New START, that limits the two countries' massive nuclear arsenals. BP Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gary Jones said that gas delivery from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz gas condensate field to Turkey via the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) will start on June 30, 2018. "We have a contract for the additional export of 2 billion cubic meters of the produced gas this year. The export volumes will increase from year to year. The gas delivery from the new Shah Deniz field will start June 30 this year," he explained. Speaking at the press conference, he noted that it is expected that 2 bcm of gas will be transported from the Shah Deniz 2 this year. Political scientist Rovshan Ibragimov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that first deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey via TANAP will be a symbol of a new era of Azerbaijan's economy. "It will mean that the Southern Gas Corridor project, of which TANAP is a part, has been implemented and put into operation. The entry of Azerbaijani gas into the Turkish market via this route will happen earlier than expected. Therefore, one should not expect big economic benefits from the project at the first stage, since this is only the initial stage of exports, but, on the other hand, gas is already being produced from Shah Deniz-2," he said. Rovshan Ibragimov recalled that the first stage of gas supplies through the Southern Gas Corridor via TANAP and TAP has all necessary contracts. "The production of natural gas on an industrial scale requires the obligatory distribution of its supplies at the first stage, and all agreements with the countries have already been signed for Shah Deniz 2. After Turkey, its final markets are Bulgaria, Greece and Italy, 10 billion cubic meters per year of European supplies are distributed, of which 7 billion cubic meters are for the Italian market, providing about 10% of the Italians' need for gas. In the long run we can say that new markets may emerge, interest is shown by former Yugoslavia, Albania, through which the TAP pipeline passes, and there is an agreement that SOCAR will deal with the country's gasification," the expert said. "There is a similar agreement with Bulgaria, where only 3% of the territories have access to the gas pipelines, due to which Sofia is interested in further gasification and increasing gas consumption. For SOCAR, the construction of pipelines in Bulgaria is a big market. The further diversification of the Southern Gas Corridor's client base will take place along the perimeter of the current project participants, including Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia. Depending on how the Shah Deniz-3 develops, Azerbaijani gas can enter the markets of Western Europe through Italy's internal pipeline infrastructure in 10-20 years. As a result, Italy, Bulgaria and Greece will consume Azerbaijani gas in the short term, Albania and the countries of former Yugoslavia - in the medium-term," Rovshan Ibragimov concluded. Turkey and the United States have decided to establish mechanisms to normalize relations between them, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "We have come to terms to normalize our relations," Cavusoglu said, speaking at a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. "We have to be sure the YPG will withdraw to the east of the Euphrates. The YPG has to leave Manbij first. This is a US promise to Turkey," he stressed, adding that US promises to Turkey in 2016 "have not been fulfilled." The minister also said that Turkey and the US will hold another meeting by mid-March, Hurriyet Daily reported. According to a US State Department spokesman traveling with Tillerson, the Secretary of State met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and had a productive and open talk on late Thursday. Turkey's police tried to disperse protesters with tear gas during the anti-US demonstration held amid US State Secretary Rex Tillerson's visit to Ankara, the head of the youth department of the Turkish opposition party Vatan, Aykut Dis, said. The head of the party which organized the protest said that about 150 people took part in the rally. He noted that there were no permission to hold a rally received from the government, Sputnik reported. Dis stressed that though the police used tear gas, "they themselves said that it was not their desire, but they were forced to do it." According to Dis, Washington is behind all the threats that Turkey faces in politics, economy and in the international arena. "We protest against this imperialist oppression," he added. Ukrainian political parties demand the return of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine. The relevant statement has been published by Saakashvili's party New Forces on Facebook, InterPressNews reported. The statement is joined by: Democratic Alliance, Civil Position, Public Control, European Party of Ukraine, Batkivishina, Samopomachi, Swaboda and Civil Movement. According to them, the government has politically persecuted one of the leaders of the opposition, violated human rights and stained the international reputation of Ukraine. "This crime must be investigated. All public servants, who violated the law and exceeded their powers, must be brought to justice. The authorities should ensure Mikheil Saakashvilis return to Ukraine. He should be allowed to defend his rights and dignity in the Ukrainian courts, as it is envisaged in the Ukrainian legislation and international law norms," reads the statement. Compiled by Phuong Uyen HA NOI The bumpy road thus far for ride-hailing companies Uber and Grab in Viet Nam could well end in a jagged cliff as authorities turn the scanner on their operations, tax practices and competition with domestic taxi operators. In the latest bust-up, on February 6 the HCM City Peoples Court City began to hear a lawsuit filed by Anh Duong Viet Nam Jsc, better known as Vinasun Taxi, against GrabTaxi Vietnam Limited Liability Company (Grab). Vinasuns argument is that it lost more than VN40 billion (US$1.78 million) in 2016 and the first half of 2017 because of Grabs Illegal business operations in violation of the Law on Competition. Ta Long Hy, chairman of the HCM City Taxi Drivers Association, told the court that both Uber and Grab had suppressed local firms. Grabs fleet of 28,000 vehicles as of 2017 was the reason why his and other taxi companies had to pull out more than 3,000 cars in HCM City alone from a total of 12,000. Since January 11 the Ha Noi Department of Transport has restricted Uber and Grabs operations to certain streets to match similar restrictions on traditional taxis -- to ensure a level playing field. Thus, the two companies vehicles are not allowed on 13 main streets during certain hours, exactly the same as for regular taxis. Grab also slapped an extra 3.6 per cent fee on its drivers on top of the old fee of 20 per cent. Uber followed suit with an increase to 25 per cent from the previous 15 per cent. Besides, the companies required drivers to pay a 4.5 per cent of income tax, meaning they got double taxed. But these evoked a hue and cry from their drivers and caused riots in front of the companies headquarters in Ha Noi and HCM City. The drivers also refused to ply their vehicles to protest the unjust treatment by their employers. The commotion settled somewhat when Grab reverted to the 20 per cent fee on January 13, but the companies have made no official statement on the matter yet. Contradictory views Nguyen Cong Hung, deputy director of the Ha Noi Taxi Association, said after more than two years of trial runs for Uber and Grab, there are contradictory views on the nature of their business. He called this lack of clear definition the biggest failure of the trial initiated by the Ministry of Transport (MoT). According to Uber and Grabs licences and terms of use, customers use of their transportation and delivery services does not confer the status of a transport carrier, he said. Comparing the tax and other business obligations of the ride-hailing and traditional taxi companies also shows that the two newcomers have the upper hand because of their use of technology, he said. For example, a traditional transport company has to pay tax of 10-20 per cent of their profits, while for a technology company it is only around 5 per cent, he pointed out. Besides, the field is not level with regard to obligations like welfare contributions for drivers and insurance either, he complained. He accused Uber and Grab of behaving and charging like normal transport companies while enjoying growth unrestricted and unregulated by authorities, distorting competition and resulting in discrimination. Many countries around the world consider Uber, Grab and others taxi companies, while the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is a shipping company and must comply with European transport sector regulations, he said. To many peoples astonishment, the two companies still consider themselves software and technology providers, and for a long time Grab declared its revenue was from "connection software fees". Thus, both have been getting away without paying value-added tax. Last October the Ministry of Industry and Trade had recommended that Uber and Grab should be identified as transport enterprises and not get benefits related to software services. In December Tran Bao Ngoc, director of the MoTs transportation department, had said in a discussion on the Governments online portal that Grab and Uber act as middlemen who only provide software and do not need to register their business the same way as regular taxi companies, and are thus not bound by the regulations and fees that apply to the latter. Adding to their already lower taxes, and ultimately unbeatable fares, the two new comers are set to win hands down. But at a MoT conference last month Vu Van Vien, director of the Ha Noi Department of Transport, said he was in the process of advocating the same tax rates and same fares for Uber and Grab as traditional taxis. The impasse continues. Free to do business Nonetheless, some economists and policy experts have taken the side of the two companies, defending their freedom to do business and the benefits customers enjoy. At a conference on the transportation business in January Nguyen inh Cung, director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, had said that the new way of using information technology in the transport business by Uber and Grab is actually a sign of progress in Viet Nam. I would say that taxi companies have the right to protest, which is normal. But I believe the authorities should not forbid [Uber and Grab] from doing business as usual. Their growth is as unstoppable as it is fair, he said. While the two companies indeed disadvantage traditional taxi companies, the latter need to adapt instead of demanding their competitors demise, he said. Bui Danh Lien, chairman of the Ha Noi Transport Association, said traditional taxi firms have many internal problems that need fixing before they blame the competition for their problems. The market and businesses are smarter than the State when it comes to actually doing business, so there is no reason for them to beseech the authorities for help, he said. Tran Quang Lam, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Transport, said Uber and Grab have been well received by the public, especially for their utilisation of idle vehicles. Deputy Minister of Transport Le inh Tho had even said on the Government portal late last year that without Uber and Grab traditional taxi firms would never change their ways for the better, and that the ministry would only be responsible for orientation and policy guidance, not for micro-management in what is a free and competitive market. VNS HCM CITY Hoang Tuan Anh has realised his start-up dream by creating the first shopping and entertaining complexes in HCM City to use recycled containers. The 32-year-old Tuan Anh is no stranger to the local start-up industry as he once ran a successful startup on distribution and installation of insulation panels in Australia. His efficient business approach earned him a stable income and an opportunity to work with an Australian submarine manufacturing port on a contract worth AU$50,000, followed by other significant projects. After returning to Viet Nam in 2013 and pursuing businesses in trading, real estate and smart locks, Tuan Anh opened Eco Box in Tan Phu District, a flea market complex with an unusual concept. Although the amount of land in the city centre is in short supply, there are cleared sites reserved for future developments that remain untouched, at least for the next three to five years, he told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper. Ive come up with an idea to maximise the use of these idle land plots by collecting used containers and redesigning them to make each of them two small stores, and then renting each for three to five million ong per month, he added. For the first few months, half of his stores are provided rent-free to students as a way to support young adults with a passion for startups. As a result of Eco Boxs success, Tuan Anh later opened Rubik Zoo, a shopping, dining and entertaining complex covering 5,000 square metres and housing more than 300 shops in District 1. Rubik Zoo is an open, clean, smart space with many activities. Its become a hangout spot for me and my friends during the weekend or at night, Thao Nguyen, 22, told Viet Nam News. Quoc Cuong agreed, adding that he loved how each store is decorated with different themes and colours. The place is so vibrant and inspiring, he said. Tuan Anh said that similar concepts can be seen in many countries, particular Australia and Thailand. There are plenty of projects in Thailand that have built food, fashion, and exhibition halls with used containers at a low cost for young startups, he said. Im glad to provide a space for youth to showcase their talents and promote their products. When it comes to business, its necessary to think about the benefits of partners. If I were to invest in traditional shopping and entertaining complexes, I would have to return the land to authorities one day, Tuan Anh said. Since containers are portable and can be moved to different areas, renters are able to secure their property, he explained. At Eco Box and Rubik Zoo, we value property protection of clients, he said. In addition to the two projects, Tuan Anh plans to invest US$8 million in more used containers and build 20 hotels, with each having 50 to 100 rooms. Hotels and accommodation costs in HCM City are not cheap compared with other countries in the region. Most tourists, especially backpackers, need a safe place at the lowest price to stay during their visit, he explained. Tuan Anh is also looking for temporarily unoccupied land to build boarding houses with used containers for students and factory workers at the lowest possible price. Having studied overseas, I understand how rental expenses can put pressure on poor students and workers, he explained. VNS NEW YORK Alfonsina Storni, an early 20th century feminist whose arduous life ended in suicide, is remembered as one of Argentinas foremost modern poets -- but she is far from a household name outside the Spanish-speaking world. In a fresh show of interest in the poet, whose verse was both melancholic and amorous, her words have been turned into music by Bryce Dessner, the composer also known as a guitarist with indie rockers The National. The song cycle, written by Dessner for mezzo-soprano Kelley OConnor, is named after and closes with Voy a Dormir ("I Am Going to Sleep"), Stornis poignant final poem which she sent to a newspaper before drowning herself in the sea in 1938. "Her words feel eternal to me; they really do. They feel as pressing and powerful now as they would have then," Dessner said. The Orchestra of St. Lukes is backing OConnor for the world premiere Thursday at Carnegie Hall in New York, with Robert Spano, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director and champion of contemporary fare, conducting. Dessner was driven to write the piece after seeing OConnor sing another musical adaptation of Spanish poetry, the late composer Peter Liebersons Neruda Songs. Dessner called the performance "incredibly beautiful." Dessner, who studied Spanish as his second major at Yale University, was well versed in the so-called Generation of 27 poets -- most prominently Federico Garcia Lorca -- but noticed that women, then as now, were poorly represented. "I was looking into Spanish poetry and I was struck by how much we hear from that era that is very masculine. Even the poetry itself has a sort of machismo to it," he said. "Thinking of Kelley, and also just where we are in the world, I really wanted to set words by a female poet," he said. Dessner, who previously brought to music the Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro, was drawn to Storni in part through the late Argentine star Mercedes Sosas song Alfonsina y el Mar ("Alfonsina and the Sea"). While voicing modesty on how much his piece can accomplish, Dessner said there was no reason Storni should be less known internationally than Lorca. Exquisite pain Storni was born in Switzerland and immigrated as a child to Argentina. A single mother who endured breast cancer, she took on a variety of jobs to support herself and her son, fuelling the ardent feminist themes in her writing. Dessners song cycle opens ethereally with her poem Yo en el Fondo del Mar ("Me at the Bottom of the Sea") before the more romantic Dulce Tortura ("Sweet Torture") and Faro en la Noche ("Lighthouse in the Night"), in which horns spring forth like the poems metaphor of stability. Strings and percussion swell up on the closing poem, creating a hazy, aquatic air as OConnor dolefully sings, "voy a dormir." OConnor, an American who has found new musical expression in Spanish, said it was "liberating" to sing from a womans perspective. "I responded to her personal torment and also the surrender in her poetry. There is exquisite pain and yet stunning acceptance," she said. "Her connection with the sea throughout her poetry is also something that feels meant for music. To her, the sea was a home, a comfort and a final destination. This is a very unique view of a force that can seem so immense and ominous to some." New music on way Voy a Dormir is one of a slew of new works at Carnegie Hall, which has set a goal of 125 commissions between 2015 and 2020 to mark the 125th anniversary of one of New Yorks most storied music venues. The Orchestra of St. Lukes, known for its commissions and work with high-profile musicians as well as concerts around New York, said it let Dessner and OConnor decide the direction of the piece. Calling orchestras "vehicles for civic expression," Orchestra of St. Lukes president James Roe said the ensembles history was shaped by "curiosity about new forms of expression." For Dessner, the premiere comes less than a month after The National -- formed in Cincinnati nearly two decades ago and known for dark walls of guitar -- won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album for Sleep Well Beast. Dessner, who lives in Paris, said that members of the now disparate band had returned to their studio in upstate New York where they are working on new music including a score for a play, on which he declined to give details. Dessner, who won a Grammy two years on his own in a chamber music category, said the band appreciated but had not expected the award. "Its funny that these career milestones usually arrive at the point where youre not really at the edge of your seat waiting for it," he said with a laugh. AFP A NANG Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and extended New Year wishes to the armed forces and residents in the central city of a Nang on Friday, or the first day of the Year of the Dog. At the headquarters of the citys Border Guard Command, the PM stressed the strategic importance of a Nang not only in resistance wars for national independence but also in defending the countrys air and sea territories in peace time. He urged the border guard force in particular and the armed forces in general in a Nang to stay alert and keep up combat readiness to ensure political stability, security and social order in the city. PM Phuc later called at the office of the Party Committee of Hai Chau district, and went around the districts Thuan Phuoc ward to talk to local officials and residents. On the occasion of the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year), national leaders are paying visits to extend New Year wishes to the armed forces and residents across the country. This is part of the Vietnamese Tet tradition. a Nang is the third largest city in Viet Nam behind capital Ha Noi and business hub HCM City. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has given the go-ahead for a national programme on information and technology with the aim of accelerating the application of IT in State bodies operation. The Information and Technology Target Programme in the 2016 to 2020 period will also aim to speed up the formation of e-Government and a uniform system of public services from the Central to local level; strengthen the abilities to secure national information and electronic authentication; and develop the IT industry through establishing key IT zones, and core IT products. To that end, the programme set a target to ensure that 100 per cent of ministries, ministerial-level bodies, and Central-level provinces and cities will have a shared and integrated foundation by 2020 to connect over 50 per cent of information systems of ministries, sectors, localities that need to connect and share data with the national database. It will also ensure that 30 per cent of localities administrative procedures are processed online at the service level 4 (in which service payments can be settled online whilst transaction results are available either online or by post, on request); over 50 per cent of administrative procedures that need to be exchanged among interagency one-stop shops were exchanged through the internet-based network; and a system connecting information systems at the Central and local levels will be completed to link service systems of ministries, sectors, and localities. Additionally, over 80 per cent of localities information systems at level 3 and higher shall be subjected to information assurance in conformity with technical standards and regulations on security for information system according to levels. Of note, the programme set a target to remove Viet Nam from the list of top 20 countries that are at great risk of malware attacks. Furthermore, 100 per cent of public services at level 4 have concentrated electronic authentication solutions and at least 50 per cent of information portals of Central provinces and cities shall be eligible for internet-based information security supervision, especially impoverished localities unable to balance their budget; and assistance will be provided to build seven concentrated information technology zones in line with the Prime Ministers Decision 392/2015/QD-TTg dated March 27, 2015, to study and develop at least three electronic hardware products in the fields of microchips and semiconductor chips, six basic products used in State bodies and society, and one digital content product for State bodies. VNS On display: The drone was displayed in the AgriTech sector at TechFest 2017, one of the largest annual events for the Vietnamese start-up community. Viet Nam News by Hong Van About 1,700ha of custard apples are growing in Luc Nam District in the northern province of Bac Giang. After Tet (Lunar New Year festival), growers will have to spray pesticides by hand to prevent spider mites from damaging the crop. Not many pests bother custard apples, so we just need to spray once, yet we are still concerned about its effect on health as sprayers are directly exposed to the pesticide, said Bui Van Quang from Luc Nam District. For other agricultural produce, including rice, oranges and lychees, farmers need to spray regularly to get rid of pests. According to the General Department of Preventive Medicine in Viet Nam, pesticide inhalation kills more than 300 farmers in Viet Nam each year and seriously affects another 5,000. To prevent poisoning and reduce work, mechanical engineer Le Phi Cuong and his team have developed a flying drone that can accurately spray crops. The device, named A16, carries a 10-litre pesticide tank that can cover one hectare at a time. It takes more than half an hour for an A16 to finish the work. This is about 30 times faster than through manual spraying. Drones can be used on slopes growing plants up to 20m that are not suitable for manual spraying. Farmers can operate the drone via a mobile phone with an application interface. The faster coverage is especially useful in controling insects and diseases in time. An A16 drone weighs only 22kg. Each costs from VN165 million (US$7,200) to VN368 million ($16,200) depending on the amount of pesticide that it can carry. We aim for cheap, easy-to-use and easy-to-maintain techniques in Viet Nam, said Cuong. Lightweight: An A16 drone weighs only 22kg. Each costs from VN165 million (US$7,200) to 368 million ($16,200) depending on the amount of pesticide that it can carry. Each to his own: Every member is in charge of a different task, from automation, software, design and pumps for the drones. All terrain: The drones will help prevent poisoning, reduce farm work - and reduce pesticide wastage. Photos courtesy of Le Phi Cuong The A16 is equipped with six to eight propellors to make sure it can return home if problems arise. If the drone encounters an obstacle, the sensor will make it stop about three to five metres in front of it. The drone can also maintain a particular height despite the field surface - on flat land or mountain terraces. Cuong had an early interest in aviation and airplanes. When he was small, his family lived near Ha Noi Childrens Palace, where children could join a range of culture and arts activities and classes. Every time I visited the palace, I would see various aeroplane models. I loved them. The special interest in aviation devices lingered in my mind as I grew up, Cuong added. This passion led him to the Aviation Club in the city, a platform where members share not only their hobbies, but also knowledge about planes, drones and aviation. Joining the club, I had chance to meet people who shared my passion. We taught ourselves and shared the knowledge with each other, said Cuong. Specialised knowledge and practical experience gained from field trips, together with flying experiences and a good understanding of mechanics and aviation devices, enabled Cuong to launch the drone project in 2015. He has welded 18 years experience in cultivation and plant protection with that of Pham Quoc Chien, who has 20 years experience in electronics, and Pham Quang Thanh, a major in Business Administration. They are all from the aviation club. Other members of the group are Nguyen Hai Nam, who is a Control Engineering Technology and Automation major, Ta Huy Phuong, who is major in International Trade, and Bui Van Minh, who excels in Information Technology. Each is in charge of different tasks automation, software, design, engineering as well as evaluating market impact and demand. Drones have recently become popular in Viet Nam. I want to give farmers the opportunity to access high-tech farming machines and devices, said Cuong. The biggest challenge for the team is to obtain a licence for the drone. In Viet Nam, when one wants to fly any aviation device, they need to ask for permission from the authorities. Before putting the product on the market, Cuong and his team will work with leaders from the University of Agriculture and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other authorities to see if the licence procedure can be dropped. Each device has limits set on flying heights and scope of operations to make sure they doesnt enter areas prohibited by the Ministry of Defence, said Cuong. The drone was displayed in the AgriTech sector at the TechFest 2017, hosted by Ministry of Science and Technology, last November. VNS ANKARA US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, seeking to ease tensions between the NATO allies that reached new heights over Ankaras ongoing operation inside Syria. A prime task of President Donald Trumps top diplomat is to allay Turkish anger over US policy in Syria, a dispute which has ignited the biggest crisis in bilateral ties since the 2003 Iraq war. But Turkish presidential sources said Erdogan made no secret of Turkeys concerns during the over three-hour meeting with the former chief of energy giant Exxon Mobil. "In the talks, Turkeys priorities and expectations on all these topics were clearly conveyed to the US secretary of state," said a source, asking not to be named. Tillerson will meet on Friday morning Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who was the only other official present at the meeting and acted as translator, US sources said. A State Department official said Tillerson and Erdogan had a "productive and open" conversation about a "mutually beneficial way forward" for US-Turkey ties. Turkeys operation against the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) Kurdish militia in the Afrin region of Syria has added a potentially insurmountable new problem to an increasingly rough bilateral relationship. Analysts said the level of tension was similar to 2003 when Turkey refused to let US troops operate from its territory for the Iraq war, or even the aftermath of Ankaras invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Turkeys operation against the YPG, which Ankara blacklists as a terror group, has seen Turkish troops fighting a militia which is closely allied with the US in the battle against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists. Speaking in Beirut before his meeting with Erdogan, Tillerson denied Washington ever gave heavy weaponry to the YPG and thus could not gather up such arms, as desired by Ankara. "We have never given heavy arms to the YPG so there is none to take back," Tillerson said. Weakening anti-IS efforts Erdogan earlier this month accused Washington of sending in thousands of truckloads and planeloads of weapons to the YPG in Syria, asking why the US still had a presence there if the jihadists had been defeated. And he further upped the ante by warning US troops to leave Manbij, a YPG-held town east of Afrin, raising fears of a clash between the allies. He also warned that the US risked being dealt an "Ottoman slap" in Syria -- a backhand thwack which, according to legend, could kill an opponent at a stroke. For Ankara, the YPG is a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is blacklisted as a terror outfit by the US and the EU. But for Washington, the YPG is an ally against IS jihadists and Turkeys operation is a distraction from efforts to ensure the extremists are permanently defeated. But Cavusoglu this week warned Washington that ties were at a "critical point" at which relations would "be fixed or... completely damaged." It was unclear whether Tillersons visit could achieve any kind of breakthrough. Following a meeting with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Brussels, Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said Ankara wanted to see the YPG pulled out of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) umbrella group. He said Mattis had promised greater support in Turkeys fight against the PKK in their rear bases in northern Iraq. AFP WarbirdsNews has just received the latest report from Chuck Cravens on the restoration of Texas Flying Legends Museums P-47D Thunderbolt 42-27609 at AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota. We thought our readers would be very interested to see how the project has progressed in the intervening two months since our last article on this important project. So without further ado, here it goes! Texas Flying Legends P-47D-23RA Jan/Feb 2018 Report By Chuck Cravens It has been almost exactly two years since we began working on the P-47 on the shop floor. A great deal of that time has been spent on fixture fabrication, disassembly of the veteran airframe, inspection, and parts manufacturing. The tail cone, horizontal stabilizer, and vertical stabilizer are pretty much finished, but this month an even more exciting part of the restoration began. Fuselage Components: Fuselage longerons and ribs went into the fixture, so for the first time the forward fuselage is beyond the parts fitting stage and is under active assembly. These lower longerons form a compound curve as they extend back and they each have over 30 separate pieces that need to fit perfectly to make the assembled longeron conform to the Thunderbolts beautiful lines. Tail Cone: As the work on assembling the forward fuselage got underway, the finishing touches were put on the tail cone this month and the permanent riveting was done- other than a few that will be left off to facilitate later assembly. The whole assembly was removed from the vertical fixture and mounted on a horizontal stand that will make it easy to mate with the rest of the fuselage when that time comes. And thats all for this update. However, I would like to acknowledge a worthy project currently underway at the New Tech Institute in Evansville, Indiana; the city where the Republic Aviation Corporation had a factory that produced the very P-47D depicted in this article. The New Tech Institute is a Project Based School, and one of their teachers is currently involving his students in an effort to create a pair of replica P-47 Thunderbolts for display nearby. Teacher Pat Carters words below speak for themselves, but I am sure the group would welcome donations, or other forms of assistance to help with their efforts. New Tech Institute opened in 2010 and is a Project Based Learning school that has also been certified by the State of Indiana as a STEM High School. The school is located less than a half mile from the former Republic Aviation Plant in Evansville where over 5,000 men and women manufactured 6,242 P-47 Thunderbolts from 1942-1945. New Tech chose the Thunderbolt as our school mascot, and has been actively promoting the aircraft in its historic role such as working to develop displays for Evansville Wartime Museum and one of the projects currently being built is a 1/3 scale reproduction of a P-47. Our school has been blessed to meet Lt. Allen Sanderson a member of the 57th Fighter Group (First in the Blue) who flew 118 missions in his Lady Jane. In talking with Lt. Sanderson, we asked if we could name this aircraft Lady Jane in his honor and he agreed. Our goal is to build two of these aircraft, one for display at our school and a second for the Evansville Wartime Museum. AirCorps Aviation decided to help the project, and felt the involved students, teachers, and consultants could benefit from membership in AirCorps Library which gives them access to the available engineering drawings, manuals, and other information on the P-47 and over 20 other warbirds. If you are also interested in supporting their project, please contact Pat Carter at 812-746-8796. And thats all for this month. WarbirdsNews wishes to thank AirCorps Aviation, Chuck Cravens (for the words) and John LaTourelle (for the images) for making this report possible! We look forwards to bringing more restoration reports on progress with this rare machine in the coming months. First UofL Dental Students Begin at Clinic at WKCTC Despite heavy rains and flooding, Wetzel County Schools personnel braved the elements and held informational pickets on Feb. 16, outside of the countys schools. School for Feb. 16 had been closed on the morning of Feb. 15, due to an impending work stoppage. Superintendent Ed Toman had confirmed the details on Feb. 15, stating he had been notified of the stoppage by Sandi Hurst. Hurst, who represents Wetzel Countys West Virginia School Service personnel Association, had informed Toman that the association was walking out on Friday, Feb. 16. Toman said there would not be enough drivers, cooks, aids, and secretaries available at the schools on Feb. 16. Therefore, the schools closed. Teachers and service personnel, among other state employees, are concerned about competitive wages and being able to afford health insurance benefits West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee said Feb. 15 that the states public school teachers are exploring their options, as they are await word from union leaders as to when to walk off their jobs. Teachers, meanwhile, plan to rally from 1-2 p.m. Saturday outside the State Capitol to grab the attention of state lawmakers in Charleston. Unions expect as many as 5,000 teachers from across the state to participate. The teachers arent satisfied with a 2 percent pay raise for them passed this week by the Legislature that would also give them a 1 percent raise each of the next three years. They also arent happy with a call by Gov. Jim Justice to the Public Employees Insurance Agency board to freeze health care premiums 17 months as the state seeks a permanent solution to growing costs. Teachers also maintain they are being disrespected through proposed legislation that could eliminate teacher seniority consideration in the schools, as well as other measures that would allow union members to opt out of paying union dues if this money is being used for political purposes, according to Lee. He said no when asked if a teacher walkout is eminent. We will explore all our options, and we will continue negotiating with the Legislature, he said. As things progress or regress, we will decide our next course of action which could be a statewide action. We are really trying to insure every child in West Virginia has a great education. You cant do that when you have 727 positions without a teacher. You cant do that with low pay and eroding benefits. And you cant do that with low morale and bills that strip seniority, Lee said. Lee described the mood of teachers as angry, very angry, and he was asked whether they are ready to strike. My feeling is, yes, Lee said. Prior court rulings have determined that public employees in West Virginia cannot legally strike. Lee was asked what the difference was between a strike and a walk-out. Its what the court decides, he answered. Lee believes the teachers would have the support of the public if they did go on strike. Though the Feb. 16 closure was due to an impending service personnel work stoppage, Wetzel County teachers and personnel have been holding informational pickets throughout the past couple of weeks, at each of the countys schools. Elliot Kendle, of the Wetzel County Education Association, has noted that the informational pickets and walk-ins that are taking place throughout Wetzel County are demonstrations of our solidarity with and support of teachers, education service personnel, and other public employees throughout West Virginia. These protests are a response to the actions of the Governor and the Legislature. We are united in our struggle to fix PEIA, obtain a competitive salary, and stop the attacks on employee rights. Joselyn King contributed to this article. Hybrid work - a mix of remote work and in the office work - may be the best fit for your organization to support the future o 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. Atlassian's Oji Udezue Explores the Future of Workplace Productivity in ITEXPO Keynote Weve all been there: You have hundreds of tasks to complete, and very little time to do any of it but you cant dig in and start working because you are buried in email, meetings and messages. Communication, in other words, can be exhausting. During a keynote address this morning at ITEXPO, Atlassian Head of Product Oji Udezue elaborated on the gridlock of workplace communication that we are all mired in. Even worse, he pointed out, workplace communication often spills over into personal time after hours. Nobody likes being the person on their cell phone at a Little League game, or having to leave dinner to put out a fire at work. But things happen that need to be dealt with, putting busy professionals in the awkward position of having to take time away from their personal lives. Udeuze, who has spent years developing communication and collaboration tools for some of the largest technology firms, actually apologized during his presentation for stealing our time by keeping us glued to email and chat. Its 2018, and we are still spending two thirds of our day communicating and collaborating, he said. Those interactions are great. They are awesome. [And they] seem almost innocuous until you realize that communicating and collaborating isnt actually working. It gives you priority of how to work, but its not actually work. In the words of Udueze, people are losing the freedom to focus. And this is a problem. Granted, over the last 10 years we have seen amazing improvements in productivity tools. These tools help us by keeping workers informed and updated with team members, but even the best solutions still silo workers and make it impossible to become immersed in deep work. Udueze and his team, however, believe that its possible to reach a place at work where people are kept in the loop about whats happening without sacrificing their need to actually get work done. Last year, for instance, Atlassian released a communication and collaboration solution with a built in timer that actually allows workers to let others know they are checking out to perform deep work in a way that also lets others know they remaining productive. When workers come back after the timer is up, they are given updates that allow them to easily catch up with whats been happening. Its exciting to think about where this type of technology is heading and this is just one company that is working to improve the way we communicate. The enterprise communication and collaboration space is changing, as companies are striving to find new ways of making the sharing of information a seamless and enjoyable process. Please enable JavaScript to view the Edited by Mandi Nowitz Marilynne Robinson at the TLS: Europeans often say our culture is Puritan Lollard, according to Freud and we dont know enough history to understand what they might mean by this. We have made a project of freeing ourselves of even minimal standards of taste or discretion, and still the word clings. Ethical rigor, aversion to display, the ideal of vocation are all diminished things among us, and still we are Puritan. Most recently I heard us denounced in these terms at a dinner table in London. How horrifying our rules against sexual harassment! It is the most natural thing in the world for students to fall in love with their professors, subordinates with their superiors! And so on. My suggestion that this might all seem very different from the perspective of the student or the subordinate, and my thoughts about fairness, merit, and so on, were not of interest. They were merely one more Puritanical pretext for denying the pleasures of life. I think in many cases Puritanical may simply mean reformist, tending to assume that even very settled cultural patterns and practices can be called into question, that they are not presumptively endorsed by culture, that what is traditional cannot claim therefore to be rooted in human nature. We tend to forget that our revolution was one in a series Geneva expelled its Savoyard rulers and was governed by elected councils. The Dutch expelled the Hapsburg emperor and in the process trained sympathetic British volunteers who took the experience home with them. Then with the Puritan Revolution England tried and executed its king and attempted a decade of parliamentary government. More than a century later the American colonies rejected monarchy as a system on the basis of the abuses of the king then in power. This is not logical, strictly speaking, but it affiliated the Americans with the great precedent of the English revolution, the revolution of Milton and Marvell. more here. Andre Liebich at Eurozine: Until now, puncturing the belief in Polish innocence has been the work of academics, often located abroad, such as Jan Gross, a Princeton professor and former Polish dissident, and Jan Grabowski, a sometime specialist on native Americans now at the University of Ottawa, who has written about betrayal of the Jews by ethnic Poles during the War in selected areas of Poland. A narrow segment of the Polish intelligentsia is also experiencing pangs of conscience over the revelations of past Polish misdeeds, particularly since the publication of Grosss book on the pogrom in the village of Jedwabne in 1941, almost two decades ago. This fraction of the intelligentsia is, in any case, not the electorate on which the governing party depends. Loss of support from its main ally, the United States, is, however, a major source of concern. Poland relies upon Washington to shield itself from pressure from the European Union to which it belongs, and it founds much of its international legitimacy upon American approval of its policies. The Polish governments efforts to curb international indignation indignation commended by Nazi hunters as proper but selective given the woeful record of Holocaust revisionism in other post-Soviet countries have been clumsy and unsuccessful. Most recently, Jarosaw Kaczynski praised Israel and sought to condemn antisemitism, but blamed its recent upsurge on the enemies of Poland, one can even say the devil. more here. Oral Thrush Market Oral Thrush Market is expected to reach USD 9.5 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 4.4 % during the forecast period 2017-2023. The International Oral Thrush Market has been segmented on the basis of types, diagnosis, treatment and end user. Global Oral thrush Market Players Some of the key players profiled in the report are Bayer AG, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Stellar Pharma, Pfizer Inc., Wockhardt Ltd., Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, Bristol Laboratories, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline Plc. Increasing risk factors such as fatty and sugar rich foods, growing screening, increasing infant population, rising number of immune-compromised patients, rising prevalence of diseases such as diabetes drive the market growth. However, increasing drug resistance by the candida species, falling profitability of the anti-fungal and antibiotic drug, huge market fragmentation, and lack of awareness and misdiagnosis may hamper the growth of the market over the review period. Oral thrush or oral candidiasis is an infection of the oral mucosa caused by strains of the Candida species. Candida albicans accounts for about 50% cases of the oral thrush across the globe and 80% of the cases are caused various strains of candida such as C. tropicalis, C. glabrata and C. albicans. Various factors affects the prevalence of candida such as humidity and temperature. Additionally, high prevalence is also detected in hospitalized patients, smokers, immune-compromised individuals due to diseases such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cancer, and Down syndrome. It also affect the people eating high carbohydrates containing food, suffering from xerostomia (dry mouth) and wearing dentures are at a higher risk of developing oral thrush. Newborns, Females, and geriatric population are more susceptible to the infection. Get Exclusive Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4417 . Oral Thrush Market Segmentation: The Global Oral Thrush Market has been segmented on the basis of types, diagnosis, treatment, and end user. Based on types, the market has been segmented as pseudomembranous, erythematous, hyperplastic, and others. Based on diagnosis, the market has been segmented as examination, biopsy, endoscopy, and others. Based on treatment, the market has been segmented as anti-fungal, immune-modulators and others. Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals & clinics, academic, and research and others. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Oral Thrush Market Regional Analysis: The Americas holds a significant share of the global market owing to extensive use of medications and high expenditure on the health care. Additionally, the fastest uptake of new products, concentration of major healthcare companies coupled with the larger market for oral hygiene products drives the market growth. The US spent 16% of the total GDP on healthcare in 2015, which fueled the sale of oral thrush treatment. Europe is the second largest market in the world due to high income and healthcare penetration and the market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. The UK is expected to be the fastest growing market as result of high influence of media and the rise in the awareness about oral hygiene coupled with the high per capita income of the population. Asia Pacific region is expected to grow the fastest with China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs during the forecast period. South East Asia countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia will also contribute highly to the market. Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a moderate growth owing to poor economic and political conditions and poor healthcare development. However, Africa has the highest unmet needs in the world and cost-effective products will be the key to dominate the African market. First comer will take advantage to establish its dominance in African market that will be difficult to overcome by any new player due to the smaller market size and market value of the African oral thrush market. Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread over 80 pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content (TOC) & market synopsis on Global Oral thrush Market Research Report Forecast till 2023. Get Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/4417 . Major TOC for Oral Thrush Market: 1. Report Prologue 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope of the Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary research 3.4 Market Size Estimation 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restrains 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment Continued Ask Questions to Expertise @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/4417 . About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Media Contact Company Name: Market Research Future Contact Person: Akash Anand Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Address:Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune City: Pune State: Maharashtra Country: India Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/oral-thrush-market-4417 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday that Hezbollah is threatening the stability of Lebanon and the wider Middle East and said the group should withdraw from foreign conflicts in Yemen and Syria. Tillerson, speaking at a news conference in Beirut alongside Prime Minister Saad Hariri, said the Shia political, social and military group, "uses terrorism to advance its political agenda inside Lebanon, across the region, and around the world." He urged Lebanese leaders to uphold Lebanon's commitment to disassociating itself from foreign conflicts. "The international community expects all parties in Lebanon to fulfill this commitment, including Hezbollah, which should withdraw and cease its activities abroad in order to help reduce tensions in the region," Tillerson said. Tillerson was the just latest US official to highlight the global threat they see emanating from Hezbollah. Speaking to lawmakers about global threats on Tuesday, Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, pointed to Hezbollah as an Iranian proxy and said that "Iran and Hezbollah remain a continuing terrorist threat to US interests and partners worldwide." On Thursday, Adm. Kurt Tidd, the commander of US Southern Command, fleshed out the global nature of Hezbollah's operations, telling lawmakers about the group's aggressive presence in South America. "They have been in this hemisphere for awhile, engaged largely in criminal activities supporting their terrorist activities abroad," Tidd told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "They are the A team that has been mentioned from time to time. And so we're watching what they're doing, working with our partners in the intelligence community within our country, and then increasingly with partner nations to be aware of what they are doing and to not be surprised." And Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, told a Security Council meeting on Syria on Wednesday that Hezbollah was planning on entrenching themselves in Syria. "The Assad regime has become a front for Iran, Hezbollah, and their allies to advance the irresponsible and dangerous agenda for the Middle East," Haley said. Pointing to the siege starvation of towns and the bombings of hospitals and schools, she charged that "advisers from Iran and Hezbollah are helping direct those atrocities." Tillerson, in his remarks with Hariri, said that Hezbollah had to be constrained for Lebanon to achieve stability and security. "Lebanon will never be truly strong and stable as long as Hezbollah continues to act outside the confines of the Lebanese government," Tillerson said. "Its provocations at the behest of its regional masters like Iran ultimately put the Lebanese people at risk." Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad. US and Saudi officials have also accused Hezbollah of undermining stability in Iraq and of arming Houthi rebels in Yemen, a charge Hezbollah leaders have denied. "It is unacceptable for a militia like Hezbollah to operate outside the authority of the Lebanese government," Tillerson said. "The only legitimate defender of the Lebanese state is the Lebanese Armed Forces." The US, Tillerson said, "has considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization for over two decades." "Hezbollah is not just a concern for the United States," Tillerson said. "The people of Lebanon should also be concerned about how Hezbollah's actions, its growing arsenal, and its entanglement in regional conflicts threaten the security of Lebanon and have destabilizing effects in the region." NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A former U.S. Navy Seal has been sentenced for producing images of child sexual abuse. News outlets quote a U.S. attorney's office statement as saying 32-year-old Gregory Kyle Seerden was sentenced Thursday to 27 years in prison, 25 years of supervised release, and fined $10,000 for producing images of child sexual abuse. According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, the investigation into Seerden began after a woman reported that he sexually assaulted her. A digital forensic examiner found child pornography images after NCIS agents seized and searched Seerden's iPhone. Further analysis confirmed several images and videos of child pornography. Seerden is also charged in San Diego. Court documents show the accusations involve a minor Seerden knew and the recording of sexual abuse involving the child on an iPhone. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Oroville, Calif. -- Parents in the Oroville area are just finding out about a domestic violence case that has spilled over into Ophir Elementary School. The alleged victim is a teacher at the elementary school. Parents found out because the incident sparked a "soft lockdown," but students' parents didn't find out about it until recently. Now the parents are demanding answers. The "soft lockdown" lasted for two days last month. Principal Teresa Lightle said using a soft lockdown was a bad term. Instead, the term "lock out" should have been used. A "lock out" is when the doors are locked and school carries on as usual. The staff continues to remain aware of their surroundings. The principal said the Ophir teacher filed complaints against her husband, a substitute teacher at the same school. An incident never occurred at the school during the "soft lockdown," but parents were still upset they weren't notified right away. "In retrospect I probably should have sent out an email that we were going into a lockdown so we could side on safety," said Lightle. "My problem is parents were never notified and our children could have been put in harms way," said Bobby O'Reiley, a parent. The husband allegedly made threats against the teacher. Once the complaint was filed, the principal said the husband was fired and the teacher went on personal leave. Ophir Elementary worked closely with the DA's Office to make sure the teacher felt supported. As a result, the school is changing its policies moving forward. The school's automated messaging system will be used to notify parents more readily when an incident happens. Meantime, the husband is charged with domestic violence and making threats. He is in the Butte County Jail. Commsoft, MRO IT systems provider, Commsoft, has announced that Corendon Dutch Airlines has become the latest member of the fast-growing global OASES user community. Part of the international Corendon group of companies, Corendon Dutch Airlines started operations under its own AOC in April 2011 and currently operates charter flights to a number of destinations around the Mediterranean including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Maastricht Aachen Airport. Under the terms of the new contract, the airline will be using OASES to support its fleet of three Boeing 737-800s. Combining a high level of technical sophistication with an intuitive user interface, OASES is a best-of-breed system structured in a modular format to allow for flexibility and scalability. Corendon Dutch Airlines will be using the Core, Airworthiness, Materials, Line Maintenance Control and Planning modules and has also expressed a strong interest in adding the proposed Compliance module when it becomes available. All modules will be accessed through Commsofts Private Cloud service, avoiding any need for the airline to install additional hardware. Nick Godwin, Commsofts Managing Director, commented: Were delighted to welcome Corendon Dutch Airlines, our first customer in The Netherlands, to the truly global OASES family. Initial implementation meetings have already started with the airlines team and were looking forward to the system going live in time for the peak season. Rob Smakman, Corendon Dutch Airlines Director of Engineering & Maintenance, added: We are delighted that we found the right MRO IT partner in OASES. There is a good match between the companies and we are looking forward to start working with the system in the upcoming weeks. Date: 10 January, 2018. Place: Smiths Falls, Province of Ontario, Canada. On 10 January, a very unusual event occurred in the small village of Smiths Falls, Ontario. According to an anonymous report published on Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) online database, a local resident affirmed to have seen a triangle-shaped object hovering over the Canadian town. I was driving home from work at about 8:00 PM. I turned onto highway 15 at Carleton Place and started driving south. I noticed the object within seconds of making the turn. It was just off to the left and above me. I could see it clearly looking up at the top left corner of the windshield, the unnamed witness stated. It was very large and moved very slowly. I was travelling at about fifty to sixty miles an hour and did not seem to be falling much behind it, he added. According to the Ontario resident, the strange object had a dark surface and a glowing light in the middle. The surface of it appeared darker than the night. It had what looked like four blue flames coming from each of the rear corners. There was a fair separation between the flames. There was a large glowing light in the middle of it, which made it difficult at first to determine what the true shape of it was, he asserted. I thought at first it might have had a diamond shape, but after watching it for a while I can say with certainty that it was triangular. The illumination of the central light was not that bright but was visible, the anonymous witness expressed. There seemed to be a glowing band of orange or red lights that followed the contour of the sides. None of the lights were strobing; it was constant, more like a series of lights or a glow showing up through a series of vents along the sides, he commented. The Canadian citizen affirmed that he arrived home and the UFO was still visible in the sky. I kept it in sight for the entire trip home from Carleton Place to Smiths Falls, he explained. I continued down Brockville Street and it remained in sight. I drove out of town and turned onto my road hoping that it would stay visible long enough to grab a camera and try to get a picture, he continued. I am pretty certain that what I was observing was a TR3B [USAF Secret Project]. But I will leave that up to you to decide, he stated. Draw your own conclusions For more information: https://mufoncms.com/cgi-bin/report_handler.pl?req=view_long_desc&id=89480&rnd= Sourdough selfies Hardee's announced today it would be toasting the faces of fans (and others) into its sourdough toast, as a promotion of the chain's Frisco Breakfast Sandwiches. The company says it's because its "sourdough toast in the morning is changing the face of breakfast." Don't Edit Metro Diner coming to Huntsville The newest location of Metro Diner, in Huntsville, is looking to fill more than 100 jobs. The eatery, which will open in late March, will be located at 975 Airport Road, Suite 20-22. Don't Edit Exports up for second consecutive year Alabama set a record for exports in 2017 for the second consecutive year. The state exported $21.7 billion in goods in 2017, 6 percent higher than its 2016 tally of $20.5 billion. The total also reflects a larger trend, with Alabama exports soaring 21 percent since 2011 and 50 percent over the past decade. Don't Edit Alabama's commercial construction industry surging Alabama's commercial construction industry is a $12 billion business, employing almost 156,000 people full-time and generating a payroll of more than $6 billion a year. That's according to an economic impact study commissioned by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama, the state's largest commercial construction association. Don't Edit California businessman thinks Alabama has his state beat A California businessman has penned an opinion piece asking his state's elected officials to be more like Alabama. Yes, you read that right. Don't Edit Don't Edit Interesting spots for tea Think of all the places you might expect to see a refreshing sweet tea. How about glazed into your chicken or a pork chop? Mixed into your booze? Sounds a little off-the-wall? Well, maybe. But, ordering off some of Alabama's most adventurous restaurant menus, you'd only be scratching the surface of sweet tea innovation. Don't Edit Home and Garden hi-jinx The 2018 Birmingham Home & Garden Show is this weekend at the BJCC in Birmingham. Here are 15 cool things during the first day of the show. Show hours are: Thursday until 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Don't Edit Scintillating chefs Four Alabama chefs, two restaurants and one bar have made the James Beard Foundation's preliminary list of semifinalists for its 2018 culinary awards. The Beard Foundation's restaurant and chef semifinalists were announced this morning. Don't Edit Sweet treats coming to Cullman Birmingham's Big Spoon Creamery will open its second ice cream shop later this spring in Mae's Food Hall in Cullman. The artisan ice cream company, which husband-and-wife Ryan and Geri-Martha O'Hara started at a pop-up event in their driveway in Bluff Park in 2014, opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in April 2017 in the MAKEbhm space at 4000 Third Ave. South in Avondale. Don't Edit Pizza passions Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza is offering free pizza today to celebrate the opening of its Birmingham location, 707 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. South. Visit the restaurant between 10:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. and follow Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to receive a free, build-your own pizza, the company said via a press release. Don't Edit Expect to see more Wintzell's Oyster House restaurants in the Birmingham area in the coming years. Birmingham-based Hallmark Hospitality Group, Inc. has closed its purchase of the Wintzell's Oyster House franchise in Fultondale. Frank Hall, CEO of Hallmark Hospitality said the company plans to open six additional Wintzell's franchises in the Birmingham area over the next four years, according to a statement. "We are excited to have Hallmark expanding our footprint in the Birmingham area" said Bob Donlon, the president of Wintzell's Franchise Company. "I am proud to have them continuing our tradition of offering only the freshest seafood while exuding a passion for Southern hospitality." Hall said they hope to attract Birmingham lunch customers to the store with the franchise's new $7.99 lunch menu--which includes a drink. "We feel that it's one of the best values for lunch in the Birmingham area," he said. They also hope to focus on providing catering, large group reservations and community outreach. The original Wintzell's location in Mobile has been open for more than 80 years. Wintzell's Oyster House was founded in 1938 by J. Oliver Wintzell and initially began as a small, six-stool oyster bar. A 32-year-old Birmingham man is behind bars after a drug raid at his home. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on Friday announced charges against Carlos Dion Roscoe. His arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal distribution of narcotics in northeast Jefferson County, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. Drug deputies carried out a search warrant at Roscoe's home in the 600 block of Earline Circle. Christian said deputies found hydrocodone, Ecstasy, Alprazolam, marijuana, and cocaine. Deputies also seized seven handguns. Roscoe is charged with trafficking hydrocodone, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains in the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $109,600. Christian said the case will be referred to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for possible federal firearms charges. Gunfire erupted outside Western Hills Mall Thursday afternoon, leaving the mall manager dead on the sidewalk, an innocent victim caught in the crossfire, police said. Dozens of bullets were exchanged at the mall's north entrance when police say two groups of young men recognized each other and opened fire. The manager - Anthony Alberigi, 59 - was struck and collapsed on the sidewalk where he was pronounced dead. Witnesses and police said the gunfight continued well after the warring groups left the mall parking lot. Multiple cars were shot up in the Western Hills lot, a nearby car dealership also took stray bullets and another innocent victim was grazed as he drove along Interstate 59/20. Three suspects were taken into custody off the interstate. It wasn't immediately clear just how many more were involved and are still sought. "It's shocking,'' said Fairfield Police Chief Nick Dyer. "It's devastating actually." Dyer said it all began about 2:30 p.m. There was one group of young men outside of the mall when another group of young men exited the building. "They recognized each other and started shooting each other and the mall manager was caught in the crossfire,'' Dyer said. Mall workers said Alberigi went to see what was going on and that's when he was gunned down. Police have not confirmed that account, and said Alberigi was often known to walk the building's perimeter. "He was just an innocent victim standing outside the mall,'' the chief said. The suspects fled the scene. Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, Birmingham police and Fairfield officers stopped the vehicle of one of the suspect groups on I-59/20 on the ramp of exit 123. Three suspects bailed from the Dodge Charger on foot. The driver ran up the hill on the exit ramp and was quickly chased down by a sheriff's deputy. The Charger rolled back into the deputy's cruiser. Police said three high-powered weapons were found in the Charger. Two other suspects fled into a nearby wooded area between the interstate and Birmingham Southern College, which prompted fear and a lockdown on campus. School officials sent out an alert warning students and staff that read "Shelter in place immediately. Do not go outside." A couple of other schools - Minor Elementary School and Bush Academy - were also temporarily put on lockdown as a precaution only. The two remaining fleeing suspects split up once they hit the woods line. Jefferson County sheriff's tracking dog teams led the search for them. The Birmingham Police Department's West Precinct Task Force captured the other two suspects not far from where they abandoned their vehicle - one on a baseball field and the other at a nearby intersection. During the massive search, another victim was discovered by Birmingham police. The male victim was found inside a vehicle on I-59/20 northbound at Arkadelphia Road. Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the city's gunfire detection system - Shot Spotter - first alerted them to shooting and said they received multiple 911 calls. That victim was grazed in the head, and Shelton said he is believed to be a victim of the same groups of suspects. Later Thursday night, Shelton said the victim is stable. He said their investigation so far confirms their initial belief that the suspects in the mall shooting are also the suspects in the shooting of the victim found on the interstate. "We don't believe the (Birmingham) victim was the intended target of the shooting, however we cannot give a reason why the suspects opened fire on the interstate or who they may have been shooting at,'' Shelton said. He said there are still three suspects in custody, with a fourth at large. No description was available. "We want to thank the Jefferson County deputy's who were vigilant in crime fighting with us today, and the Fairfield Police Department for their hard work,'' Shelton said. "We have people in our streets who don't care about anyone other than themselves. As a department, we will continue with the reduction of violent crime as our number one priority,'' he said. "It's not something we can do alone, but with the citizens of Birmingham who want better, and who deserve better." Back at Western Hills Mall, dozens of shoppers, employees, and onlookers gathered outside, stunned by the afternoon violence. The bullets struck at least four vehicles in the parking lot, shattering windows and peppering the bodies of the cars with holes. The windows on the mall's side entrance also were shot out. A woman who works at the threading spa inside the mall described a frantic situation. She said the gunfire erupted, stopped and then started up again. "It's too much,'' she said, asking that her name not be used. "It was so scary. There were too many shots to count. This is completely unsafe." Crystal Crawford Youngblood was sitting on the front porch of a nearby home when she heard the barrage of gunfire. She said the shooting continued after the suspects drove away and fled the scene. "I heard multiple gunshots, and it was big guns. Over 100,'' she said. "I said, 'Somebody's dead.' This is so sad." Justin Maddox, 26, was working inside at a t-shirt shop when he heard the commotion. "It was non-stop shooting,'' he said. "I ducked down, ran to the back. That's all we could do. As soon as it happened, we took cover." Alberigi, the mall manager, was friendly and well-liked, Maddox said. "He was easy to talk to,'' he said. "You never knew if he had a bad day because he was just that easy going." Maddox said his shop was about 100 yards from the gunfire. "This isn't the first time this has happened,'' he said. Maddox's worried mother ran to the scene, where tears streamed down her face. Maddox repeatedly hugged her and said he didn't want to work at the mall anymore if it was going to cause his mother such fear. "I'd rather not,'' he said. Maddox said he had one message for the community: "Stop the violence." Dyer said the gun violence is a problem countrywide, not just in Fairfield or the Birmingham metropolitan area. "I don't think it's any worse here than it is anywhere else,'' he said. "Right now, it's just a tragedy because an innocent man who has worked in this community for many, many years - since I've worked here he's been the mall manager - is dead and that's the issue I have." "It's an issue everywhere and we need to stop it everywhere,'' Dyer said. "It's not just an issue in Fairfield." Dyer joined the Fairfield police department 15 years ago and became the chief of police about two years ago. He said he's know the victim for the duration of his law enforcement career. "He was a good man. He treated everybody nice,'' he said. "He was always walking around, standing outside talking to people. For you to keep a job that long here, he was a great man." He described Western Hills Mall as the hub of the city. "It's been here forever,'' Dyer said. "When all of the other big businesses left, it's still been the constant." Dyer said he is in the early stages of the investigation, but said he's obviously grieved over what happened Thursday afternoon. "It's a grave concern. Anybody could have been standing out here,'' he said. "The carelessness of people, with people standing in the way, to still shoot each other, there's nothing that could be that deep for you to have to do that." A woman was awarded $3 million after suing a former Bibb County deputy who was convicted for sexually assaulting her in his office at the sheriff's department in 2013. The case has garnered local and national attention, after Ervin Lee Heard was mentioned in the popular "S-Town" podcast that centered on the Alabama county. Susie Walker was awarded the multi-million dollar consent judgement on February 5 by U.S. District Judge David Proctor for an incident in 2013, when Walker said Heard forced her to perform oral sex in exchange for not taking her to jail. Heard, who represented himself in the civil case, agreed to the judgment. She filed the federal civil suit in June 2015 on several counts including assault and battery, custodial sexual misconduct, sodomy and sexual abuse, sexual harassment, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, cruel and unusual punishment, and violation of the fourth amendment. Heard was convicted of criminal charges in December 2015 of several sex crimes for a string of similar incidents against several women, including Walker. He was convicted of custodial sexual misconduct, first degree sexual abuse, second degree human trafficking, intimidating a witness, unlawful imprisonment and harassing communications. Heard served six months months in jail. Walker testified at the criminal trial. "A woman should never be in a position where a person of authority is pushing themselves on her and making her feel like she doesn't have a choice," one of her attorneys Victor Revill, of the Revill Law Firm, said. "It's offensive to me, and it's offensive to all the good law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs." Court records state that in June 2013, Walker and her friend were driving from Selma to Birmingham when they hit a roadblock in Bibb County. When officers asked Walker for her driver's license, she admitted she did not have one. Police asked her and her male friend to step out of the car, which they did. Heard told Walker to get in the back of his patrol car, while another officer stood with Walker's friend. Records state during a search of the car, deputies found marijuana in the car. When Walker told Heard the drug was hers, he encouraged her to blame her friend. Heard told Ms. Walker that he, 'always tries to help his black brothers and sisters out,' records state, because he thought Walker's friend was white because of his light complexion. Heard asked Walker why she was wearing form-fitting clothes, records state, and asked if she was a prostitute. Walker adamantly denied being a prostitute, and said she was dressed in formal clothes because she had just left a party. Heard then said he "didn't know what he was going to do with her," and took Walker back to the sheriff's office. Other officers remained on the scene with Walker's friend. Once at the sheriff's department, Walker said Heard took her into his office and locked the door. Records state he asked Walker "What can you do for me to make me feel good?" According to court records, this is what happened at the sheriff's department: "Ms. Walker knew at that point something terrible was about to happen to her. Heard then commented, 'You can either go home or go to jail, it's your choice.' She sat helpless as Heard unbuckled his belt and lowered his pants. He put his hands on Ms. Walker's shoulders and pushed her down to her knees in front of him. He shoved his penis into Ms. Walker's mouth and forced her to perform oral sex on him. When Heard was satisfied Heard tossed Ms. Walker a paper towel and told her, 'Clean yourself up.'" While the assault was happening, records state deputies at the roadblock released Walker's friend. He then drove to the sheriff's department to look for Walker, and once he got there, he banged on the locked door and yelled for Walker. Heard wrote Walker a ticket for not having a valid driver's license, made her write down her cell phone number, and let her go. "To force someone on you like that... a vulnerable woman... and then, to have the audacity to give her a citation after?" Revill said. "It's disgusting." Heard harassed Walker through text messages and phone calls, records state, until she gave her phone to law enforcement. Walker was traumatized by the incident, Revill said, and it created a sense of distrust of law enforcement. "He used his size and his position, and abused them both," Revill said. Another attorney from the Revill Firm who represented Walker, Megan Garcia, said while the $3 million judgement is fair, "there's no amount of money that can ever fix the situation." Revill agreed. "We still have not received justice... you can pay all the money in the world, but you can't give her justice. You took something from her she can't get back," he said. Walker's moving on, but her attorneys said that doesn't mean she had healed."[A victim is] never ok, you can never pay back this debt. She'll never be okay." "Sexual assault shouldn't be allowed in any capacity, but let alone a police officer doing it," Garcia said. "No woman ever deserves that." Heard was mentioned in the first episode of the "S-Town" podcast as being a police officer who sexually abused women he pulled over. John B. McLemore tells podcast host Brian Reed, "And after this dude got arrested--you know that recent email I sent you about that Ervin Lee Heard that had been basically falsely imprisoning women and using them for sex slaves? No one talks about that." To read the full transcript of the episode, click here. A candlelight vigil will be held in Huntsville to remember those lost in the Florida school shooting on Tuesday. The vigil will take place Sunday at 5 p.m. at the gazebo at Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville. The vigil is being organized by the Indivisible movement. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., took the lives of 17 people - making it one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Police said 14 of the victims were students. Three others were school employees. "We grieve for Parkland and want to show our support," vigil organizers said in a statement. A former student at the school, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of murder. Police said Cruz has confessed to the shooting. Cruz has been placed on suicide watch at the Broward County jail, his attorney said. President Trump has ordered that flags across the country be lowered to half-staff. An Alabama state legislator, Rep. Will Ainsworth, R-Guntersville, said he plans to introduce a bill that would allow school employees to carry firearms. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon said he is encouraging lawmakers to develop ideas to make schools safer in the aftermath of the Florida shooting. An Athens man faces sex abuse charges after Athens police say he inappropriately touched a 6-year-old girl. Santiago De La Cruz Ramos, 31, was charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 Wednesday night, said Chief of Police Floyd Johnson. He said the inappropriate touching happened the night of Feb. 10 or in the early morning hours of Feb. 11 in the 300 block of North Malone Street. The victim and suspect are not related. Ramos was being held in the Limestone County Jail with no bail set. A Fairhope Middle School student was taken into police custody Thursday after another student reported seeing a gun at the school, according to Baldwin County Schools officials. He makes the second student today taken into police custody for bringing a gun to school. A 15-year-old black male was charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds and possession of stolen property, Fairhope police said. Police responded to Fairhope Middle School around 1:50 p.m. after a student told a teacher they saw a firearm, police said. A school resource officer and school administrators found the student with the gun in a classroom and detained him, police said. The firearm, an unloaded .380 pistol, was in the student's jacket pocket, police said. The student was wearing the jacket when police seized the gun. Police did not find any ammunition. The gun was reported stolen from an unlocked car in the 700 block of South Mobile Street in Fairhope on Feb. 10, police said. The school was put on lockdown as a precautionary measure. Police searched the school and did not find another firearm besides the one police took from the student, school officials said. "The willingness of that student to come forward, along with the swift implementation of the school's safety plan, were key to the successful resolution of this incident, said Sgt. Craig Sawyer. No one was injured in the incident. The lockdown was lifted when police determined the school was safe. Two days after the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, details about suspected gunman Nikolas Cruz are emerging. Broward County Sheriff's officials said Cruz, 19, has confessed to the massacre that killed 17 students at the school. He is being held without bond on 17 counts of premeditated murder. Here's the latest on the massacre: Suspect used Uber to get to school Cruz used Uber to get to the school, with the ride sharing service picking him up at 2:06 p.m. ET on Wednesday. He arrived at the school at 2:19 before entering the east stairwell of the school's building 12 with a rifle inside a soft, black case. He removed the rifle from the case as he exited the stairwell. Cruz allegedly shot into several classrooms before entering a stairwell on the third flood, where he dropped his rifle and backpack and ran down the stairs and exiting the building just before 2:20 p.m. He then joined in the crowd of those fleeing the building. Cruz went to Walmart, McDonald's after shooting Cruz apparently went to Walmart and McDonald's after leaving the school but before being apprehended. Sheriff's officials said Cruz bought a drink at a Subway store inside Walmart and then later went to a McDonald's for a short time. He was detained by an officer in Coral Springs, Florida at 3:41 p.m. White nationalist ties questioned Jordan Jereb, leader of the Republic of Florida, a white nationalist group, told the Associated Press Cruz belonged to his organization and participated in at least one paramilitary drill in Tallahasee, Florida. Law enforcement in Tallahassee are disputing that claim, however. The Leon County Sheriff's Office said it has found "no known ties that we have that can connect" Cruz to the militia. List of victims The Broward County Sheriff's Department has released a list of those killed in the Douglas High shooting: They areL Carmen Schentrup, 16 Meadow Pollack, 18 Peter Wang, 15 Nicholas Dworet, 17 Luke Hoyer, 15 Alaina Petty, 14 Jaime Guttenberg, 14 Martin Duque Anguiano, 14 Alyssa Alhadeff, 14 Helena Ramsay, 17 Joaquin Oliver, 17 Cara Loughran, 14 Gina Montalto, 14 Alexander Schachter, 14 Christopher Hixon, 49 (Athletic Director) Aaron Feis, 37 (Football Coach) Scott Beigel, 35 (teacher) Cruz reportedly warned student Chris McKenna, a freshman at the school, said he encountered Cruz before he set off the fire alarm and began his shooting rampage. McKenna said he saw Cruz loading his weapon. The alleged gunman told McKenna "you'd better get out of here. Things are gonna start getting messy." Reports of disturbing behavior Those who knew suspected gunman Nikolas Cruz said he exhibited odd behaviors such as obsession over weapons and shooting small animals with a pellet gun. The FBI also said it received a tip last September about a You Tube commenter believed to be Cruz in which he said he was "going to be a professional school shooter." Suicide watch Gordon Weeks, chief assistant public defender in Broward County, said Cruz is "deeply disturbed" and "emotionally broken." He has been placed on suicide watch, Weeks said. A man accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old South Carolina girl is headed back to that state after a court hearing in Mississippi. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst said 37-year-old Thomas Lawton Evans Jr. did not seek bail during a brief initial appearance Friday in Jackson. Hurst says U.S. Marshals are returning Evans to Charleston, South Carolina. He's scheduled to be arraigned there on charges that he kidnapped Heidi Todd after attacking the girl's mother with a knife and tying her up. Police in Riverside say they recovered Heidi after approaching a sleeping Evans on Wednesday. Evans fled after handing the girl to police. He was captured later Wednesday after crashing on a dead-end road in DeKalb, Mississippi, following a miles-long police chase. The mother of a kidnapped 4-year-old girl was attacked in her home and apparently tied up before police found her while making a welfare check, according to an affidavit filed in the case Thursday. The girl, Heidi Todd, was found safe hundreds of miles away in Alabama on Wednesday, and the man suspected of kidnapping her was arrested hours later, authorities said. Heidi's mother had dropped off two other children at school Tuesday morning, returned to her home on Johns Island and then was attacked from behind by a man who had a knife, FBI Special Agent Matt Rhue said in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Charleston. "The attacker pushed her to the ground. The attacker then physically assaulted (the woman) causing facial fractures and brain bleeding, among other significant injuries," Rhue wrote in the affidavit. Rhue said officers went to the home at 5:30 p.m. after school officials told police no one had picked up the two children who had been dropped off that morning. The mother met officers at the door, and they said she had significant facial trauma and markings suggesting she had been tied up. The mother told officers that she had told Heidi to run and hide when the man attacked her, according to Rhue. Rick Oliver, the police chief in Riverside, said a railroad crew called him after finding a vehicle parked well into the woods Wednesday afternoon near a railroad track in the city on Interstate 20 east of Birmingham. Oliver said 37-year-old Thomas Lawton Evans Jr. and the girl were asleep in the car when he approached, and that once awake, Evans was nervous. Evans handed him the girl after Oliver said they needed to go to the station and talk, and then sped away, the chief said. Evans was arrested after a police chase that ended in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson said Evans has been charged with kidnapping and that she expected to file more charges. Oliver didn't say whether Evans had a lawyer. Rhue, the FBI agent, said investigators determined that someone had tried to use an "electronic access device" belonging to the woman at a gas station in Greensboro, Georgia, about 235 miles west of Charleston and 76 miles east of Atlanta. A teen who threatened "Round 2 of Florida tomorrow" a day after the deadly shooting at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida was arrested Thursday. The Spartanburg, South Carolina ninth-grader included the threat alongside a photo of him wearing a mask and holding what appeared to be an assault rifle. Authorities were alerted to the threat by a classmate who saw the image on Snapchat. According to Fox News, police went to the suspect's home where they found a mask and a rifle, which was actually a pellet gun. The teenager told law enforcement the post was a joke. The teen's name is not being released due to his age. He is charged with disturbing schools and is awaiting arraignment. The image of the teen from the post was shared Thursday night by the Broward County Sheriff's Department as it investigates the Douglas shooting. "Variations of the post have continued to be circulated over social media with captions added to warn people not to go to various schools throughout South Florida," the sheriff's department said. "The post being circulated are being monitored for any violations of law or threats to public safety. Should any violations of laws or threats to the public be found, the poster will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." The sheriff's department added the hashtag #seesomethingsaysomething. Former student Nikolas Cruz is suspected of killing 17 people at Douglas High School on Sunday. Cruz has allegedly confessed to the massacre. More mental health care or more gun control? The early political response to the latest school shooting in Parkland, Fla., seems moving along those general lines. President Trump has promised to work with America's governors to secure schools and "tackle the difficult problem of mental health." Alabama educators and mental health professionals will take all the help the president can offer. "We need to be more aware of students in mental health distress," Jefferson County School Superintendent Dr. Craig Pouncey said Thursday. "Our big problem is, how do we deal with them?" Educators like Pouncey and mental health professionals know it takes money to pay the professionals who can make a difference, and lawmakers in states like Alabama have cut funding for mental health care since it stopped flowing from Washington during the Great Recession. In Alabama, mental health care lost $36 million in 2012 alone. The results included closed mental hospitals and, in Pouncey's words, "no systematic way to deal with these kids." 'There are no new dollars' "There are no new dollars," Kim Hammack said Friday. She's director of community programs at the state Department of Mental Health. "We had to stop waiting for someone to give us money." Hammack's agency is working with 36 of Alabama's 136 local school districts to place master's degree-level therapists in schools to perform the traditional role of school counselors: counseling students about more than college choices, scholarships and entrance exams. School shooting threats are rare, but there's plenty of other work to do. "Many kids are the victims of bullies; we have individuals that cut (themselves)," Hammack said. These school-based collaborations require school systems to invite the professionals in and to set up "braided funding streams" to help pay salaries. "Braided" means what it sounds like: using school funds, insurance funds and funds from federal programs like Medicaid. "We require family members to participate" in the counseling, Hammack said. Yes, counselors can warn Yes, the professionals can "breach" client confidentiality and inform the police if the student is a danger to himself or herself or to others. It's called the "duty to warn," Hammack said, and clients know that up front. Another program the state is working to expand is called Mental Health First Aid. "It's multi-phase training and great for teachers," Hammack said. "It teaches you how to pick up these signs, and what do you do with them? It teaches you to know your resources, and what is the next level of resources when local resources fail." Hammack encourages anyone to take the program. Learn more about it here. The challenge is obvious in the numbers: master's-level therapists in 36 out of 136 school systems. A hundred systems don't have that trained person, although many have staff with some training. "We are a system that wants to be responsive," Hammack said. "But to be responsive, you have to have resources, and to have resources, you have to have money." A better mental health system can't happen without more money, the mental health department says. What isn't needed now? "Further stigmatization of persons with mental illnesses that drives them and their families into isolation and away from seeking help," the department says. Gulf Shores city school and Baldwin County Public school officials are both in agreement on one thing: Alabama interim school superintendent Ed Richardson will be charged with mediating their future school split talks. The Gulf Shores city school board, in a statement late Thursday, said they support Richardson's intervention into the school split talks that have been recently halted by both sides. A spokeswoman with the Alabama State Board of Education said earlier Thursday that a meeting with both sides will be scheduled within the next two weeks "for a review of the issues." "We have full confidence in Dr. Richardson's intimate knowledge of city school-county school separations and look forward to working with all parties to reach a resolution that is in the best interest of the children," the Gulf Shores school statement reads. Said Tyler, in his statement Wednesday: "I am very comfortable placing this decision in his very capable hands." But even that one agreement contained a dispute within it over who approached Richardson first. In the Gulf Shores' statement, the city school board claims they were the first to suggest Richardson, or his appointee, mediate future negotiations over the split. According to Gulf Shores, they claim that it was Baldwin County that "vehemently opposed" their recommendation. "The next day, February 9, 2018, we sent a letter to Dr. Richardson requesting that he intervene, as it had become apparent we had reached an impasse with Baldwin County, despite our good faith efforts to remove roadblocks and proactively address their concerns," the statement reads. Tyler, however, said he had personally spoken to Richardson about intervening on a disagreement the two sides have regarding the start date for the new city school. Baldwin County wants to wait until 2019, in order for a new school to be built and opened in Orange Beach. Gulf Shores is pushing for a 2018 start. The Gulf Shores statement, however, did not respond to other issues addressed in the Baldwin County School statement from Wednesday. Among the other criticism levied by Tyler was that he felt Gulf Shores had "no vision" for the new city school or how they planned to have it operating by August. "Gulf Shores City Board of Education has no intention to respond directly to the accusations, personal attacks and irresponsible rhetoric compiled throughout the statement Baldwin County Superintendent Eddie Tyler released (Wednesday)," the Gulf Shores statement reads. "We do, however, want to make it crystal clear that the Gulf Shores City Board of Education will continue holding itself to the highest professional standard and we will act with integrity throughout this process." The back-and-forth between the Gulf Shores City School Board and the Baldwin County Public School System began during the first talks between the two sides late last month. At that time, Baldwin County insisted that Gulf Shores have a superintendent before negotiations could begin; Gulf Shores disagreed. Later, Gulf Shores decided to hire Suzanne Freeman as their interim school superintendent in hopes to pushing the negotiations forward. Olde Town Daphne is a quaint burg in the heart of Baldwin County's largest city, among Alabama's fastest growing. Its roads are shaded by moss-draped oaks. Restaurants, churches, schools, shops, parks, a popular club and even City Hall are all within walking distance of one another. But a proposed development of 56 residential and commercial structures has created worries among some Olde Town long-timers about the neighborhood's future. For the first time that they can recall, they've been pushed into an activist role. They will take their concerns to the Daphne City Council on Monday. The council is expected to make a conclusive vote on the project. "There have been people who have lived here 30 to 50 years," said Faye Earnest, whose 92-year-old mother, Dorothy, moved into the neighborhood in the mid-80s. "It's a very quiet neighborhood," she said on Thursday, a day in which she and a group of neighbors - most who have also lived in the area for decades - were holding up protest signs and waving at cars along the city's bustling Main Street. "It's a neighborhood that symbolizes Olde Town Daphne," Earnest said. "But with this, all of a sudden, it would change the whole climate." 'Shocked' At issue is a proposal is to rezone about 1.8 acres of wooded property at the end of Daphne Court for a development that would include new townhomes and mixed-use properties that consist of residential and commercial structures. The proposal would add to a 4-acre development that won city approval in March 2017. That 4-acre development -- for 38 townhouses -- would be accessible by U.S. 98 only. Residents do not object to it. But late last year, some residents received fliers informing them that the initial development was expanding. And with that would be a need to utilize a short and unobtrusive street named Daphne Court as a major access route into the development, linking it with U.S. 98. The problem with that, neighbors like Earnest say, is the street is narrow and adjoins a dirt road. It was also built around the same year the six homes along it were constructed, in the mid-1950s when Daphne was no bigger than 1,000 residents. Today, the city consists of nearly 26,000 residents, and has grown by a 20 percent clip since 2010. "Shocked," Earnest said her initial reaction was to the notification that her mother received. "I was so surprised." The new development is backed by Dyas LLC of Fairhope. Developer Craig Dyas was unavailable for comment. 'Stressful' Ed Baldwin, a 41-year resident on Halls in Lane in Daphne, Ala., demonstrates on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, against a proposed rezoning vote before the Daphne City Council on Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). Earnest and her neighbors have spent the past couple of months spreading their concerns through Olde Town Daphne via social media and word of mouth. Over 100 people showed up at a City Council meeting last month as a show of solidarity. Residents believe the City Council will vote against it. So does Councilman Ron Scott, who sits on the city's Planning Commission and initially recommended the development plan's approval. "Olde Town Daphne is protective of their neighborhood," said Scott. "It's like marching on Dracula's castle. The torches are going up the hill. Anytime there is change, people will voice their opinions about it." Despite Scott's assurances, Sandy Robinson, an Olde Town Daphne resident for the past eight years, said that she and others are on edge. She noted that the Planning Commission's vote was a razor-thin 4-3. And, residents already have been wary of rising rush and noise from cars and trucks zipping by on Main Street. Add a new thoroughfare to U.S. 98, and those problems will magnify, she said. Even fire officials have weighed in, cautioning that Daphne Court is insufficiently built to handle extra traffic, and too narrow for emergency vehicles. Said Robinson: "People walk to school and to the restaurants and the bars. There are kids on bikes, mommies with baby carriages and it's a very well-used old-fashion little town. It's not upscale. As far as the pedestrians go, there is too much traffic." Earnest said that the area where her mother lives already has drainage woes brought on by the rapid growth. "My mom, last year, she had to have an ambulance come out twice," Earnest said. "It's been a nightmare. You are sitting on the outside trying to deal with this unknown issue, it's been very stressful." They ought to take the words of U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson and write 'em in the sky over Montgomery. And Birmingham. And Mobile and Huntsville. And Washington, too. You can't just give a slap on the wrist to a corrupt politician. It sends "the wrong message." Because a wink and a nod - or probation for a corrupted politician like former Alabama House Majority Leader Micky Hammon - just tells the other would-be criminals the risk is worth the ill-gotten rewards. The stunning thing, though - the telling thing, when you get right down to it - is that Thompson had to explain that to federal prosecutors. And boy, did he. Hammon was in court Thursday morning for sentencing after pleading guilty to mail fraud. U.S. DIstrict Judge Myron Thompson. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh) What the guy did was take tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds - money donated by people ostensibly working for a government they could believe in - and take it as his own. Over a period of years he deposited money in his campaign account, removed it and deposited it in a personal account. He then spent it on personal things that didn't have anything to do with his office. Hammon - the guy who tried to make it a crime for Alabamians to give a ride or a helping hand to undocumented immigrants -- tried to hide his own crimes. He lied about it and he came clean only after the government had him dead to rights. It adds up to a pretty serious crime. A public official convicted of mail fraud, with multiple contributors as victims, could expect to spend a year to 18 months in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines. Even when you factor in his cooperation. But when prosecutors recommended punishment for Hammon, they suggested probation. Not home detention. Not electronic monitoring. Probation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross told the judge Hammon saved the government money and effort because he accepted responsibility when he learned of the government's case. Which means he owned up to it when he got caught. Prosecutors asked for a downward variance in sentencing, which is unusual. It was a wink and a nod and a clear signal to Alabama politicians, who are as attentive as meerkats when they see somebody get away with a crime. Hand it to Thompson. He wouldn't hear it. Let's be clear, Thompson ain't no hanging judge. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks sentencing patterns of federal judges, among other things, he's not even the hardest nut in the Middle District. But he was taken aback by the request. "I'll be candid," he said to prosecutors. "Why are you recommending probation in this case? What makes this case different than the hundreds of cases when the government asked for the guidelines? I'm trying to remember a time where the government recommended a downward variance and I can't remember one." He could not remember one. Thompson rejected the prosecution's recommendation. He sentenced Hammon to three months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $50,657 in restitution. It's not much. It's not even close to the prison time he could have received. But it's important. Because looking the other way is a public disservice. Because letting the guy walk away without a little bit of time in a striped suit is exactly what Alabama does not need. It sends the wrong message. But Thompson sent another one. And it was loud and clear. Let's hope the prosecutors heard it. John Archibald's column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Write him at jarchibald@al.com. 1 toyota mazda.png (al.com) Anne Marie Bonds By Anne Marie Bonds, policy fellow at the Alabama Policy Institute Last month, the state rejoiced with news that Alabama would be the home of a new Toyota-Mazda plant. The plant is expected to bring over 4,000 jobs and billions of dollars in net revenue to the state. With the execution of this deal, known as Project New World, state and local governments will give the two companies around $900 million in tax incentives. A tool used by state and local governments, tax incentives attempt to lure large businesses with the hope that the revenue brought in from that corporation will offset the incentive costs. Often, incentives leverage the taxes paid by small businesses and use them to bring a large, untouchable competitor into the state. Although small, loyal businesses pay the high tax rate year after year, tax incentives comprised of that money can hurt or destroy their business. While there are no small businesses competing with Toyota and Mazda, an increased reliance on tax incentives to bring in major consumable goods retailers can hurt local, small businesses that spend years paying into the system. Even though tax incentives can pay off for Alabama, as they did in the case of the Mercedes plant in the 1990s, there is no guarantee of their success. In reality, tax incentives are a sign of a weak state tax policy and are extremely risky as the sole hope for economic development. Alabama's state and local incentives package for Toyota-Mazda has reached $900 million, with almost $400 million of that money given before the production of the first car. The incentives provided before production include almost $200 million in plant site preparation, $20 million in cash incentives, $125 million in training-related cash reimbursements, and $50 million in construction sales tax abatements. If the Toyota-Mazda plant goes according to plan, then these tax incentives will be well worth the new business that the plant will bring to Alabama's economy. There is, however, no guarantee that the business will flourish, even with hundreds of millions given in tax incentives. For example, in 2007, Alabama gave over $140 million in tax incentives and $350 million in RSA loans to National Steel Car, a Canadian railcar company that promised an 1,800 person plant in Muscle Shoals. The company, however, defaulted in 2007 and the RSA took ownership of the plant, employing only 200 people (that's just 11 percent of the promised 1,800). More recently, Remington, a gun manufacturer that was given $70 million in incentives to build in Huntsville, filed for bankruptcy after a 27 percent drop in sales in 2017. Additionally, the final project agreement between Toyota and Alabama, Project New World, gives no requirements for the amount of Alabama-based contractors that Toyota must hire for the building of the plant, the company must simply use "good faith" in considering both Alabama contractors and vendors and Alabama residents as employees. This means that the amount of economic benefit coming to the state can be much less than anticipated if Toyota and Mazda use out-of-state contractors to build the plant. Although we hope that the Toyota-Mazda plant produces extreme economic benefits for our state, it is undeniable that Alabama has a mixed history with tax incentives, suggesting that we must not pursue tax incentives alone to spur economic development. Instead, we should work towards a simpler, more transparent tax policy that invites new businesses into the state. When compared to other states, Alabama's business tax climate is ranked 35th for 2018. This reality makes it difficult for expanding businesses to come to our state. By simplifying our tax policy and decreasing the barriers of entry for enterprise in the state, there will be increased economic opportunity for both small and large businesses, decreasing the need for tax incentives while increasing Alabama's economic appeal to corporations looking to expand. A stable and transparent tax code, not risky tax incentives, is the permanent solution to Alabama's economic struggles. Limited supply of potentially life-saving drug is one of the biggest hurdles in treating bacterial disease. Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh As she sits by her son Mohammad Farooqs bedside at a clinic near Bangladeshs Kutupalong refugee camp, Noor Begum is feeling far more optimistic than she was 24 hours earlier. He had a fever and he was vomiting. He could not eat because of the pain, said Noor, who fled her village of Ludang Para in Buthidaung, Myanmar for Bangladesh as part of the Rohingya exodus that began in late August. Mohammad is suffering from diphtheria a serious bacterial infection with common symptoms such as high fever, a sore throat, difficulties in swallowing and a swelling of the neck. {articleGUID} I couldnt breathe. My head was paining my body was shaking, Mohammad said lying on the bed at the clinic run by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) aid group. Until recently, diphtheria had been all but eradicated in Bangladesh but in November, the disease broke out in some of the countrys refugee camps, where many from Noors Rohingya community have arrived fleeing a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar. Nearly a million Rohingya now live in the sprawling refugee settlements in Coxs Bazar near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. It is a densely populated site where sanitation and hygiene are often poor. Such conditions can create a breeding ground for diphtheria, which is contagious and generally spread among people through airborne droplets passed on from sneezes, coughs or even just talking. Disease outbreak At the clinic, Mohammad was given an antitoxin a powerful drug that blocks the production of toxins produced by diphtheria bacteria to fight the disease the day before. He is now better and Im so grateful to the doctors, Noor said looking at her son who looked weak, as he lay covered by a grey blanket. Theyve taken great care of us and we are so happy. But not everyone has been so lucky. At least 38 people have died since the disease first broke out in the camps three months ago. It's quite an unknown epidemic because we are not used to having diphtheria anymore Chiara Burzio, MSF health worker Of the almost 4,500 treated for the disease by MSF during the period, just over 400 have been given the antitoxin that Mohammad received. This is because the drug is limited in supply, not just in Bangladesh but globally, said MSF officials. Doctors say the antitoxin is reserved for the most severe cases found in the camps. Such patients still need to take antibiotics in addition to the antitoxin. Those with milder cases are only given antibiotics at the largest diphtheria specific centre near the refugee camps. Unfortunately the criteria needs to be a little bit strict because we need to be able to give it to the really severe cases, Chiara Burzio, a nurse and the medical officer in charge of the diphtheria centre, told Al Jazeera. We could not give it to all the 4,000 plus [people who have been treated] of course. When diphtheria first began spreading among the Rohingya in Bangladesh, supply of the antitoxin was especially limited, meaning Burzio and others had to make an even tougher call reserving its use only for those under the age of five. The available supply of the potentially life-saving drug in Bangladesh has since increased, a development thats been welcomed by doctors on the ground. But the antitoxin can also come with serious side effects such as a serious allergic reaction known as an anaphylaxis further complicating the decisions for doctors about when to administer it, and to whom. You can have [an allergic reaction very quickly] if its a big enough anaphylaxis, you can die in a few minutes, Burzio, 36, told Al Jazeera. Rohingya denied vaccine in Myanmar For Burzio and other medical professionals in Coxs Bazar, fighting diphtheria has required some on the job learning because of how rare the disease has become, particularly in the West. Outside of Bangladeshs Rohingya camps, there have recently been significant outbreaks of the disease in Yemen and Venezuela. Its quite an unknown epidemic because we are not used to having diphtheria anymore. So its a new thing, said Burzio, who has previously worked in Liberia and Guinea during the Ebola crisis and war-torn Syria as part of MSF missions. Vaccination has been a key factor in the overall reduction of diphtheria worldwide in recent decades. The outbreak in Coxs Bazar has therefore led medical professionals to believe that the Rohingya did not receive such preventive care in Myanmar. Experts say this isnt surprising, and fits into a broader pattern of exclusion the Rohingya faced in their home country. Rohingya have for years been denied their basic rights, and restrictions on their freedom of movement in particular have made it very difficult to access the things most of us take for granted, like health centres and hospitals, Laura Haigh, a Myanmar researcher for Amnesty International told Al Jazeera. Rohingya, who are mostly based in the western Rakhine state, have been denied citizenship and have faced widespread discrimination despite living in Myanmar for generations. Bangladeshs Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a vaccination campaign against diphtheria, targeting more than 300,000 Rohingya children between the ages of six weeks and 15 years. Hope for the future Twenty metres away from Mohammads bed, another Rohingya boy, Ilyas, lies asleep in another shelter in the clinic. One arm stretched across his bed, the other bent near his masked face, the 11-year-old is waiting to receive the antitoxin from the doctors on hand. Doctors usually seek consent for the procedure from parents before moving forward, but Ilyas is an orphan, which means humanitarian workers are scrambling to track down a relative or community leader to get their permission instead. Given the severity of his diphtheria, its a race against time. But tracking people down in Balukhali-Kutupalong isnt easy. Ilyas himself has already been referred to a diphtheria centre from another MSF clinic in the area where he initially went for treatment. He is disoriented and cant effectively explain to aid workers where in the camp he lives. Eventually, with the help of another humanitarian organisation, consent is obtained and doctors can move forward with the procedure. They hope the antitoxin will have the same effect it had on Noors son Mohammad the day before. If it does, and Noors response is anything to go by, Ilyas will soon have a new lease on life. We are treated here with fatherly care we are so happy and so grateful and we will pray for all [the doctors], Noor said with her eyes on her son recovering at the MSF clinic. In early February, Israel started handing out deportation notices to some 20,000 asylum seekers, most of them from Eritrea and Sudan. More than 35,000 are expected to be deported or jailed indefinitely in the upcoming months. The Israeli state has already made the necessary preparations for the operation. In early January, it advertised positions for 100 inspectors who will have the task to locate, detain and monitor illegal persons. It also established the Assisted Voluntary Return Department, which offers a sum of $3,500 to those it has identified as infiltrators to return to either their countries of origin or a third country. Meanwhile, mainstream media reporting on the deportations approached the topic from the perspective of Israels foundational myth. Reuters reported on the issue, describing it as a moral dilemma for a state founded as a haven for Jews from persecution and a national home. Then an oped in the New York Times went further and declared that Israel had become a place of no refuge. Another oped in the Washington Post claimed that Israel is betraying its history by expelling African asylum seekers. But, contrary to these claims, Israel has not betrayed its history and become an intolerant place. It has always been this way. And this line of thinking circulated especially among progressive or leftist Zionists not only whitewashes Israels historical record, but also ignores how the very foundation of the Israeli state reinforces racial hierarchies. The first infiltrators Israels establishment in 1948 saw the forced expulsion of over 750,000 Palestinians and the subsequent and continuing decades-long ethnic cleansing of the remaining indigenous population. As a result, today, some 6 million Palestinians live in exile outside of their homeland and hundreds of thousands are displaced within it. Israel continuously denies their right to return to their cities, towns and villages of origin, and not only claims that maintaining a Jewish demographic majority is imperative to the countrys survival, but also denies responsibility for their expulsion. As a result, the Palestinian refugees remain the largest and longest-standing refugee population in the world. {articleGUID} What happened in 1948 in Palestine can help understand the current situation in Israel, where black asylum seekers and immigrants are dehumanised to the point where they are called infiltrators, held in open-ended detention in a desert prison and deported. Leaders of the newly-established Israeli state first used the term infiltrators to describe Palestinian refugees who were attempting to return to their lands. Thousands of these returning refugees were shot and killed along the new border in the first half of 1949. In 1954, the Israeli Knesset passed the Prevention of Infiltration Law to legislate its practice of preventing Palestinian refugees from returning to their land. This was part of the settler colonial process, in which the driving force was and continues to be the elimination of the indigenous people. Upon its establishment, Israel declared itself a Jewish state, clearly emphasising its exclusionary nature. The founding fathers of Zionism, all Ashkenazi, intended Israel to be a utopian, European settler colony. They soon realised, however, that they would need to include, first, Arab Jews (Mizrahi) and then, later, Ethiopian Jews to maintain demographic dominance over the indigenous people. This inclusion would always remain partial, and the state would attempt to control the demographics of the non-white Jewish population. In the 1950s, for example, hundreds of Mizrahi babies were abducted from their parents and sent to live with Ashkenazi families in order to de-Arabise them. More recently, the Israeli authorities admitted that Jewish Ethiopian women were injected for years with long-term contraceptives, which resulted in an almost 50-percent drop in the birth rate of the community. Decades of formal and informal racist policies have kept Ashkenazi Jews at the top rung of Israeli society. As Israeli journalist Gideon Levy has argued, the entire political, economic, legal, academic and even military leadership is made up of Ashkenazim, with a smattering of Sephardim as the exceptions that so remarkably prove the rule [that] Israel is run by an ethnically pure elite. It is, therefore, not surprising that the 35,000 Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers and refugees, who are not Jewish, are facing deportation and imprisonment in Israel. A country founded on the legacy of displacement, ethnic cleansing and white supremacy cannot possibly treat people of colour otherwise. Just as the term infiltrators referred to Palestinian refugees attempting to return to their lands, today it is in for those seeking refuge from other countries. In this sense, the issue of expelling asylum seekers is not a moral dilemma for Israel; nor is it a sign of the Israeli state growing less tolerant. It is just a reflection of what it truly is: a racist, settler, colonial state. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. On a cold December day in 2017, Chinas President Xi Jinping welcomed a special guest at the Great Hall of the People: Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. The President of the Maldives walked along the red carpet with the swagger of a leader in complete control. A week earlier, his government had engineered parliamentary approval of a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China, sidelining the opposition. The final deal was to be inked during this visit. Indeed this was a tipping point in the not-so-gradual shift towards China that had been under way in Maldivian foreign policy over the past few years. During the visit President Xi emphatically described Yameen as a member of the neighbouring extended family of China. But only two short months later, the bonds between the two nations are unexpectedly put to test. A constitutional crisis On February 5, 2018, Yameen declared a 15-day emergency following a Supreme Court order quashing terrorism charges against nine leading opposition figures, including former president Mohamed Nasheed. In a matter of hours, security forces swept across Male, detaining two Supreme Court judges. Other opposition figures, including the countrys longest-serving leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, were also arrested. The Maldives was set for elections later this year, but now the country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The ripple effects of these events are also being felt across the Indian Ocean, given the ongoing strategic tussle for influence between China and India, which views the region as its traditional sphere of influence. In that context, Yameens decision poses an intriguing strategic challenge for Beijing. Understanding this requires a brief examination of Chinas aims, interests and actions in the region. Speaking at the 19th National Party Congress in October last year, Xi had outlined Chinas short and long-term goals: to emerge as a leading power in Asia before growing to assume global leadership status by 2050. Beijing seeks to accomplish this by expanding what it calls its comprehensive national power, leveraging its growing economic strength to deepen strategic engagement with developing countries and increasingly playing an active role in issues of global governance while defining new norms. It is an ambitious agenda, which requires deft diplomacy in terms of actions and messaging in order to mitigate potential counter-balancing by smaller states and opposition of rival powers. An increasingly cozy relationship Applying that model to the Sino-Maldives relationship reveals certain key underlying dynamics. For starters, despite having established formal bilateral ties in 1972, the relationship between the two countries only began to deepen after China opened its first full diplomatic mission in Male in 2011. Since then, it has expanded exponentially, with Xi becoming the first Chinese head of state to visit the Maldives in 2014. China has already pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in grants. It accounts for nearly one-fourth of all tourists visiting the country. Chinese companies are executing mega infrastructure projects across the archipelago, which is a Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner nation. A 2015 amendment to the Maldivian constitution permitting foreign ownership of land was largely seen as a China-focussed move, which was then followed by the 2017 FTA. For the Maldives, clearly China has become a crucial economic parter. But given the size of Beijings coffers and its investments in other parts of the world, in pure financial terms, the investments in the Maldives are insignificant. A recent Moodys analysis estimates the Maldives total foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2017 at roughly $485m. Economics, therefore, is not Beijings driving motivation. Rather, it is a strategic objective that Xi is pursuing. Building a blue-water navy that is capable of protecting crucial trade routes, ensuring energy supplies and securing overseas Chinese assets is a stated goal of the PLAs modernisation programme. The Maldives geographic position, therefore, is key, given that at least one-third of the worlds bulk cargo traffic and even greater volumes of oil shipments pass through the Indian Ocean. The first explicit evidence of this agenda was witnessed when three Chinese naval frigates docked in Male in August 2017 for a friendly visit. China between two extreme choices This increasingly cozy relationship, however, has been rudely interrupted by the emergency. From Beijings perspective, Yameen has left it with two extreme choices stand by an ally whos unpopularity at home could stick to you or tilt towards democracy. There is, of course, room for manoeuvre between these two ends of the spectrum, but none of those choices are easy to execute and each will come with their own costs. For instance, unyielding support by Beijing coupled with an extension of the emergency in the Maldives and further suppression of opposition could force other international actors to intervene. Such intervention can range from imposing political and economic sanctions on the regime to even covert and overt force options. In addition, it could further underscore the logic of engagement under the Indo-Pacific rubric and override sceptical domestic constituencies in each of these states. The Chinese are also likely to be closely assessing how events in the Maldives are being perceived by its allies and BRI nations. Not standing by a trusted partner could imply adverse signalling for leaders like Nicolas Maduro or Rodrigo Duterte. On the other hand, backing Yameen unconditionally could vitiate political and public perception of China in BRI nations. Moreover, it would further intensify the systemic values competition between China and the West for shaping global norms. These constraints already appear to be at play in Chinas actions so far. For instance, Beijing has described, as expected, the emergency as an internal matter and provided cover for Yameen at the UN. But it has also acknowledged Indias influence, saying it is in India and Chinas common interest to maintain stability in the Maldives. Beijing also hinted that it will keep its forces away by reposing faith in the Maldivian forces to protect Chinese investments and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been particular in stressing the unconditional nature of Chinas aid and assistance to the country. It is evident that theres a delicate balancing act that Beijing must and is attempting to perform. In the long run, it desires a supportive regime in Male. For that, it must keep Yameen in check, cooperate with regional and global powers and avoid alienating the Maldivian people. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The main charges against the prime minister, after police recommended indictment for bribery. On Tuesday, Israeli police recommended the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery. This recommendation is at the more serious end of the spectrum of charges expected to be levelled against Netanyahu in two criminal investigations that have been ongoing for more than a year. Netanyahu, who has denied wrongdoing and pledged to stay in office regardless, has been questioned several times by police since the start of 2017. Here are the biggest charges that Israels police is accusing him of: Case 1,000: Champagne and jewellery Case 1,000 was the first one raised against Netanyahu in 2016. In this case, according to leaks, Netanyahu accepted gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy businessmen. He allegedly offered his benefactors assistance in return. Arnon Milchan, an Israeli billionaire and Hollywood film producer, is said to have sent Netanyahu cigars and champagne. In exchange, reports say, Netanyahu successfully lobbied John Kerry on behalf of Milchan for a 10-year US visa. Netanyahu is also suspected of accepting gifts from wealthy Australian billionaire James Packer as he tried to gain permanent residency and tax status in Israel. Police allege that Netanyahu received champagne, cigars, jewellery and clothing valued at around $280,000. Netanyahu does not deny accepting the gifts, but denies claims he returned any favours. Case 2,000: Positive coverage In the second case, police allege that Netanyahu tried to strike a deal with the countrys second-largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes reportedly offered favourable coverage to help Netanyahu stay in power and even suggested that his company would Arnon Mozes reportedly offered favourable coverage to help Netanyahu stay in power and even suggested that his company would hire journalists of the prime ministers choosing. In return, Mozes is said to have asked Netanyahu to promote legislation to end the free distribution of a popular rival daily, Israel Hayom, forcing it to become a paid-for title. Responding to the allegations, Netanyahu says he never intended to seal any real deal with Mozes. Case 3,000: Submarine affair Netanyahu was not directly named as a suspect in this case, but his confidants were. This investigation involves alleged corruption in Israels purchase of of German submarines and naval attack vessels from Germanys ThyssenKrupp worth $2bn, his cousin and personal lawyer David Shimron is involved. David Sharan, Netanyahus former bureau chief, was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes as well as lobbying Israeli defence ministry officials. Moshe Yaalon, former defence minister, claimed that Netanyahu attempted to facilitate the deal by urging the cancellation of a previous tender. former defence minister, claimed that Netanyahu attempted to facilitate the deal by urging the cancellation of a previous tender. Netanyahu has denied those allegations. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been linked to four corruption scandals. pic.twitter.com/9vDLrjSajk AJ (@ajplus) December 1, 2017 Case 4,000: Bezeq and Communications Ministry ties Netanyahu is not a suspect in this case, although the attorney general could take action with respect to apparently false declarations. Netanyahus associate Shlomo Filber, director-general of Israels communications ministry, is accused of providing Bezeq, the national telephone company, with favourable treatment. The report also said that Netanyahu did not disclose his friendship with Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Bezeq. Netanyahu said that he and Elovitch were little more than acquaintances, but in an earlier statement in court he also said they have been friends for 20 years. Netanyahu allegedly made false statements. Arrests In recent developments, seven new people have been arrested and accussed of fast-tracking permissions for communications giant Bezeq in return for favourable news coverage from one of its websites. Shaul Elovitch, a family friend of Netanyahu, who controls the telecoms firm Bezeq, was arrested along with his wife, his son and Bezeqs CEO Stella Handler. Nir Hefetz, former Netanyahu spokesman, and Shlomo Filber, former communications ministry director-general, both known as close confidants of the prime minister, were also arrested. According to Haaretz, Schlomo Filber has agreed to turn states witness admiting to have received explicit instructions from Netanyahu to help Bezeq. This could pose a serious threat to the leaders political survival. The first lady Body of Filipina maid killed in Kuwait comes home Joanna Demafelis went to Kuwait four years ago to work as a maid. She came home in a coffin, received by her distraught family. A federal jury in the United States has charged 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies as part of an investigation into alleged interference in the countrys 2016 presidential elections. The charges by the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller described a conspiracy to sway public opinion and promote the campaign of Republican Donald Trump, against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein said in a statement to reporters on Friday. According to the indictment, the accused involved posed as Americans online, posted adverts against presidential Clinton and organised pro-Trump political rallies within the US. Interference first began in 2014, according to the indictment, the year before Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency, which he eventually won. From in or around 2014 to the present, Defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other (and with other persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury) to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing and defeating the lawful functions of government, the indictment said. The Russians specifically intended to interfere with US political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016, it added. Trump reaction In a Twitter post later on Friday, Trump defended his campaign, saying it did nothing wrong Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted, he said. Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong no collusion! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 16, 2018 Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russias foreign ministry, called the charges absurd. Thirteen people carried out interference in the US elections? Thirteen against the billion-dollar budgets of the special forces? Against the espionage and counter-espionage, against the newest developments and technologies? Absurd? Yes. But this is the modern American political reality, she wrote on Facebook. In his press briefing, Rosenstein said the indictment contained no allegation that any American was a knowing participant in the meddling, adding that there was no judgment on whether the election outcome was affected. Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said the indictment detailed the 13 Russians and three companies made contact with at least two people working on Trumps campaign team. They pretended to be US persons, never telling these two unidentified campaign members, that they were in fact Russian citizens trying to be involved in the 2016 election, Jordan said. The indictment is clear that the two people contacted had no idea they were dealing with Russians not US persons. In a separate White House statement, Trump called on people in the country to unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections. We cannot allow those seeking to sow confusion, discord, and rancor to be successful, Trump was quoted as saying. The South African says negativity should be left behind in address with inequality and economy as central themes. Cyril Ramaphosa, the newly-elected South African president, has vowed to fight corruption, tackle unemployment and revive the economy as he outlined his vision for the country in his first State of the Nation address. A new dawn is upon us and a wonderful dawn has arrived, he said on Friday, a day after his swearing in ceremony. Members of parliament from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday elected the partys leader as new president following the resignation of scandal-tainted Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa thanked his predecessor for the manner in which he approached the very difficult and sensitive process of the political transition, with some MPs booing when Zumas name was mentioned. Zumas resignation in a televised address on Wednesday followed weeks of intense public pressure to step down amid long-standing corruption allegations. In his speech to the Cape Town-based parliament, Ramaphosa urged members to put all the negativity that has dogged our country behind us. He said he was determined to build a society defined by decency and integrity that does not tolerate the plunder of public resources nor the theft by corporate criminals of the hard-earned savings of ordinary people. Youth unemployment Poverty alleviation, the reduction of inequality and the restoration of South Africas economy were the central themes of Ramaphosas speech. Calling youth unemployment the countrys most grave and most pressing challenge, he announced measures to tackle the issue, including the creation of one million paid internships within companies, as well as the establishment of a youth working group. Unemployment of 15 to 34-year-olds in South Africa stood at 38.6 percent in the third quarter of 2017. Ramaphosa also promised to take tough decisions on closing a fiscal gap, as well introduce measures to create new industrial hubs and increase infrastructure investments. Al Jazeeras Fahmida Miller, reporting from Cape Town, said Ramaphosas earlier stated target of growing the South African economy by five percent by 2023 was a tall order. The economy has really suffered in the past three years, she said. Commenting on the MPs jeers at the mention of Zumas name, Miller said that many people will criticise parliament for that booing. This is a parliament that has an ANC majority a majority that protected Zuma for many years. Strong Egypt Party urges public unity against what it called governments intentional blockage of political dissent. Egypts opposition has condemned the detention of Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh, the Strong Egypt Party leader and former presidential candidate, and accused the government of a fierce hatred campaign against political dissent. Aboul Fotouh was transferred to a detention centre in the infamous Tora complex on Thursday, a day after his arrest from his home in Cairo along with six of his party members, who were later released the same night. State Security Prosecution has ordered Aboul Fotouhs detention for 15 days in prison pending investigations on charges related to leading a terrorist organisation and spreading false news inside and outside the country, according to media reports. In a statement on Thursday, Strong Egypt Party said: In the shadow of the escalating repressive measures practised by the Egyptian regime against peaceful political opposition, the party holds the government fully responsible for the personal safety of Mr Aboul Fotouh and Mr Kassas. The Strong Egypt Partys deputy head. Mohamed al-Kassas, along with several other opposition figures, was detained last week. Call for unity The opposition party urged all political entities and public figures to stand united against the regimes repressive practices towards peaceful opposition, as it temporarily suspended all political activities. Aboul Fotouhs arrest came just days after an Egyptian lawyer submitted a complaint to the public prosecutor, calling for the arrest of Aboul Fotouh after the politician appeared on an Al Jazeera television show from London. In his complaint, lawyer Samir Sabry accused Aboul Fotouh of spreading fake news and demeaning Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. A former member of the Muslim Brotherhood and leader of the Strong Egypt Party, Aboul Fotouh ran as an independent candidate in the 2012 presidential elections, gaining nearly a fifth of the vote in the first round. The vote six years ago marked Egypts first competitive elections following the 2011 revolution, which overthrew long-time leader Hosni Mubarak. Aboul Fotouh has become the latest detainee in a string of arrests of political figures, government critics and former officials. Egyptians will go to the polls next month in a presidential election in which incumbent President Sisi looks poised to extend his term in office. Several potential candidates have either been arrested or faced threats, intimidation and physical violence, forcing them to drop out. In the interview with Al Jazeera last week, Aboul Fotouh condemned Sisis crackdown on opposition and said that the upcoming presidential elections were not fair, transparent, or democratic, especially with the absence of real opposition. A boycott of this mockery is a duty, in our opinion, because we dont accept for Egyptians to participate in a farce, he said of the March vote. The state of emergency declaration comes a day after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned amid social unrest. Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency a day after Hailemariam Desalegn, the countrys prime minister, abruptly resigned. The measure was announced on Friday by the Council of Ministers, the Ethiopian governments cabinet, according to state broadcaster EBC. Local media said the measure is effective as of Friday, but it was not immediately clear how long it would last. Quoting an unnamed source close to the government, the Addis Standard newspaper reported that the Council was debating whether to make the measure span three or six months. In August 2017, Ethiopia lifted a 10-month state of emergency imposed after hundreds of people were killed in anti-government protests demanding wider political freedoms. Ethiopias Oromo and Amhara people who make up about 61 percent of the countrys population have staged mass demonstrations since 2015 demanding greater political inclusion and an end to human rights abuses. Jawar Mohammed, an Oromo rights activist and head of the Oromia Media Network, said the state of emergency declaration was unnecessary, unhelpful and unwise. The best way to ensure stability at this time is not to declare state of emergency that was tested and failed, Mohammed wrote on Facebook earlier on Friday. Felix Horne, a Human Rights Watch researcher on Ethiopia, said during the last state of emergency the first in 25 years more than 20,000 people were arrested. Those released speak about how it has only angered them further. It didnt work then, what does [the government] hope to achieve now? Horne wrote on Twitter. Political uncertainty Hailemariam, who has sat at the helm of the Ethiopian government since 2012, announced on Thursday he would be stepping down as prime minister and head of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition. He cited ongoing unrest and a political crisis in the country as major factors in his resignation, which he described as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy. Hailemariam said he will stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity, until the EPRDF and the countrys parliament accept his resignation and name a replacement. {articleGUID} The executive committees of both the EPRDF and his own party within the coalition, the Southern Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement, have so far accepted his decision to step down. Tsedale Lemma, editor-in-chief of Addis Standard, said there has been a political struggle within the ruling party since the death of former prime minister, Meles Zenawi, in 2012. Appointing a new prime minister from within the Oromo community would be a conciliatory gesture, Lemma said. But whomever replaces Hailemariam, she said Ethiopia needs a very serious political surgery to heal it from its structural [disfunction], which would include dismantling repressive laws and strengthening the independence of the judiciary. Mulatu Gemechu, deputy secretary of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said earlier on Friday that Ethiopia needs a new political system after years of unrest. Ethiopians now need a government that respects their rights, not one that keeps beating and killing them, he told Reuters news agency. Offices and Mumbai home of billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi raided after PNB hit by $1.8bn fraudulent transaction. India is investigating a $1.77bn fraud case at the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), according to government officials. The bank in a statement issued on Wednesday said it had detected some fraudulent and unauthorised transactions in one of its branches in Mumbai for the benefit of a few select account holders. PNB has said a few of its executives colluded with perpetrators by illegally issuing letters of undertaking to aid Nirav Modi, 47, a billionaire jeweller, and companies linked to him. Letters of Undertakings, or LoUs, are a banking instrument issued by a bank providing a form of guarantee or an assurance to meet a liability on customers behalf. Based on these transactions other banks appear to have advanced money to these customers abroad, PNB said in a statement. Exclusive: Unpublished data shows India's fraud problems extend far beyond PNB https://t.co/ee0C0HIar8 by @aditishahsays and @dtripathy Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) February 16, 2018 The bank officially reported the fraud in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. Modi and firms linked to him, Solar Exports, Stellar Diamonds and Diamond R US, are now being formally investigated by Indias premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to details published on his official website, Modi, worth $1.73bn, grew up in Belgiums Antwerp, the diamond-cutting capital of the world. Modi founded Firestar Diamond in 1999 that buys and sells diamonds worth $1.5bn annually. He has 16 stores in locations such as New York, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Mumbai and Macau. Enforcement Directorate, the Indian government agency that fights financial crime, conducted multiple raids at the offices, showrooms and Mumbai home of Modi on Thursday in connection with the fraud. Financial-sector woes Experts say the incident would amplify questions about distress in Indias financial sector, which has been reeling from bad loans. Facing criticism from the opposition, the government of Narendra Modi, which came to power on anti-corruption plank, said there will be a thorough probe. Nirav Modi and his associates tried to bypass the established banking channels to commit this fraud. No one shall be spared in the banking system. Action has been taken to revoke his passport, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Indian law minister, said on Thursday. JUST IN: Indian state-run banks reported 8,670 "loan fraud" cases totalling $9.6 billion over last five financial years RBI data reviewed by Reuters pic.twitter.com/BjoHsQoLB9 Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) February 16, 2018 However, the federal investigative agency CBI has said Nirav Modi has already left the country. MK Venu, one of the founding editors of thewire.in news portal, said the full scale of this fraud is still being discovered. The fraud was detected in early January involving Nirav Modis company as well as those of his family members. They all have fled the country and the investigation agencies have been very late in moving in on them, Venu, a senior financial journalist, told Al Jazeera. Essentially they got letters of credit issued fraudulently by PNB in Mumbai against no real trade transactions. And this letter was encashed with other bank branches in Hong Kong. Now those banks are claiming $1.8bn from PNB. There is deep collusion between bank officials and businessmen. Only a full inquiry will reveal the extent of fraud. It may be bigger than this. Criminal conspiracy On January 31, PNB filed a case of criminal conspiracy and cheating against the gem trader, members of his family and others two weeks ago alleging a 2.8 billion indian rupee ($44m) fraud. PNB says suspicions about the fraud came to light on January 16. Thereafter they filed a police complaint Pon January 29. The lender, Indias second-largest state-run lender with assets of $120bn, said it had suspended at least 10 employees following the disclosures, and has asked Modi to come up with a formal repayment plan. Financial experts say basic checks and balances were ignored while issuing the LoU. This is very significant its a huge hole in their balance sheet. It remains to be seen how much they can recover from Nirav Modi. In banking there should always be a maker and checker. So why wasnt anyone checking before these transactions were made? Or both maker and checker were involved? Hemindra Hazari, an independent banking analyst, told Al Jazeera. Corruption is endemic in the financial sector globally and in India. But internal systems should prevent this. Here basic checks and balances seem to have broken down. Bad-loan crisis The incident renews focus on Indias state-run lenders bad-loan crisis. The proportion of non-performing loans loans on which the borrower is not making interest payments or repaying any principal in India has surged to be among the highest in the world. Last week, the State Bank of India, the nations largest lender, said an audit by the central bank showed soured debt was about $3.6bn higher than what the state-run lender reported for the end of March 2017. Nirav Modi, a third-generation diamond trader who has dressed stars including actors Kate Winslet and Priyanka Chopra, was part of a CEOs meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi on January 23 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The opposition parties directed criticism at the government after reports of the fraud surfaced. If this person had fled India before the FIR on Jan 31, then he is here, photographed at Davos with PM, a week before the FIR, after having escaped from India? Modi govt must clarify. #NiravModi #PublicMoneyLoot pic.twitter.com/gQQnKQNjDo Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 15, 2018 If this person had fled India before the FIR on January 31, then he is here, photographed at Davos with prime minister [Modi], a week before the FIR, after having escaped from India? Modi government must clarify, Sitaram Yechury, leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said on Twitter, referring to speculation that Nirav Modi had left the country before the raids began. Mosul after ISIL: Rebuilding the citys soul After the fall of ISIL in Iraqs Mosul, poetry can be read and music played in public again. In comments to major security conference, Sheikh Tamim denounces aggressive blockade imposed by four Arab countries. An ongoing blockade of Qatar by a Saudi-led group of countries is futile, the Qatari emir has said, warning that the months-long crisis is undermining the regions security and economic outlook. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017 and imposed a land, sea and air embargo, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha has repeatedly denied the allegation. It has been a futile crisis, manufactured by our neighbours, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told a major security conference held in Germany on Friday. By defusing the impact of the illegal and aggressive measures imposed on our people, Qatar has preserved its sovereignty, he said. Those aggressive actors wish to use smaller states as pawns within their power games and sectarian conflicts. Despite the measures against it, Qatar has developed new international trade routes and accelerated economic diversity, Sheikh Tamim added. On June 22, 2017, the quartet issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Qatar-based media network Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade. Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe its sovereignty. It is vital to the interests of the people of the Middle East to guarantee the sovereignty of states like Qatar, Sheilkh Tamim said in his Munich Security Conference address. Preserving the sovereignty and the independent decision making of countries like Qatar ensures accelerated development development like free media and free speech, that the blockading countries insist we surrender. Middle East security Sheikh Tamim also called for a comprehensive security settlement in the Middle East, saying the region must be brought back from the brink of disaster. I believe it is time for wider regional security in the Middle East for all nations of the region to forget the past and agree on basic security principles and rules of governance, he said, adding that a future governance model for the region ought to be based on the European Union. Earlier on Friday, UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres warned of a mess in the Middle East. The Middle East [has] a number of different faultlines that are crossing each other and interconnected, Guterres said during his address to the conference, pointing to ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine, Sunni and Shia Muslims and the Gulf crisis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Saudi Arabias Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir are all expected to address delegates during the annual-three day security conference. An open discussion on the current political tensions in the Gulf region is also scheduled to be held on Sunday. Former White House official interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for more than 20 hours, reports say. US President Donald Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon has been questioned by investigators examining alleged Russian meddling into the 2016 US elections. Bannon, who left his position last August, was interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller behind closed doors on Thursday for at least the second time this week, according to local media reports. Muellers team is probing whether Trumps presidential campaign colluded with Russia in its bid to influence the 2016 US presidential election. Bannon was questioned for a long period of time by members of the Special Counsel Robert Muellers team on at least two occasions, Al Jazeeras Mike Hana, reporting from Washington, DC, said. The questioning lasted some 20 hours, but the nature of the questions are not yet known, he added. Bannon stonewalls congressional panel Bannon also appeared for the second time before a congressional panel probing the same issue earlier on Thursday. {articleGUID} Like his first appearance in January, Bannon was reported to have cited White House privilege, while refusing to answer a large number of questions by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Frustrated Democrats slammed Bannon, saying that his refusal to answer questions should be considered contempt. There was a refusal to answer any questions that would have brought out the full facts, said Adam Schiff, the Democratic leader of the panel said. That is not how privledge works. Thats how stonewalling works, he added. Al Jazeeras Hana said that unlike Bannons appearance before the Intelligence Committee, we do understand that he did give answers to all the questions that were put to him by Muellers team. The probe began in May 2017 to investigate any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. In December, Michael Flynn, the former US national security adviser, became the fourth known person connected to the Trump campaign to be charged in connection to the investigation on possible Russian meddling. He pleaded guilty to making false statements in relation to his conversatin with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office. Turkey demands US turn words into actions as Pentagon continues to back Syrian Kurdish YPG in fight against ISIL. The US secretary of state has acknowledged that his countrys relationship with Turkey is at a bit of a crisis point, as his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, demanded that the United States turn words into actions to resolve their differences in dealing with the Syrian crisis. At a joint press conference in Ankara on Friday, Rex Tillerson said the US-Turkey alliance is too valuable for the two countries not to take action together, particularly on their dispute over the US support of the armed Syrian Kurdish YPG, considered a terrorist group by the Turkish government. Ours is not an alliance of convenience or of temporary interest. It is a time-tested alliance built on common interest and mutual respect, Tillerson said. Our two countries share the same objectives in Syria. Standing next to Tillerson, Cavusoglu said Turkeys relationship with the US is at a critical stage, and the two allies need to decide whether to mend fences, or go in a different direction. Cavusoglu said some of the promises the US made were not kept, alluding to Turkeys demand that the US-backed YPG leave the Syrian town of Manbij and move east of Euphrates River. As part of the effort to mend US-Turkish relations, Cavusoglu announced that the two countries have agreed to establish a joint mechanism to deal with disputes and to take collective response. But neither Cavusoglu nor Tillerson provided details about the plan. A war of words between Turkey and the US has escalated ever since Turkey launched a military offensive into the Afrin region of northern Syria in January, in an effort to root out the YPG. Turkey had also reacted angrily to reports that the US wanted to arm as many as 30,000 Kurdish troops in Syrias Manbij. The ongoing operation has left at least 30 Turkish soldiers and over a thousand of YPG fighters killed, according to reports. Tillerson urged Turkey to observe restraint in Afrin to limit civilian casualties [File: Reuters] Earlier this week, Turkey demanded the US expel the YPG from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition, which has been fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in Syria. The Turkish government views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long war against Turkey. {articleGUID} Earlier this month, Erdogan accused the US of sending stockpiles of weapons to the YPG in Syria, a claim Tillerson himself denied on Thursday. Erdogan then threatened to deliver an Ottoman slap a tactic used by Ottoman forces in the 17th century that, according to legend, could be instantly fatal if the US does not get out of the way. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ibrahim Fraihat, a Middle East analyst at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said the Turks are very angry over US policy in Syria. Reflecting Turkish anger towards the US, hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets of Ankara on Friday in protest against Tillersons visit and demanded the US cut ties with the YPG. Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Ankara, said it is very difficult to see how the two countries can resolve their differences over the YPG dispute. Turkish sentiments against the US have also grown. A recent poll found that 79 percent of Turks hold an unfavourable view of the US government, with only 18 percent having a favourable view. Even people-to-people ties are affected with 67 percent of Turks having an unfavourable view of Americans. Six Turkish journalists have been sentenced to life in prison on charges related to a failed 2016 coup attempt. A Turkish court has sentenced six journalists to life in prison in relation to a failed coup attempt in 2016, state media reported. The six journalists received aggravated life sentences for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, an unnamed judicial source told Anadolu news agency on Friday. Turkey has accused the journalists of having links to a movement headed by exiled Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara alleges was behind a deadly failed putsch in July 2016. Gulen, who is based in the United States, denies the accusation. The individuals sentenced on Friday in the Istanbul court include Ahmet Altan, the former editor-in-chief of Taraf newspaper, his brother, journalist and academic Mehmet Altan, and prominent Turkish journalist Nazli Ilicak. The journalists, who had been detained for about a year, can appeal the ruling all the way up to the Turkish Supreme Court, Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu reported from Istanbul. Aggravated life sentence means if prisoners are granted immunity by any other future government or any other judiciary, these people cannot benefit from that, Koseoglu said. In a post-coup purge, Turkey detained and summarily fired tens of thousands of people, including journalists, academics, teachers, civil servants and police officers, for allegedly having links to the Gulenist movement. About 150 Turkish journalists are believed to be imprisoned in Turkey, according to the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECMPF) said. With the life sentence for the journalists #AhmetAltan #MehmetAltan & #NazlIlcak, the Turkish judiciary and the regime that controls the judges ridicule themselves in front of the world #PressFreedom #Turkey pic.twitter.com/G9jnkmQfEW Christophe Deloire (@chrisdeloire) February 16, 2018 The ruling on Friday was condemned by press freedom and human rights groups. Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders, said that the Turkish judiciary and the regime that controls the judges ridicule themselves in front of the world with the ruling. This sets a devastating precedent for scores of other journalists charged with similarly groundless charges, said Sarah Clarke, policy and advocacy manager at PEN International, a freedom of expression advocacy group. Turkish-German journalist released The sentences came a few hours after Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel was released after more than a year in prison. We are relieved and happy about the news, Lutz Kinkel, ECMPF managing director, said in a statement. Yucel still faces a charge of supporting terrorism, which comes with a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison, the ECMPF said. Sigmar Gabriel, Germanys foreign minister, welcomed Yucels release. This is a good day for all of us, he said in a statement. I am very pleased with this decision by the Turkish judiciary. And I am even happier for Deniz Yucel and his family, he added. Gabriel thanked the Turkish government for expediting the case and said it has always emphasised that it will not exert any political influence on the courts decision-making. Venezuelans flee to Colombia amid crisis at home Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says his country needs international help to cope with a humanitarian crisis after the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. The death of Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwes totemic opposition leader, has left supporters in mourning and his party having to navigate a precarious leadership transition ahead of landmark presidential elections. In Tsvangirais place, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) installed on Thursday Nelson Chamisa as its acting president for 12 months. This means the 40-year old is expected to be the partys presidential candidate when elections take place later in 2018. Chamisa told supporters gathered at the MDCs headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwes capital, that he was confident of a successful campaign, despite the death of a party icon. We have lost a doyen of democracy, Chamisa said. We are just four months away from an election and we have lost a commander but what I can tell you is that we do not have a [leadership] crisis We will win this election. A powerful public speaker that led the opposition for nearly two decades, Tsvangirai, 65, passed away on Wednesday after a protracted battle with colon cancer. His death came fewer than 90 days after Emmerson Mnangagwas elevation to Zimbabwes presidency and, crucially, within four to five months of an expected national election. Mnangagwa, the leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party, was sworn in as president in November 2017 following the forced resignation of former ally and long-time ruler Robert Mugabe, who had been in power since Zimbabwes independence in 1980. The changes, profound and sudden, have reshaped the political landscape in Zimbabwe, Alex Magaisa, a Zimbabwean academic and former adviser to Tsvangirai, told Al Jazeera. The next election will be new compared to previous votes in the last 20 years because the two most important characters, Tsvangirai and Mugabe, wont be on the ballot paper, Magaisa said. We are entering uncharted territory. New leadership A former chairperson of the MDC Youth Assembly, Chamisa is widely seen as one of the brightest stars within his party. But outside of MDC circles, he is one of many who have been overshadowed by Tsvangirais towering figure, according to Sue Onslow, a specialist in African history at The Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London. The problem in terms of the visibility of the MDC going into this years elections is that Morgan Tsvangirai genuinely had the national profile and his successors do not in anything like the same way, she told Al Jazeera. They have lost someone who was an enormously courageous man, the figurehead in opposing a one-party state structure. In comparison, the ZANU-PF party appears to be attempting to broaden its appeal under Mnangagwa, who has pledged to deliver a series of economic reforms to turn around Zimbabwes ailing economy and fight corruption. Approximately 2.3 million Zimbabweans live in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank, around 14 percent of the countrys total population. Chamisa could, however, have a significant advantage on the campaign trail. Hes youthful, and therefore has a massive appeal with young people, Magaisa said, noting that Chamisa is 35 years younger than Mnangagwa, his main opponent. Hes also quite charismatic, and has the ability to connect with ordinary people much in the same way as Morgan [Tsvangirai]. The loss of a founding father With a ballot on the horizon, the MDC has little time to manage the transition as it faces up to the challenge of prizing votes and overturning 37 years of ZANU-PF rule. It will be a tall order, said Michael Bratton, a professor of political science and African studies at Michigan State University. Tsvangirai was a unifying factor and the only charismatic leader who could carry the opposition to an electoral victory, as he did in 2008 even though he was cheated out of it, he told Al Jazeera. Tsvangirai topped the first round of a March 2008 presidential election, winning 47.8 percent of the vote compared with Mugabes 43.2 percent share, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. However, after failing to win the absolute majority required to assume the presidency, Tsvangirai withdrew from a second ballot in June saying Mugabe had sanctioned security forces to intimidate opponents and influence the vote, leaving Mugabe to win a one-horse race. According to Amnesty International, at least 200 people were killed, more than 9,000 injured and tens of thousands displaced by government forces in fewer than four months between the two polls. A party divided A week before his death, Tsvangirai, who founded the MDC in 1999, reportedly appointed Chamisa as the partys acting president. Chamisa was one of three party vice-presidents under Tsvangirai, alongside Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe. Both Khupe and Mudzuri have been openly critical of Chamisa in recent days. They also did not attend MDCs meeting on Thursday, amid speculation over a potential split. The manner in which the succession issue has been handled is claimed to have left the party divided, Magaisa said. There is an impression that its almost as if a power grab has taken place, because there are three factions in the party led by the three [former] vice-presidents. Tsvangirais death has revealed, rather than caused, the now apparent party divides, according to Bratton, the university professor. The opposition was already, prior to Tsvangirais death, in a weaker state than it had been for a long time and due to his death it will become even more fragmented, he said. Onslow agreed, saying such a scenario would pose an immediate threat to the MDCs chance of winning the upcoming elections. I dont see the opposition getting its house in order, in order to fight a coherent and cohesive campaign, she added. The MDCs efforts may also be hampered by a shortage of funds and weaker grassroots organisation compared with a resurgent ZANU-PF, according to Onslow. We focus too much on a binary political landscape in Zimbabwe, [but] its not that ZANU-PF is dominant, she said. ZANU-PF currently holds 57 of 80 seats in Zimbabwes Senate, and 160 of 210 seats in the countrys lower chamber, the House of Assembly. A chance to challenge But, according to Magaisa, the MDC may yet prove capable of electoral victory, taking advantage of widespread grievances over the state of Zimbabwes economy and challenges over providing basic services. The United Nations Human Development Index which measures health, education and economic performance ranks Zimbabwe 154th out of 188 countries, placing it in the lowest category of development. In order to deliver change, the MDC must first win the election by retaining its core supporters previously bounded by Tsvangirais leadership and galvanising support among Zimbabwes youth, Magaisa said. The MDC is still a force to be reckoned with I dont think it will be a walk over for Mnangagwa, he added, arguing that ZANU-PFs popularity is being exaggerated. There is a lot of hatred over what [ZANU-PF] has done over the years, people have not forgotten that. Especially if people are free to vote the way that they want, ZANU-PF may be in for a big surprise. Challenge Party presidential candidate Janae Moodie falsely denied serving on a 2016 Senate committee focused on online voting during a debate Sunday. At the first Student Government presidential debate hosted by the Black Student Union, Inspire Party presidential candidate Revel Lubin said Moodie and Impact Party presidential candidate Ian Green served on the Online Voting Ad-Hoc Committee in 2016. The committee was responsible for drafting codes for online voting. The committee was disbanded after UF's Supreme Court ruled online voting and other constitutional amendments passed since 2008 unconstitutional. Moodie denied this in the heat of the moment, but later said she forgot she had a role. Moodie said when she was with Impact Party, she supported online voting but was pressured to behave in a way the party wanted. I do remember being committed to online voting in the past, she admitted after the debate in an interview. It was a lapse in memory of the heat of the moment. Although Green shook his head at the debate after Lubins comment, he also served as a member of the committee. In an interview after the event, he said he shook his head in disagreement with Moodie stating she was not on the committee herself. Ive never denied being on that committee, Green said. Ive never denied that and Im not denying it now. Online voting was one of nearly a dozen issues debated at the historical debate in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, which about 250 students attended. This is the first time in UF history there are three black students running for Student Body president. At the debate, candidates introduced their partys platforms. After introductions, BSU president Dwayne Fletcher asked eight moderated questions on topics like retention of black students and staff, the SG budget, online voting, Richard Spencer and the Student Body presidents role on the UF Board of Trustees. Green said the debate allowed for students to have a safe space to voice their concerns. I think the biggest thing we differed on was being able to make tangible change and not just talk about the what if, he said. We all agree there needs to be a change, but I displayed how its going to be done. During the debate, Moodie said the best way to help with retention rates among black students is outreach. She said UFs black population, currently at 6 percent, has been dwindling. We have to be strategic in the way that were reaching different corners of campus, Moodie said. Although we want the content to be rich, we actually need to be intentional. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Green said its not just about outreach, its about education. Every student knows that Student Government elections are coming up, but its about educating them on the issues, Green said. Lubin said hed like to focus on UF programs like the College Reach Out Program, which helps students from low-income areas in east Gainesville. My big idea is bridging those gaps rather than separating us, although we have similar ideas and things we want to implement, he said. We need to raise awareness for these programs that already exist. Nyasha Joseph, a UF anthropology senior, took notes in a blue binder on the biggest points of the debate to bring back to her friends. Joseph said she was focused on what candidate offered the most comprehensive platform. She was impressed with Moodies performance, she said. I think the things Ill kind of harp on would be who did I see passion within and at which points, who came up with the most tangible plan and who came in with original ideas that were important to the students, the 21-year-old said. Here are statements The Alligator staff fact-checked during the debate: Candidate Janae Moodie said: I did not sit on that committee. This is false. Janae admitted after the debate she did, in fact, sit on the committee in Spring 2016. She attributed the false claim to a lapse in memory. Candidate Ian Green said: Its been a while since the chair of Florida Student Association was from UF. This is true. The most recent instance the Alligator could confirm was 2005, which was when UF Student Body President Joe Goldberg was the chair of the Florida Student Association. Candidate Revel Lubin said: One in 13 men on college campuses are sexually assaulted, and one in five women on college campuses are sexually assaulted. This is partially true. The Alligator staff found three different sources that state one in every 16 men, and one in every five women are sexually assaulted while in college. Clarification: This article has been updated to reflect that the online voting committee was disbanded after a UF Supreme Court Ruling. Contact Christina Morales at cmorales@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @Christina_M18. Student Body President candidates Ian Green, Janae Moodie and Revel Lubin answer audience questions at the Black Student Union debate. This is the first time in UF history three black students have run for Student Body president. THE RESOURCES A single mother of five and Circle K cashier, Cara Chatmon had just moved her family from East to West Gainesville in 2014. She wanted to move her kids into a better neighborhood. She didnt think her fifth-grade daughter Tamias adjustment from her old eastside school, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary School, would be difficult. But about two months after her daughter started the new school, Chatmon received a call. Ms. Smith wanted to discuss Tamias progress. Smith showed Chatmon the class gradebook, pointing to Tamias name: low Cs, borderline Ds. The class average was a B+. Whats the situation like at home? Smith prodded. Chatmon felt broken. She thought shed made a big deal out of her childrens education. She didnt want them to follow in her own footsteps of working low-wage jobs and needing government assistance. At first I was hurt, like did I do something wrong? Chatmon said. What about the trips to the library every Saturday morning for homework and reading, she thought. What about the books her daughter checked out? When Chatmon said home was fine, Smith asked where Tamia had transferred from. Rawlings, Chatmon said. The Stephen Foster teacher paused. Then she gave a thoughtful nod. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now That could be the reason, she said. Rawlings doesnt have the resources. NIGHT AND DAY Alachua Countys elementary schools are divided between east and west, and black and white. While in eastside elementary schools, most students are black and fail Floridas statewide end-of-year exams, westside elementary school students are typically white and pass the exams. Although nobody can point to a single reason the achievement gap exists, people mention cyclical poverty, racial segregation within the city, lack of parental resources and the current zoning map. Even inside westside schools where the majority of students pass the Florida Standards Assessments, or FSAs, black student performance lags significantly behind that of their white counterparts. Out of all 67 Florida counties, Alachua County has the largest achievement gap between white and black students on final exams, according to Alligator archives. Four schools west of Interstate 75 Meadowbrook, Hidden Oaks, Lawton Chiles and Kimball Wiles Elementary Schools are all majority white and were graded as A schools in 2017. About 70.7 percent of these four schools students between 2013 and 2017 passed their language arts FSA exam. In East Gainesville, in three of four elementary schools, about eight in every 10 students are black. Only about 22.9 percent of students in these schools Rawlings, Metcalfe and Lake Forest Elementary Schools from 2013 to 2017 passed their FSA language arts exam. Chanae Baker sees the divide first-hand. Twice a week, Baker volunteers at Meadowbrook, where her 8-year-old goddaughter, Jyla, attends second grade. Between the smart boards and the buildings mix of brick and bright white-painted walls, she said shes in awe of the resources. Then, once a month, she volunteers at Rawlings, where the 50-year-old buildings classrooms are gloomy and the textbooks are old and worn. The difference extends to non-physical resources, she said. While Meadowbrook has a strong PTA, many Rawlings parents struggle to get involved because they work multiple low-wage jobs. Its like night and day, she said. *** Above the whiteboard in Lilliemarie Gores fourth-grade math and science class, in an Idylwild Elementary School portable, a message hangs in orange and blue letters. Nothing is greater than learning, the plastic letters read. Since graduating from UF in 2005 with a masters degree in education, Gore has committed her time to teaching in the eastern part of the city. Its where help is needed. After working for five years at Williams Elementary School, an eastside school, she moved to Idylwild, a majority black school in the west. In both schools, shes witnessed the underperformance of her black students. Personally, I believe its getting worse, she said. The achievement gap between white and black students is severe at Williams, Gore said. Williams has a magnet program that is majority white, while the non-magnet program is mostly black. While nearly 94 percent of Williams white students passed their language arts FSA in 2016-17 academic year, only about 25 percent of its black students passed. The same trend exists for black students in West Gainesville schools, even those without magnet programs. Even though Tamia passed her fifth-grade language arts FSA at westside Stephen Foster, nearly 86 percent of black classmates failed. Only 8.7 percent of her white classmates failed. DIVISION Eileen Roy, the school boards longest-serving member from District 2, thinks the current zoning map is a major cause of the divide. In December 2003, the board redrew the map to a neighborhood style, which prioritized walking distance from homes rather than factors like having a mix of races within the same schools. As a result, she said the schools became much more segregated by race and economics. Roy wasnt on the board at the time, but was a member of the Zoning Task Force in 2002, which advised against the model, she said. A number of us said if we rezoned schools, weve got to have diversity as the No.1 criteria, she said. District 4 School Board member Leanetta McNealy said rezoning or what she calls the R word because she sees it as a taboo term that people dont talk about enough would help close the achievement gap. Chris Busey, a UF professor of education, said hes not sure redrawing the map would end segregation. White parents would move their children to private schools or charter schools. Whats happened in the past when weve rezoned schools is that theres been white flight, he said. When Elizabeth Buffy Bondy, a UF professor of education, thinks about how to fix the achievement gap, she turns to literature Nobel Prize Winner William Faulkner. The past is never dead, its not even passed, Bondy quoted. Bondy said the conditions students are born into and the privileges they may or may not have come together to influence their education. The reason for the gap is broader than whats happening in an individual classroom, she said. BREAKING POINT As East Gainesville schools struggle with underperformance and racial inequity, West Gainesville schools face overcapacity. West Gainesville grew 13 times more than East Gainesville between 2000 and 2010, according to census data. At least nine schools in the West are at more than 100 percent capacity. School board members hope to mitigate overcrowding with a new school in the west. Although the project does not have a timeline for construction, the state approved it and the district is discussing a location, McNealy said. Its needed, McNealy said. Were considered a portable city. When you go to certain school sites, we have so many portables on the west side. At Wiles Elementary School, a school built for 700 that now has 940 students, the first lunch bell rings at 9:45 a.m. The early-start lunch is the only way to cycle students to the cafeteria, said Wiles Principal Barbara Buys. In her 18 years as the schools principal, Buys has never had this many students. A map of population changes in Alachua County. Courtesy to The Alligator. While more portables can always be added, she said the rest of the schools resources are more strained. We might be getting toward a breaking point soon, she said. Graham Maxey shook his head as he walked up to Littlewood Elementarys front entrance to pick up his two granddaughters, 7-year-old Jade and 5-year-old Jordan. Every day the car line stretches far down the streets. Last year, Littlewood was about 122 percent over capacity. I know theyre doing the best they can, but its a problem, he said. This schools too overcrowded. NEXT STEPS For five years in a row, Lake Forest Elementary School, on the eastside, was an F school. Last year, it jumped to a C. For Karla Hutchinson, who started as principal last year, the spike in performance all came down to establishing a culture of high expectations. Between January and April 2017, Hutchinson and a group of administrators had a one-on-one meeting with each of Lake Forests 347 students. It was important to make each student aware of their performance good or bad and set concrete goals, she said. Get better grades on homework. Make a study plan. Stick to it. It was really eye-opening for a number of our students, Hutchinson said. We didnt focus on the past, we were focused on the present and on the future. Alachua County Public Schools spokesperson Jackie Johnson said the district is aware of the achievement gap and has long made it a top priority. In 2016-2017, while westside schools received more overall funding, the district allocated more funding per student to eastside schools, Johnson said. The money went toward more staff and teachers salaries for eastside schools. The Alachua County Council of PTAs also surveyed both east and westside schools, and will devise a 10 to 20-year plan on renovation and remodeling plans for each school, Johnson said. Johnson said they face problems with state funding cuts. In the last 10 years, the district has lost $168 million in facilities funding alone. Weve been getting hit from all angles to be honest, she said. On the November ballot, voters will decide on a half-cent sales tax the district expects will amount to $20 million a year to fund school facilities. It would cost the average county household about $58 annually. *** Gore sees herself in her students. Growing up in Naranja, Florida, about 40 minutes southwest of Miami, Gore, 35, said she lived in poverty, much like her students. But in third grade, Gores teacher, Ms. Jackson, showed her something she hadnt yet known: she could get through life with education. She treated me as a whole, well-rounded child, she said. She made me believe in myself. Gore sees her task as simple: inspiring students to push past their challenges. She wants to be their Ms. Jackson. I just want to be that light to these students, to love them and care enough about them to change, she said. Gore sees her task as simple: inspiring students to push past their challenges. She wants to be their Ms. Jackson. I just want to be that light to these students, to love them and care enough about them to change, she said. Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @hoffdavid123. [FILE PHOTO] 35-year-old Lilliemarie Gore leads students of Idylwild Elementary School through a series of math exercises. Mrs. Gore was awarded the title of "2017-2018 Alachua County Teacher of the Year" earlier this month. Parent Rose Farley is looking for peace of mind in the wake of a South Florida high school shooting Wednesday afternoon. Farley, a human resource assistant at the UF Center for Latin American Studies, has a son in daycare and a 17-year-old daughter at Newberry High School. She heard about the shooting Thursday morning on the radio and worries about a similar emergency happening in Gainesville. I dont think anybody is safe if something like that can happen, she said. Alachua County Public Schools spokesperson Jackie Johnson said the school system sent an email to parents outlining school procedures and resources to keep students safe in case of a school shooting Thursday, a day after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We can certainly relate to the concerns that parents have, Johnson said. But safety and security are an ongoing effort in Alachua County Public Schools, and all we can do is reassure parents that the safety and wellbeing of their children is our absolute highest priority. Over summer, all schools underwent safety training with local law enforcement, Johnson said. ACPS also keeps constant communications with local law enforcement agencies. Despite school safety measures, Farley and other parents are concerned students cant protect themselves in an emergency. Phalanx Defense Systems hopes to help ease parents fears with bullet-resistant panels normally used by law enforcement that can fit easily into backpacks. James Coats, the CEO of Phalanx, said the company has received hundreds of phone calls, emails and fax messages from Gainesville parents interested in buying panels since the news of the shooting first broke. I never thought as a body armor designer and manufacturer that I would ever have to make body armor for kids backpacks, Coats said. I think that until our governance is able to create a permanent solution, we have to be able to help in any way possible. Contact Amanda Rosa at arosa@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @AmandaNicRosa. A girl stares out the window of an Alachua County school bus on West University Avenue. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Alexander Fleming is widely known as the brilliant microbiologist who gave the world the miraculous life-saving drug called antibiotic. But he also had an artistic side that is perhaps less well known. Fleming was a member of Londons Chelsea Arts Club, where he tried his hand at watercolor and created compositions that were amateurish at best. But his artistic talents didnt lie in watercolors or pencil sketches but in another mediumliving organism. Fleming was one of the first scientists to use microbes to create works of art. He painted ballerinas, houses, soldiers, mothers feeding children, stick figures fighting and many other scenes on petri dishes using microbes. Fleming produced these artwork by culturing microorganisms having different natural pigments on petri dishes to create colorful patterns. He used different varieties of bacteria to render colors such as brown, violet, pink, red, yellow, orange and more. With time Flemings palette grew richer as he found more bacteria with the colors he needed. Some germ art made by Alexander Fleming. Fleming would fill a petri dish with agar, a gelatin-like substance, and then use a wire lab tool called a loop to inoculate sections of the plate with different species. It was all technically very difficult. Fleming not only had to find the right microbes, he had to time his inoculation such that the different species attained the specific colors he wanted all at the same time. These works existed for only a short period of days, after which one mold of microbe would grow into the other and blur the lines of the painting. Unfortunately for Fleming, neither the scientific community nor the artists of his time gave any attention to his techniques. The story goes that once Fleming prepared a small exhibit of bacterial art for a royal visit to St Marys by Queen Mary. The Queen was not amused and hurried past it even though it included a patriotic rendition of the Union Jack in bacteria. Alexander Fleming in his laboratory at St Mary's, Paddington, London. Modern microbial artworks are exceedingly clever and creative. Here are some germ art submitted to the American Society for Microbiology for their annual ASM Agar Art contest. The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty recently shared a video about a unique natural phenomenon in a village called Dinosa, located in southeastern Montenegroa small country on the Adriatic coast. There is a mulberry tree standing in the meadow there that turns into a fountain whenever it rains heavy. From a hollow on the tree trunk water can be seen gushing abundantly. Apparently, the rains had flooded the underground springs and the additional pressure created pushed water up the tree trunk through cracks or hollows on the trunk, until it poured out of a hole a few feet above the ground. As you can see from the video, the ground is quite sloppy indicating the amount of groundwater there is in the soil and below. You can also see water gurgling out of other holes in the meadow. The entire area is flowing like a small stream. According to a local man interviewed, this has been happening for the last 20-25 years or perhaps even longer. He estimates the tree is over 100 to 150 years old. While Montenegros tree fountain is indeed unique, it isnt the only example of water gushing out of the ground after rains. In the Estonian village of Tuhala, there is a well that starts spouting water after a heavy downpour. The well happens to be placed just over an underground river. After rain water floods the river, water pressure builds to the point that it shoots up out of the well, sometimes up to half a meter high. This continues for a few days. During this time, more than 100 liters of water can flow out every second. The local legend is that the witches of Tuhala gather in the sauna underground and beats each other vigorously with birch branches causing water to pour out on the surface. They call it the Witchs Well. Photo credit: www.visitestonia.com Photo credit: Greta/Flickr Photo credit: Tony Bowden/Flickr The Tuhalas Witch well when its not flowing Posted on: February 16, 2018 2:50 PM In a wide-ranging interview with the Church Times to mark five years in office, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said that the Anglican Communion is in a better place than it was five years ago. He described the question as a hostage to fortune; but said that the improvements in the communion were building on what was already happening and he said: Im not taking credit for it in any way. The interview was conducted by the Church Times editor, Paul Handley, in Lambeth Palace, the official residence and offices of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Speaking of the improvements in the Communion, Archbishop Justin said: Weve had two good Primates Meetings. They were jolly difficult at times, but they were good. And they were very, very moving, and I still look back at moments in each of them particularly prayer together, the eucharist together and am bowled over by what I saw and participated in, and just think what a privilege that was to have been there. And a good ACC [Anglican Consultative Council] in Lusaka; and weve got plans for a Lambeth Conference. In response to questions about disagreements over human sexuality and the Church, Archbishop Justin spoke of the huge programme about the C of E House of Bishops new episcopal teaching document, which will as its called in rather an ungainly fashion (we need something snappy for that). But what that is doing is map out the area of agreement and disagreement. Its not coming to find a conclusion, he said. Its mapping out the area of our agreement and disagreement always around themes of missiology and theological anthropology and general anthropology; and looking at the culture, biblical theology, the philosophical and ethical theology, and the history and patristic theology. Those four great streams. Now, the issue of how the Church, after 2000 years, deals with understandings of human sexuality is about as big and complicated an issue as youre ever going to get. And its not one you make a snappy decision on. Asked for his response to criticisms that his approach to disagreeing well is unbiblical, Archbishop Justin said: I think when you look through, particularly, Pauls Letter to the Romans, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, the latter part of Philippians, Ephesians I mean, you could go on and on a lot of the underlying theme is how a Church that was extraordinarily diverse, particularly between Greeks and Jews, or Jews and non-Jews, Greeks meaning everyone who wasnt Jewish, how that Church found its unity in Jesus Christ, although it disagreed on numerous things, most fundamentally about the application of the law. And we all know these arguments. Paul, I would not sum up his teaching as disagreeing well: I think that would be naff and obviously wildly simplistic; but there is this struggle to see how you live in love and unity when you disagree with one another and that is disagreeing well. Now, you can create a straw man and say: It doesnt matter what we disagree on, as long as were nice to each other and suggest that Im saying that. Thats rubbish of course it matters what we disagree on. These arguments are incredibly important, not only about sexuality, but about numerous other things within the Church. But do we live out that disagreement in a way that demonstrates that we are caught up in the love of God and the love of Christ? Or do we live them out in a way that says were behaving like a political party having a row? That has quite a fundamental impact on the unity that were aiming for. Posted on: February 16, 2018 9:47 AM Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has given an impassioned lecture on why his US-based Episcopal Church needs world Anglicanism, by saying: We need each other. The public lecture was given earlier this month at the Centre for Anglican Communion Studies at the Virginia Theological Seminary, as part of a series of events marking the centres 20th anniversary. And he said that without the Anglican Communion, lives would be lost. I am here, and you are here, and this Communion exists, regardless of the historical circumstances that gave rise to it I know all about the British Empire and it had nothing to do with religion regardless of the historical circumstances that human beings had in mind, God had something else in mind. This Communion exists and we are here and this Church exists because we believe that Jesus of Nazareth has shown us a way beyond the chaos to community. He has shown us the way. He said that The truth is . . . we need worldwide Anglicanism because lives are at stake, before offering an explanation. He told his audience that after the consecration of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop, tension in the Anglican Communion had reached fever pitch. Following the consecration, the US House of Bishops met in New Orleans with the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, members of the Anglican Consultative Council and staff from the Anglican Communion Office. I remember the Archbishop saying something that I had not heard, I had not thought of, and I have not forgotten: he said we need this Communion because without it some lives will be lost. This Anglican Communion is one of the largest human service delivery systems in the world, just behind the Roman Catholic Church, he said. There are hospitals that would not happen without it. There are schools that would not happen without it. There are medical programmes and programmes that save peoples lives. People might die without it. This is not a recreational cruise ship. This Communion is about the life of the world, the life of the children of God: all of us. And it matters. He continued: Ive been with our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church in Ghana and I have seen where Christian Anglicans and Muslims are working together and training local clergy and imams in local communities so that they can engage gender-based violence, where women are subject to extreme violence and cruelty; and where local clergy can both intervene, provide safe means, and do the kind of education with men and with women to bring the scourge of violence against women to an end. I have seen it. And it happens because of the Anglican Communion. Do you really think that the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church in Ghana would really be paying attention to each other if we were not family? The truth is, we are an Anglican family. We may be dysfunctional, but God help us we are family . . . and lives are saved because of it. And children are educated because of it. He continued: It is so easy for Americans to think we are the centre of the world: that we are the biggest, and that we are the best. We arent exceptional. All Gods children are exceptional and thats bigger than America. But there is a sense that we easily focus just on ourselves, on our life and our role in the world; and forget that there's a world out there and we are a part of it. And we cant survive without that world, and that world can't survive without us. We are interconnected, tied in networks of mutuality. . . What affects one here, effects all here. We are tied together. And I really believe that a spiritual practice for us as Episcopalians at least in the US a profound spiritual practice is to learn that we are catholic church-folk: that it is not just us, that we are part of a worldwide communion and fellowship of faith, of folk who follow the way of Jesus, and they are our brothers and they are our sisters. We need that for our soul's salvation. And without that, we are lost. Why does the Episcopal Church need worldwide Anglicanism? The truth is, we need each other. The lecture was live-streamed on the internet by VTS, and is available to watch on their YouTube channel. Posted on: February 16, 2018 1:00 PM Members of the Anglican Communions new Inter Faith Commission will gather for their first meeting next week, in Cairo, Egypt. The AIFC was requested by the Anglican Consultative Council when they met in Lusaka in 2016, and launched at the Primates Meeting in Canterbury last October. Its purpose is to bring mutual understanding and build trust where there is ignorance, fear and hostility between different faith groups. Bishop Mouneer Anis, of the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, will chair the new Commission, which includes Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, an expert on Christian-Muslim relations; Dr Michael Ipgrave, the Bishop of Lichfield in the Church of England, an expert on Christian-Jewish relations; the Revd Canon Tricia Hillas, of St Pauls Cathedral in London, an expert in conflict resolution and mediation; Bishop Humphrey Peters, Moderator of the united Church of Pakistan, who has worked extensively on Christian-Muslim relations; and the Revd Dr Ruwan Palapathwa, who has been a participant at a number of international forums on interfaith concerns. Other participants include Bishop Danald Jute of Kuching, in the Province of South East Asia; Canon John Kafwanka, the Anglican Communions Director for Mission; Ms Louisa Mojela, from the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, a member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council; Bishop Paul Sarker, Moderator of the united Church of Bangladesh; the Revd Canon Francis Omondi, from All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, Kenya; and Mr Nabil Bulus. Welcoming the start of the Commissions work, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described their role as being essential to our future. In a video message to the Commissions members, he said: The world is looking for the capacity of religious leaders to differ without hating. And the worlds capacity to differ without hating appears to be reducing by the day. You will set a pattern, an example, that speaks of the love of Jesus Christ extended on the cross, and in the resurrection, and in His sovereignty seen in the ascension and the gift of His Spirit. The work of the Commission is to inspire the provinces of the Anglican Communion to enable Christian witness in a multi-religious world. It has been welcomed by other Christian leaders, including Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who will meet members of the Commission during their gathering in Cairo next week. The commission members will also meet the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, one of the worlds most prominent Sunni Muslim leaders. Engagement with followers of other faiths is a now a necessity, Bishop Mouneer said. Working together for the common good alleviates many misconceptions about each other, and helps us to see each other as fellow human beings created in the image of God, and loved by Him. Lisa Armstrong prepared to part with her half her fortune to get shot of Ant McPartlin When Ant McPartlins lawyers thrash out any divorce settlement with his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong, they may refer to the Suns reporting on the family fortune. In todays paper the news is that Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon have been comforting Lisa and offering real support. That news of their good hearts should emerge just as Britains Got Talent, the show on which the pair work as judges hits the PR circuit, is surely coincidental and not opportunistic tosh pulled from cynicisms deepest mine. Of more interest is that Suns news that Ant is prepared to part with half his 62m fortune. You might suppose that money accrued by childhood sweethearts whove ben married for 11 years would belong to both of them. The message could be: Lisa is prepared to part with half her fortune? And its not 62m. Well, not according to the, er, Sun it isnt. One thing is clear: in the tabloids the money is always his and not hers. Karen Strike Posted: 16th, February 2018 | In: Celebrities, Money, News, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink (ANSA) - Enna, February 15 - Shots were fired against a temporary migrant reception centre run by the Catholic Church near Enna in Sicily on Wednesday night, sources said Thursday. The canon house at Pietraperzia has been hosting around 20 migrants for the last four days. No one was hurt but the shotgun pellets smashed a window, spreading fear among the migrants and the operators. The centre is managed by the Don Bosco 2000 association at Piazza Armerina near Enna. "We are dumbfounded by what happened and pained by the fear that seized the lads, all from Bangladesh," said association chief Agostino Sella. In fact, the town welcomed these boys, who are just adults, favourably. "But in line with the rows sweeping Italy, there have been fringes of dissent. But we certainly didn't think it would get so far". Anti-migrant sentiment has been rising in Italy lately, polls say. Saudi Chamber of Commerce signs accord with SACE Decio, business opportunities with Kingdom better than expected (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 16 - Saudi Arabia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Italian company SACE have signed an agreement for cooperation in trade and investments, Arab News reports. Alessandro Decio, CEO and director general of SACE, and Ahmed Al Rajhi, director of the Council of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Riyadh. ''Our visit to Saudi Arabia was both productive and constructive and we have the impression that business opportunities are better than we expected before visiting the kingdom'', said Decio. Bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and Italy has reached 8 billion dollars in 2017, according to data provided by the Italian embassy in Riyadh. (ANSAmed) ANSAmed - Weekly diary from February 19 to February 25 (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 16 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled in the Euro-mediterranean area from February 19 to February 25. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 BRUSSELS - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will be meeting with Nasr al-Hariri, the leader of the Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee (HNC). TUNIS - International Convention on Mediterranean Studies on the theme 'Reading the Sea and Myths in Mediterranean Cultures' (until 20/2). TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 NEW YORK - UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East, with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. ROME - conference on ''Morocco's Approach to Deradicalization'', held by Ahmad Abbadi, head of the Mohammadia League of Scholars on the deconstruction of extremist discourse (Grand Mosque, 5 PM). ROME - presentation by the IAI of the "The Security-Migration-Development Nexus Revised" (Casa Internazionale delle Donne, 9:30) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 BRUSSELS - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will be receiving Yair Lapid, Israeli politician and leader of the political party Yesh Atid. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23 BRUSSELS - international conference on security and development in the Sahel, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. MADRID - anniversary of the February 23, 1981 coup d'etat that allowed King Juan Carlos to build parliamentary legitimacy five years after the end of Franco's dictatorship. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 MARRAKECH - the African Contemporary Art Fair begins (also 25/2). SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 ROME - History lessons at Cinema Farnese 'What Will the Post-ISIS Middle East Be? The Future of the Middle Eastern Region' with Ugo Tramballi and Roberto Iannuzzi. (ANSAmed). Morocco: 600 arrests on drug charges in less than 48 hours Operation in Oujda, at the border with Algeria (ANSAmed) - RABAT, FEBRUARY 16 - Authorities in Morocco have arrested 644 people in an anti-drug operation in the northern city of Ouida in less than 48 hours. Police said the operation was aimed at cracking down on local crime and to make citizens feel safer. Over two days, police in the area at the border with Algeria arrested 533 people while 91 international arrest warrants have been issued for as many suspects, authorities said. According to the prefecture's statement on the operation, published by the Map news agency, police also seized ''21 kilos of hashish, 80 kg of heroin, 16 synthetic drug pills and 456 bottles of smuggled alcoholic beverages, cell phones and a motorcycle''. In addition, during the operation, 803 fines were made by security officers, who also seized 47 cars and 27 motorcycles. (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 16 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni at a press conference in Berlin on Friday, saying there has been a ''close cooperation with Italy on migrants''. ''Rome's activities are very important'', the chancellor said. ''Over the past few years we have had a close cooperation between Italy and Germany, especially on the migration issue. Activities on the Mediterranean route are prominent and extremely significant and I want to thank you with all my heart, dear Paolo'', Merkel told Gentiloni. ''Thanks to our work, trafficking networks have reduced their ability, landings have gone down, deaths at sea have diminished and assisted voluntary repatriations from Libya to the countries of origin have increased'', the Italian premier said. On the Dublin agreement, Gentiloni said that ''there is a negotiation that is moving forward. We believe that we must work to find an agreement in which to combine together the principles of responsibility and solidarity by different members of the EU''. ''We cannot accept the idea that a country ignores its joint responsibilities on the theme of migrants. Everyone must play their part, nobody can think of using one part of the European scheme, refusing the others''. (ANSAmed). Migrants: Ombudsman, Spain's hosting program inadequate Proposal for protocol to improve assistance (ANSAmed) - MADRID, FEBRUARY 16 - Spain's human rights ombudsman on Friday urged Spain to change its protocol of intervention to improve the assistance it provides to undocumented migrants who reach the country. Addressing a mixed commission of the Congress and the Senate, the 'Defender of the People' Francisco Fernandez Marugan, slammed Spain's handling of illegal immigration as ''inefficient, insufficient and cruel on too many occasions''. ''Spain must be prepared to ensure that these people return to their country of origin in dignified conditions, guaranteeing their safety'', Marugan was quoted as saying by El Pais. After visits carried out in temporary migrant hosting centers in Algesiras, Malaga, Motril, Almeria, Cartagena and Murcia, the ombudsman spoke about ''inadequate conditions'' when foreigners are first hosted and in the assistance provided to them, reporting the presence of ''mothers with children in cells, unaccompanied minors and men sleeping on the floor''. It proposed a protocol of intervention with adequate structures, specialized personnel, the presence of representatives of international organizations and civil society. In order to confront in a more effective way ''an ever-changing reality'', Francisco Fernandez Marugan suggested to form teams that can be immediately dispatched to handle situations on the ground, identifying those who are especially vulnerable''. (ANSAmed). The PNB CMD further said the bank has informed all the lenders about the case. New Delhi: PNB chairman and MD Sunil Mehta on Thursday said that Nirav Modi has not come out with any concrete plan to repay Rs 11,400 crore which bank has suffered from the fraud. But theyre coming out with some vague offers, which are under examination, Mr Mehta said. He said Mr Modi has not come to the bank personally and we have requested to him to come and give us a written plan and how he is going to make a repayment. He said Mr Modi had he sent a formal message last week. On the amount of provisioning that the bank would require to make, he said it was difficult to give any technical number right now as the matter was under investigation. He, however, said that the bank will honour all its bonafide commitments. We want to convey to all our stakeholders that PNB is pursuing clean banking agenda. He said that bank will take all possible action against the wrong doers in the fraud case. In the last 123 years, we have seen many ups and down. The bank in its full capacity will take every action to book wrongdoers. This fraud had started in 2011. Our own bank detected first and told the law enforcement agencies about this. PNB is fully committed to its clean banking policy. That is why we are the first one to detect and report this to the various law enforcement agencies, he said. The PNB CMD further said the bank has informed all the lenders about the case. We have issued advisory to them. We were the first to inform Sebi about this. Actress Jennifer Lawrence also attended her best friend Amys surprise wedding. Mumbai: Something old, something new, something borrowed and something out of the blue - Amy Schumer has tied the knot with chef Chris Fischer. The 36-year-old comedian took to her Instagram page to share photos from the event under the caption, "Yup." Yup A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 8:53am PST Yup A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 8:53am PST Yup A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 8:53am PST Jennifer Lawrence attended her best friend Amy Schumers surprise wedding. @robandlindsayweddings A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 10:53am PST @robandlindsayweddings A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 10:53am PST Yup A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 8:53am PST In her later post, she cleared up rumours and addressed requests to send gifts, writing, "2 things. No I'm not pregnant. And no gifts but thank you for asking. Instead please consider donation to Everytown for Gun Safety. Thought of Mayce and Jillian a lot yesterday and sending love to everyone who has been affected by gun violence." No gifts but consider a donation to @everytown A post shared by @ amyschumer on Feb 15, 2018 at 9:21am PST A source revealed that Schumer and Fischer said "I do" in a private ceremony in Malibu, People Magazine reported. The two exchanged vows in front of about 80 people, including Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Lawrence, Larry David and David Spade. The announcement comes just days after the 'Trainwreck' star and chef made their relationship official with a kissing photo. Neeraj builds a lot of tension and anxiety but the film doesnt stand out in its pace and thrilling element as promised. Rating: Director: Neeraj Pandey Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Sidharth Malhotra, Rakul Preet, Pooja Chopra, Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Adil Hussain and others Director Neeraj Pandey, who tried the thriller genre in his series of previous films like Baby, Special 26, A Wednesday brings you all yet another seat edge thriller Aiyaary that joins the bandwagon of sloppy thrillers and nothing beyond. With Aiyaary, writer-director Neeraj Pandey has pen down a story that highlights the issue of corruption within the system of Indian Army that includes the illegal supply of arms and equipments. Col. Abhay (Manoj Bajpayee) forms a secret team with Maya (Pooja Chopra), Major Jai Bakshi (Sidharth Malhotra) and others to expose the corruption but due to surveillance stint and clash of ideologies, Col. Abhay and Major Jai Bakshi have a fallout. Sonia (Rakul Preet) helps her boyfriend Jai to confront the truth while Jai join hands with ex Indian army officer Mukesh Kapoor (Adil Hussai). Will Col. Abhay be able to expose the dirty intentions of Jai and Mahesh? Known for making content driven films in the past, Aiyaary is surely a disappointment from Neeraj Pandey. However, he has sketched his every character nicely. The good part of his writing is that he utilises each and every character in the most relevant manner. But the flak also goes to him for a poor execution. First half is too long but raises high hopes in the second half but by then it is too late to even realise it. The conflict of the film is not clear even till the interval. Although, Neeraj builds a lot of tension and anxiety by inserting too many things happening at the same time but the film doesnt stand out in its pace and thrilling element as promised. Seems like the non-linear screenplay does not work for this one as excess of flashbacks ruins the flow. Manoj Bajpayee is the knight in shining armour of the film. It is so good to see him pulling off every tone and variation of his role effortlessly. His power packed performance in the film is an answer to those who considered method actors a lesser talent early on. Sidharth Malhotra has slightly improved with his previous performances, be it Baar Baar Dekho or The Gentleman but still he had a long way to go. Despite being a male centric plot, Rakul Preet has enough screen time and she looks pretty but an average performer. Pooja Chopra is good as a subordinate to Manoj and Sidharth. Anupam Kher is good in his brief role and Naseeruddin Shah is excellent. Adil Hussain looks terrific as a badass mafia. Rest, Kumud Mishra, Rajesh Tailang, Vikram Gokhale are just about perfect. For a film like Aiyaary, there is no scope for any music because of its plot but the film could have been better paced, all thanks to the under-cooked narrative. Aiyaary is a throw away effort from director Neeraj Pandey, where the only saving grace is Manoj's act. The micro-light aircraft crashed soon after it took off from the Jorhat Air Base on a routine sortie around noon. Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed when a micro-light aircraft they were travelling in crashed near Jorhat in Assam on Thursday. (Photo: Youtube Screengrab | Global Conflict) New Delhi: Two Indian Air Force pilots, both wing commanders, were killed as their microlight aircraft crashed soon after taking off from the Jorhat airbase on Thursday morning. Two pilots, Wg Cdr J. James and Wg Cdr D. Vats, sustained fatal injuries. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, an IAF press release said. The microlight aircraft Virus SW 80, manufactured by Slovenias Pipistral, crashed near Darbar Chapori, a sand bar in the Brahmaputra, in Majuli riverine island near Jorhat around 12 noon. The crash site is accessible only by boat. The aircraft, used by the IAF for environmental monitoring including missions to prevent bird hits and weather reconnaissance, was on a routine sortie. Made of state-of-the-art composite materials, the aircraft is lightweight and known as one of the most robust and fastest aircraft (260 kmph) in its range with a capability to operate upto 15,000 feet altitude. The pilots attempted an emergency landing but the aircraft crashed in a sand bar in the northern part of the district, Tezpur-based defence spokesman Lt. Col. Harshvardhan Pande said. The IAF procured around 80 Slovenian-origin microlight aircraft about three years ago. With Thursdays crash, the IAF has lost 11 pilots, 25 aircraft and four helicopters since 2014. Nirav left India on Jan. 1, his wife and business partner Choksi flew out on January 6. Nirav Modi (in red circle) and PM Narendra Modi along with the Indian business delegation at Davos in January. New Delhi: As billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi came under the lens following a fraud of Rs 11,400 crore with PNB, a political slugfest between the ruling BJP and Congress broke out on Thursday while the ED carried out simultaneous raids on the diamond kings offices, showrooms and diamond workshops in Mumbai, Surat (Gujarat) and New Delhi and seized Rs 5,100 crore worth gold and diamond jewellery. The BJP seethed as the Congress not only described the fraudster Chhota Modi number 2 but also released a group photograph of Nirav Modi with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other business honchos during last months Davos meet. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in a tweet, said, Guide to looting India by Nirav Modi 1. Hug PM Modi 2. Be seen with him in DAVOS. Use that clout to: A. Steal 12,000 crore B. Slip out of the country like Mallya, while the government looks the other way. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, fielded by the saffron camp to counter the Congress, said, What is this word Chhota Modi? BJP takes strong offence to the kind of language being used by describing someone like that. It is derogatory, scandalous and demeaning. On the photograph controversy, Mr Prasad claimed that it was only a photo opportunity. Nirav Modi was not part of the Prime Minister Modis delegation at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He was part of the CII delegation, he asserted. Mr Prasad claimed that the government will not spare anyone who has sought to derail ordinary banking system and said that Nirav Modis passport has been revoked and a look out circular (LOC) issued against him. The ED launched multiple raids on Nirav Modis properties across the country and seized Rs 5,100 crore worth gold and diamond jewellery. It also froze his bank accounts with a balance of Rs 3.9 crore. The raids came after the agency filed a Rs 280-crore money laundering case against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and business partner Mehul Choksi on Wednesday, following a complaint by PNB. On Thursday, ED teams searched Nirav Modis offices, showrooms and diamond workshops in Mumbai, Surat (Gujarat) and New Delhi. ED officials landed at Firestar Diamond Pvt Ltd. head office in Bharat Diamond Bourse, in Bandra Kurla Complex, Nirav Modis private office at Kohinoor City in Kurla West, his showroom and boutique at Itts House in Fort in south Mumbai and a workshop in Peninsula Business Park in Lower Parel. In Gujarat, six diamond workshops were raided in Surat SEZ at Sachin town and an office in Belgium Towers on Ring Road, the hub of diamond jewellery trade. The ED also raided two diamond jewellery boutiques of the diamond tycoon in New Delhi in Chanakyapuri and Defence Colony. As the Opposition blamed the government for allowing Nirav Modi to escape, the CBI claimed that he left the country on January 1, much before the first complaint against him reached the agency. The probe agency said that it had sought revocation of the passports of Nirav Modi and his business partner Mehul Choksi. The CBI has booked Nirav Modi, his brother, wife and a business partner for allegedly cheating PNB of over `280.70 crore in 2017. A week ago, the CBI had raided the residence of Nirav Modi, his brother Nishal, wife Ami and his partners, including Mr Choksi, and found that the fraud was much bigger that `280.70 crore. While the fraud was being described as a mother of banking scams by the Opposition parties, PNB chairman and managing director Sunil Mehta said, We have requested him (Nirav Modi) to come and give us a written plan and how he is going to make a repayment. At the same time, he said that the bank will take all possible action against the wrong doers in the `11,400 crore fraud case. Mr Mehta claimed that the bank will honour all its bonafide commitments and it wants to convey to the stakeholders that PNB is pursuing clean banking agenda as a responsible bank. Dubbing Nirav Modi Chhota Modi two and Lalit Modi Chhota Modi one, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala asked if the billionaire jewellery designer had a tip-off that prompted him to leave the country. The entire system was bypassed. All regulatory mechanisms broke down. Everything escaped the eyes of auditors and investigators, he said. Risk management and fraud detection ability came to a naught. Yet, the Modi government would have us believe that this entire fraud was being perpetrated by two employees Has it become the norm for letting people run away with public money? Who is responsible? asked the Congress spokesperson. The Congress alleged that in July 2016 a private complaint along with proofs against Nirav Modi was sent to the PMO but no action was taken. Targeting the Modi government, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asked if the diamond businessman had left the country with the backing of the government. Is it possible to believe that he or (businessman) Vijay Mallya left the country without the active connivance of BJP government? Kejriwal tweeted. Early this month, a special court in Delhi summoned Virbhadra Singh, his wife and 3 others as accused in the money laundering case. The ED had charged 83-year-old Singh, a former Union minister, with projecting around Rs 7-crore 'proceeds of crime' as agricultural income. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested a businessman in connection with its money laundering probe against Congress leader and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and others, officials said. They said Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, the director/promoter of Tarini Group of Companies, was arrested from here late on Thursday night by the central probe agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He will be produced before a special court here on Friday. The agency earlier said that Chandrasekhar "had provided an amount of Rs 5.9 crore to Singh and his family members through his three personal bank accounts". When the source of funds was enquired into, the ED said, "it came to light that the said amount was received through a web of firms indulging in accommodation entry operation." Early this month, a special court in Delhi summoned Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and three others as accused in the money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate had charged 83-year-old Singh, a former Union minister, with projecting around Rs 7-crore "proceeds of crime" as agricultural income in connivance with his wife and others, and investing it in purchasing LIC policies. Also read: Ex-Himachal CM Virbhadra, wife booked under money laundering act Besides Singh and his 62-year-old wife, the court summoned Universal Apple Associate owner Chunni Lal Chauhan and others. The ED had also named as accused Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) agent Anand Chauhan in the case. In a separate case filed by the CBI in connection with the matter, Singh, his wife and Anand Chauhan were chargesheeted along with others. The other accused in the CBI case are Chunni Lal Chauhan, stamp paper vendor Joginder Singh Ghalta, V Chandrasekhar, and co-accused Lawan Kumar, Prem Raj and Ram Prakash Bhatia. The CBI had claimed that Virbhadra Singh had amassed assets worth around Rs 10 crore which were disproportionate to his total income during his tenure as Union minister. Yogi said that over 40 dreaded criminals had been gunned down in 1200 encounters in the state. Lucknow: Ignoring the notices served to his government by the National Human Rights Commission, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, announced that his government would continue with police encounters against criminals. Speaking in the Vidhan Parishad, he said that the opposition was patronizing and sympathetic towards criminals and anti-social elements. He said that over 40 dreaded criminals had been gunned down in 1200 encounters in the state. Referring to the Vidhan Parishad Chairmans directive to recommend a CBI inquiry into three encounters, the chief minister said, It is unfortunate that some people are showing sympathy toward criminals. This is dangerous for democracy. The Noida incident which took place on February 3, in which Jitendra Yadav was hit by a bullet, was not a police encounter, and police does not count it as an encounter. Even the person affected had endorsed it. The chief minister urged the chairman to consider the questions raised by Devendra Pratap Singh, who had earlier questioned the propriety of giving directives regarding CBI probes. Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Parishad, Ahmed Hasan (SP), however, said that the chairman had already directed the government to get a CBI probe conducted. Now it can either recommend a CBI probe or may not do so. What is the relevance of the objection? he asked. Chairman Ramesh Yadav said he would reserve his decision on the question of propriety raised by Mr Singh. The Indian move will hugely help the Iranian economy as it will draw in more Indian investment into Iran. New Delhi: With Iranian President Hassan Rouhani beginning his visit to India from Hyderabad on Thursday, Indian government sources have said that New Delhi has recently allowed investment in Indian rupees in Iran. Currently, India allows this facility only in Nepal and Bhutan. Sources said this will not violate US sanctions on Iran since the transaction will not be in US dollars. The Indian move will hugely help the Iranian economy as it will draw in more Indian investment into Iran. If an Indian businessman wants to invest a certain amount in rupees, he can deposit the money in rupees in the bonafide concerned Iranian account in one of the Indian banks and the equivalent amount of Iranian Rials will then be deposited in the venture in Iran, sources said. But it is President Rouhanis expected address of the congregation at the famous Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad on Friday that is seen as a strong push by India for stronger ties with Iran, a country described by Government sources as the leader in the Shia (Muslim) world. This will no doubt bring back memories of another visiting Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani who had addressed a congregation at Lucknows Bara Imambara in the mid 1990s. Sources said the Iranian President wanted to pray at the Makkah Masjid and had visited Hyderabad before becoming President. The Iranian President is expected to visit either the Salar Jung Museum, Golconda fort or Qutab Shahi tomb too in Hyderabad apart from the Makkah Masjid. India is also playing a major role in the operationalisation of the Chabahar port in Iran. Government sources said the Chabahar port has already been operationalised and is expected to reach full capacity in the coming months. The Chabahar port in Iran is expected to end Afghanistans dependence on Pakistan for transit of goods. Chabahar will also offer stiff competition to the port of Gwadar in Pakistans restive Balochistan province which is being developed with Chinese help. India, Afghanistan and Iran have been engaged in trilateral cooperation on Chabahar which will lead to establishment of an International transport and transit corridor between India, Afghanistan and Iran. Sources said connectivity will be one of the major issues to be discussed between Mr Rouhani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday during delegation-level talks. Significantly, the United States had earlier said it had no objection to Indias initiative to operationalise the Chabahar port. It is however unclear whether the Jadhav issue will be discussed between the two countries during the visit. The situation in Afghanistan is however expected to be another major issue that will be discussed between the two leaders. Sources said Karti deposed before the investigating officer (IO) here. New Delhi: Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the second time in connection with the agencys probe into the INX Media money laundering case. Sources said Karti deposed before the investigating officer (IO) here. By the time of going this report to the press his questioning was on. This was the second time he appeared before the ED in this case after he was first examined by the agency on January 18. The central probe agency had earlier summoned Karti on February 2 after which he informed them that he would be unable to depose as he had an interlocutory application pending in the Supreme Court in this case. The ED then summoned him for today. It is learnt that Karti on Thursday told the IO that he was appearing before the agency under protest. The ED had registered the case against him and others in May last year. It had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report, equivalent to a police FIR, against the accused named in a CBI complaint, including Karti Chidambaram, INX Media and its directors Peter and Indrani Mukerjea. The ECIR was lodged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The President said that Iran wants 'Unity, consolidation, independence and support towards the east.' Rouhani advised the gathering to emphasize more in resolving their issues and strengthening relationships between the Muslim communities. (Photo: ANI) Hyderabad: Iranian President Dr Hassan Rouhani who is on a three-day tour to India on Friday visited the Qutub Shahi tombs in Hyderabad. "The Iranian president reached the tombs around 9 am. He was briefed about the historic site by officials," DCP (West Zone) Venkateshwar Rao said. A project for restoration of the over 400-year-old complex started in 2013 after the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) signed a memorandum of understanding with Telangana Department of Archaeology and Museums. Telangana government officials and AKTC office-bearers briefed the Iranian president about the tombs. In the afternoon, Rouhani would address a Muslim congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid after performing Friday prayers, official sources said. Religious scholars from different schools of thought would also participate in this session, they said. Rouhani began his three-day India visit on Thursday after his arrival in Hyderabad on Thursday evening. This was his second visit to Hyderabad and the first after assuming charge as the president of Iran. "He will leave for New Delhi this evening," the sources added. Addressing a meeting of religious leaders belonging to different schools of thoughts, Rouhani on Thursday, urged different Muslims sects to stay united and fight the Western forces, and added that the community should put an end to internal differences. The enemy does not see the sect of Muslims before targeting. They only see that they are fighting the Muslims and target the community in large, he said. Rouhani advised the gathering to emphasize more in resolving their issues and strengthening relationships between the Muslim communities. He said Iran wants peace across the world and friendly relations with not only Islamic countries but other countries as well. It believes that there is no military solution to problems. The problem is only diplomatic in nature. More efforts and unity are only solution to the world problem, Rouhani said. The President said that Iran wants Unity, consolidation, independence and support towards the east. He said Iran has plan for the fraternity for India. We do not want to have any difference with other countries, he said adding how Iran stood against the nations, and regions, in order to stop war conflict and violence. Rouhani said the people in the countries consider the relationship between Iran and India more for its historic links and ties dating back to several centuries. We are looking towards a more closer relationship with India, he said. (With inputs from PTI) Masood Azhar has also revealed how the simultaneous attacks in Sunjuwan and Srinagar's Karan Nagar was part of the same plan. The terror mastermind also revealed how he and his cadres were working with other terror outfits to launch these simultaneous attacks. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: A group of heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists attacked and entered an army camp in Sunjuwan in Jammu. JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar has claimed credit for the attacks that killed five Indian soldiers and a civilian. In an audio clip, Azhar brags to his cadres, "Indians are baffled at how our 'mujahideen' reached Jammu from Kashmir. Sunjunwan is not on the border but inside the heart of Jammu." Also read: Army camp attack: 5 soldiers, 4 terrorists dead; NIA takes stock Azhar reveals how the simultaneous attacks in Sunjuwan and Srinagar's Karan Nagar was part of the same plan. "While Jammu terror siege was still on, our men set Srinagar afire," he is heard saying. The terror mastermind also revealed how he and his cadres were working with other terror outfits to launch these simultaneous attacks and mocked Indian agencies for not having a whiff about it. According to media reports, Indian intelligence agencies came across the audio clip a week after three JeM fidayeen (suicide attackers) launched an attack at 36 Brigade campus in Jammu. Also read: Jammu Army camp ambush: IAF Para commandos flown in to take on terrorists Pakistan on the other hand, seems to be indignant at the allegations made by Indian authories. "It is a well-established pattern that Indian officials begin making irresponsible statements and levelling unfounded allegations, even before any proper investigation in any incident has been initiated, Pakistans foreign ministry said in a statement. We hope that the international community would urge India to stop the untold atrocities and gross violations of human rights in LoK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) (and) refrain from any misadventure across the Line of Control... it added. Also read: J&K: 2 JeM militants dead after Sunjwan Army camp attack; 2 officers martyred India has, however, continued to stress that no matter what Pakistan says, they provide support to militant terrorists. Lt Gen Devraj Anbu told the media at the Udhampur headquarters of the Army's Northern Command: "(A total of) 185-220 terrorists in the south and 190-225 terrorists in the north of Peer Panjal are ... ready for infiltration." The officer also said the Pakistan Army had a direct role in planning terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Jammu to take stock of the situation after the attack. She also blamed Pakistan for ir and said Islamabad will pay for this "misadventure." "Pakistan will pay for this misadventure. I repeat Pakistan will pay for it," she told reporters. Its a condemnable act. This shows the cowardice of Pakistan who cant face India directly and sends its people to attack civilians here. There are family quarters around the camp, so the army is taking precaution in cordoning the area, said Jammu and Kashmir deputy Chief Minister, Nirmal Singh. An NIA team had also visited the site after the terrorists stormed the Army camp in the early hours of Saturday. New Delhi: In an interesting twist to the terror attack on the Sunjwan Army camp last week, intelligence agencies in a classified report to the Centre informed that the militants inv-olved in the incident may have received local support in terms of logistics and information regarding the layout as well as plan of the Army camp. According to the report, details of which have been examined by this newspaper, intelligence agencies have also not ruled out the possibility of terror module being in that particular area for the last few days. The manner in which the attack was executed indicates that the terror module might well have been camping in and around the Army camp for the last few days with assistance from some sleeper cell which provided logistical support to them as well as giving detailed information about the layout of the camp. It is also possible that the terror module may have carried out a recee or survey of the Army camp with help of some local support, the report states. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now expected to conduct detailed investigations into all the aspects of the case as the matter is likely to be formally referred to the agency soon. An NIA team had also visited the site after the terrorists stormed the Army camp in the early hours of Saturday. Intelligence agencies have also cautioned the Centre that three terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujhaideen had joined hands to carryout simultaneous attacks at multiple locations targeting defence and security installations in Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, this trend was noticed in wake of the Sunjwan incident as after the attack on the Army camp in Jammu region, Lashkar militants targeted CRPF deployments in Srinagar. The Centre is already working on a detailed security blueprint to deal effectively with this new modus operandi being adopted by the terror groups in J&K. Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired a high-level security meeting on Monday, has already instructed the Army and security forces to double their perimeter or outer cordon security at their vital installations in the state. The Centre, which has already allocated as much as `1,400 crore for this purpose in J&K and the Northeast, has assured additional funds to the forces for further beefing up their security apparatus. In addition, the home minister has also asked to launch a fresh offensive against active militants in the state, specially their top leadership. Victims alleged that the ruling party has failed to resolve the issue of compensation to those who suffered in the industrial disaster. Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha's Balkrishna Namdeo said the BJP's campaign in the by-election mostly rests on the promises made by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (Photo: PTI) Bhopal: The organisations working for the cause of the Bhopal gas tragedy victims on Friday said they will campaign against the BJP in the upcoming bypolls to two Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. They alleged that the ruling party has failed to resolve the issue of compensation to those who suffered in the world's worst industrial disaster. The five organisations fighting for the rights of the gas victims told reporters that they will raise their issues during the campaign for the Mungaoli and Kolaras Assembly seats bypolls slated this month, and also during the state elections due later in 2018. Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh president Rashida Bee said they would highlight the alleged false promises made by BJP leaders regarding compensation to the industrial disaster victims in their voter education programme ahead of the bypolls. "We plan to share copies of official documents with the electorate in the two areas to substantiate our allegations of betrayal by the BJP leaders," she said. "The by-elections will be our first step in making the long pending issues of the gas disaster a part of the state polls later this year and the general elections next year," she further said. "We hope to provide a critical edge to ensure the defeat of BJP in Mungaoli and Kolaras," Rashida Bee added. Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha's Balkrishna Namdeo said the BJP's campaign in the by-election mostly rests on the promises made by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. "Our strategy is to present facts on the government's betrayal of the promises on compensation to the six lakh victims of the disaster," he said. Bhopal Group for Information and Action's Satinath Sarangi said they will not align with any political party and seek public support for their campaign resources. The bypolls in Mungaoli and Kolaras Assembly seats will be held on February 24, and the counting of votes would take place on February 28. The byelections were necessitated following the death of the sitting Congress MLAs Mahendra Singh Kalukheda (from Mungaoli) and Ram Singh Yadav (Kolaras). Thirty-three years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, the survivors are still fighting for adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for ailments caused by the toxic leak. Modi also stressed the need of holding government meetings and conferences at various state capitals instead of holding it in New Delhi. Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Thursday inaugurated the new Civil Secretariat complex and Dorjee Khandu State Convention Centre, said that the Centre wants to promote tourism in Arunachal Pradesh. Addressing a public rally at Itanagar, the Prime Minister said, We want to promote tourism in Arunachal. I will tell people to come to Arunachal Pradesh for their meetings and conferences instead of holding it in Delhi and Mumbai. I will tell them to explore the beauty of Arunachal Pradesh. Mr Modi, while inaugurating the convention centre, said, This is more than a building, it is a vibrant centre that will further the aspirations of Arunachal Pradesh. There will be conferences and cultural activities that will draw government officials and private companies. He also stressed the need of holding government meetings and conferences at various state capitals instead of holding it in New Delhi. He reminded that he set the ball rolling by going to Shillong for a meeting of the North-eastern Council. Referring his visit to the state, the PM said, My visit to Arunachal Pradesh is related to three key projects in the state. The secretariat is already functional and this was a good step taken by the state government. The new secretariat will help the people of the state. Nirav who holds an Indian passport, left India on Jan 1, while his brother Nishal, a Belgian citizen, departed from the country on same day. Nirav Modi's wife Ami, a US citizen, left on January 6 and his uncle and business partner Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain, left on January 4, the officials said. (Photo: File) Mumbai: In a major development to the PNB fraud case, the Passport issuing authority in the Ministry of External Affairs has suspended validity of passports of billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and his business partner and uncle Mehul Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks on the advice of the Enforcement Directorate. The two have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked. If they fail to respond within the stipulated time, the foreign affairs ministry will go ahead with the revocation. Earlier, the Interpol has issued diffusion notice against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi and Mehul Choksi. After almost 24 hours, raids continued at Nirav Modi's boutique in Kala Ghoda in Mumbai on Friday. It is alleged that Modi and his associate companies fraudulently acquired PNB guarantees worth USD 1.7 billion that they later used to obtain overseas loans. The CBI has sought revocation of the passports of billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his partner Mehul Choksi who are the main accused in alleged fraudulent transactions of over Rs 11,400 crore through 150 letters of understanding issued by the Punjab National Bank, officials said. The probe agency has also registered FIR against Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Group of companies on the complaint of the Punjab National Bank dated 13 Feb, 2018. The CBI is conducting searches at 20 premises in six cities across five states, belonging to Gitanjali Group & other directors of accused companies. The raid is being conducted in Maharashtra's Mumbai and Pune, Gujarat's Surat, Rajasthan's Jaipur, Telangana's Hyderabad & Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore. Meanwhile, PNB has suspended 8 more employees on Friday thereby taking the total number of suspended employees to 18, which also include General Manager level officers. The bank also said that internal investigation into the matter is underway. Also read: PNB fraud case: CBI seeks revocation of passports of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi Nirav Modi, who holds an Indian passport, left India on January 1, while his brother Nishal, a Belgian citizen, departed from the country on same day. However, whether they travelled together has to be probed, they said. Nirav Modi's wife Ami, a US citizen, left on January 6 and his uncle and business partner Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain, left on January 4, the officials said. The delay in filing of complaint by the bank left limited options for the agency with one of them being revocation of proceedings, they said. The bank claimed that it became suspicious only on January 16 when the accused companies --Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds (all accused in the CBI FIR) -- approached it with import documents and a request to issue Letters of Understanding (LoUs) for raising buyers' credit for making payments to the overseas suppliers. The bank, however, could not find any past entries in the system, the FIR has alleged. It approached the CBI on January 29 with a complaint of Rs 280 crore fraud, officials said. Nirav Modi, who is believed to be in Switzerland, was also present in a group photograph of Indian CEOs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued by the Press Information Bureau, during the World Economic Forum on January 23, six days before the bank sent its first complaint against him to the CBI, according to the officials. The agency immediately swung into action, registering an FIR on January 31, followed by searches at 20 locations in Mumbai and Surat. It also issued a look out circular on February 4 against Nirav Modi and three absconding accused, they said. A look out circular is issued by enforcement agencies to all exit and entry ports to inform them about the movement of an accused. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate moved separate applications with the external affairs ministry, seeking the revocation of passports of Modi and his Choksi. Nirav Modi, a regular on the lists of rich and famous Indians since 2013, was booked by the CBI, along with wife, brother and business partner and Choksi on January 31, for allegedly cheating the state-run Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 280 crore. The bank again approached the CBI within a fortnight of the first complaint giving details of more transactions which were over Rs 11,400 crore. The question as to why the PNB did not send a complaint to the CBI and decided to give it in tranches is also under the scanner of the agency, they said. An LoU is a letter of comfort issued by one bank to branches of other banks, based on which foreign branches offer credit to buyers. Also read: PNB detects Rs 11,346 crore fraud, other lenders may be hit too The bank has claimed in three complaints to the CBI that so far it has detected 150 LoUs which were fraudulently issued by its officials in connivance with Nirav Modi and the other accused in the case, the officials said. The agency is analysing the fresh complaints and will take a call whether to register fresh FIRs or expand the ambit of the existing FIR related to fraudulent transactions of worth Rs 280 crore, they said. In these cases, the bank has alleged that the LOUs were issued to Hong Kong based branches of Allahabad and Axis bank, they said. The PNB has claimed in the complaint that overseas branch of banks used the funds to clear their own liabilities, the officials said. During searches conducted by the agency which included the residences of Nirav Modi and the other accused along with companies, the CBI recovered 95 crucial documents related to import bills, they said. Also read: Fraud started in 2011, we detected in Jan this year, says PNB chief The agency has also seized computers and other digital devices and has completed mirror imaging of computers seized during the searches, the officials said. Also read: Priyanka Chopra to terminate contract with Nirav Modi (With PTI inputs) The Board also deferred the proposal by the information and broadcasting ministry to appoint a serving IAS officer as member of Prasar Bharati. The members pointed out at the meeting that the highest compensation paid to contractual staff in Prasar Bharati and Doordarshan was not more than Rs 1.6 lakh per month. New Delhi: The Prasar Bharati Board on Thursday deferred the proposals put forth by the government to appoint senior journalists to top posts in Doordarshan News and Prasar Bharati. The Board also deferred the proposal by the information and broadcasting ministry to appoint a serving IAS officer as member (personnel) of Prasar Bharati. Sources stated that the proposal to appoint journalists, considered close to the government, at key editorial positions was deferred by the Board after some of the members rejected the exhorbitant packages being sought for their services. It is learnt that the highest compensation paid to journalists at Prasar Bharati is about Rs 1.6 lakh per month and the exhorbitant demand being made wasnt acceptable to the Board members. While the name of a senior business journalist was being considered for CEO DD News another senior journalists name was discussed for Prasar Bharati News Service. Sources said members of the Prasar Bharati Board felt it was being pressured by the ministry to hire both the journalists at a compensation of Rs 1 crore per month for one, and Rs 75 lakh per month for the other. The members pointed out at the meeting that the highest compensation paid to contractual staff in Prasar Bharati and Doordarshan was not more than Rs 1.6 lakh per month. At the Board meeting it was also reiterated that Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body and the ministry cannot dictate whom to appoint in the board, sources stated. This newspaper had on February 3 first reported that the Modi government was seeking to make a major overhaul to the national broadcasters by employing senior journalists for news operations. This move came after the Yogi Adityanath govt began a major crackdown against criminals, with an increase in the number of encounters. They said that he neither of them wants to be hunted like other criminals anymore and wants to live peacefully with their families. Lucknow: A recent incident in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana town saw two criminals who are both repeat offenders carrying placards apologising for their behaviour and promising they would not get involved in any crime hereafter. The placards also say that they would work hard and earn money honestly. The duo also submitted an affidavit to Shamli Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma. Salim Ali and Irshad Ahmad, accused in several murder and loot cases, were recently released on bail. This move came after the Yogi Adityanath government began a major crackdown against criminals, with an increase in the number of encounters. Uttar Pradesh saw 38 encounter killings by the state police in the just over ten months since the Yogi Adityanath-led government assumed charge. In 25 days, there were 8 killings in 60 encounters earlier this year, mostly in Lucknow, Shamli, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr, Gorakhpur, Hapur, Kanpur and Meerut. Salim has multiple criminal cases against him, but said that he neither of them wants to be hunted like other criminals anymore and wants to live peacefully with their families. Kairana police station officer Bhagwat Singh said that the main aim of the police was to make sure that criminals leave the life of crime. The criminals pledge is clear indication that they fear police and it is required for maintaining law and order. A close watch will be kept on them, he said. Uttar Pradesh recorded 1,142 encounters between March 20, 2017, a day after Yogi Adityanath government assumed power and January 31 this year. The total number of arrests made during the period was 2,744. The number of injured is estimated to be 265. A total of 247 police personnel were also injured in the encounter. 'You are not talking to the Prime Minister of India, you are talking to a friend,' said Modi. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held 'Pariksha Par Charcha', an interactive session with students at Delhi's Talkatora Stadium. Other students across the nation are also participating in the session through video conferencing. The stage lit up with dance performances of students before the Prime Minister addressed the young ones. Addressing students on exam stress ahead of the Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations, Modi said, "You are not talking to the Prime Minister of India, you are talking to a friend, I am here as a student let us see how many marks will you give me out of 10". Today is not your exam, its mine, said the PM as he interacted with the students. On being asked by a student on how to handle the stress that they experience even after preparation, PM said, "We all prepare honestly but if we dont have confidence then we tend to forget things at the last minute". "Self confidence comes by challenging ourselves and working hard. We should always think of bettering ourselves," he added. He asked the students to forget that someone will give them marks or assess them and just think that they themselves are their examiners. He also asked them to not compete with their friends as each student has been raised differently and has a different ecosystem adding that they should concentrate and analyse themselves. "You should compete with yourself, not others," PM told the students. Asserting on the importance of practicing Yoga, Modi urged the students to perform yoga to improve concentration. The Prime Minister also advised the students to not doubt their parents intentions and try to understand them, as he answered questions about expectations of parents. "Dont study only when your parents are around, study otherwise too," he said. The Nirbhaya Fund scheme was announced by the Centre in 2013 after the sensational December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case in Delhi. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up all the states, particularly Madhya Pradesh, for not showing enough concern towards rape victims by specifying the amount of compensation payable to each rape victim under the Nirbhaya Fund. Is rape worth Rs 6,500? Thats how a shocked Supreme Court asked the Madhya Pradesh government while questioning the state whether it was doing a charity by giving this meagre amount to the victims of sexual assaults. A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta expressed anger as none of the states and Union Territories, except Sikkim, filed affidavits specifying the amount they received under the Nirbhaya Fund towards victim compensation and details of how much of that amount has disbursed to victims of sexual assault. The Nirbhaya Fund scheme was announced by the Centre in 2013 after the sensational December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case in Delhi to support the initiatives of governments and the NGOs working for womens safety. Referring to Madhya Pradeshs earlier affidavit, Justice Lokur said, For Madhya Pradesh, the figures are fantastic. There are 1,951 rape victims in Madhya Pradesh and you are giving them Rs 6,000- Rs 6,500 each. Is that good, commendable? What is this? This is total insensitiveness. Are you doing a charity? How can you do so you value a rape at Rs 6,000- Rs 6,500. The bench observed We had given a specific order on January 9 asking you to file affidavits. Are the states not interested in paying compensation? If you dont file affidavit then there is the presumption that you are not interested in safety and protection of women. The court directed all the state governments and UTs to file an affidavit within four weeks indicating the amount received by them under the Nirbhaya Fund. The verdict comes just months before the Karnataka Assembly elections, boosting the ruling Congress. The original water-sharing agreement between the states was signed between the Madras Presidency and the princely State of Mysore in 1924 and it lapsed in 1974, giving rise to a dispute. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Observing that the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a higher pedestal and recognising the needs of global city Bengaluru, the Supreme Court on Friday increased the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) and reduced Tamil Nadus share, setting off jubilations and strong protests in the two states, respectively. Drinking water requirement of the overall population of all the states has to be placed on a higher pedestal as we treat it as a hierarchically fundamental principle of equitable distribution, said a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, increasing Karnatakas allocation by 4.75 TMC for drinking water and 10 TMC towards industrial and other uses. The verdict comes just months before the Karnataka Assembly elections, boosting the ruling Congress. While the verdict sparked celebrations in Karnataka, in Tamil Nadu there was criticism of the verdict across the political spectrum. Aspiring politician-cum-superstar Rajinikanth described the court decision as very disappointing as it will affect the livelihood of farmers. He also asked the Tamil Nadu government to file a review petition against the decision. Actor Kamal Haasan also sought a review of the apex court decision and called for calm in the state and advised judicious use of water. The original water-sharing agreement between the states was signed between the Madras Presidency and the princely State of Mysore in 1924 and it lapsed in 1974, giving rise to a dispute. Rejecting Karnatakas contention that since the Cauvery originates in the state, it can utilise its water in its own way, the bench, which also included Justices Amitava Roy and A.M. Kanwilkar, said that the waters of an inter-state river passing through the corridors of the riparian states are a national asset and cannot be said to be located in any one state. Being in a state of flow, no state can claim exclusive ownership of such waters or assert a prescriptive right so as to deprive the other states of their equitable share, the bench added. While distributing the 740 TMC water available in the Cauvery basin among states, the court said that Karnataka will get 270 TMC + 14.75 TMC, Tamil Nadu 404.25 TMC (419-14.75), Kerala 30 TMC and Puducherry 7 TMC. The remaining 14 TMC has been reserved for environment protection and meeting emergencies. The court made it clear that the monthly release of water would remain in force for another 15 years. It also directed the Centre to set up Cauvery Management Board, as suggested by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, within six weeks to implement the courts decision. CJI Misra, who wrote the 465-page judgment, accepted the findings of the Tribunal in its final award on February 5, 2007 in toto, except a slight modification made in the water release by Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. The court disagreed with the tribunals decision not to take into account data which suggests that around 20 TMC of groundwater is available beneath the ground surface in Tamil Nadu. We, while keeping in mind the risks associated with over extraction of underground water, deem it fit that 10 TMC of the said available groundwater in Tamil Nadu can, in the facts and circumstances of the present case, be accounted for in the final determination of its share, said the bench. Asked about this, CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy came out into the open on Thursday and made it clear the Communists were open to the idea. New Delhi: Putting another spanner into the Congress dreams of a unified Opposition and forming a grand alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a section of regional satraps and the Left parties have begun parleys to cobble up a third front. The parties which have begun talks include the Bahujan Samaj Party, Janata Dal (Secular), Rashtriya Lok Dal, Biju Janata Dal, the Left parties and Trinamul Congress. The first such experiment is likely to be tried out in the coming crucial Lok Sabha bypolls in three Uttar Pradesh seats Kairana, Phulpur and Gorakhpur. It is learnt either RLD chief Ajit Singh or his son Jayant Chowdhary will be made the fronts candidate from Kairana, with the BSPs help. The seat had fallen vacant after the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh. The seeds for this alliance were sown with the coming together of the BSP and Janata Dal (Secular), led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, in Karnataka. Mr Deve Gowda has already asked the Left parties to join the alliance. Asked about this, CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy came out into the open on Thursday and made it clear the Communists were open to the idea. We are open to such an alliance both in Karnataka and elsewhere, like UP, but it needs to be clarified the JD(S) will not join hands with the BJP in a post-poll scenario, he told this newspaper. Sources said Mr Deve Gowda may issue a statement in the next few days assuring his party will have nothing to do with the BJP in order to assuage the doubts of the Left parties. However, while these parties are unlikely to go with the BJP, their reluctance to come under the Congress umbrella could end up helping the BJP as it will lead to a division in the secular as well as anti-incumbency votes. At the heart of the explorations for a third front was the quest for dalit votes. The dalit identity has reared its head across the country since incidents like the suicide of Rohith Vemula and the Una flogging and is likely to emerge as a major factor in the 2019 power game. It is this opportunity that Ms Mayawati is trying to exploit to gain back her relevance in the political scene. One of the main reasons behind the explorations for a third front was that most regional satraps have issues about accepting Rahul Gandhi as the leader of any anti-BJP front, a senior Opposition leader said. Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has already made a list of desirable attributes in a leader of such an alliance, and it does not fit Mr Gandhis bill. Ms Mayawati also played ghost at all major Opposition meetings in recent times, making it clear that she was not ready to accept the leadership role of the Congress. However, the Congress Party is adamant that Mr Gandhi should be accepted as the leader of any such front. Former Congress president and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi had recently said that Rahul is my boss too. Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has also said that only Mr Gandhi could be the leader for any such alliance. A senior Congress leader said: Any vote against Rahul Gandhi is likely to benefit the BJP. Sources in the proposed third front, however, say that the Congress will have no option but to support them after the 2019 general election to keep the BJP out of power if the situation so demands. They added that after the 2019 polls, if the BJP fails to get a clear majority, many others like the Biju Janata Dal, Akali Dal and Telugu Desam Party might joint the alliance. Under an agreement, India is to invest $85 million for equipping the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the gathering after offering prayers at Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad on Friday. All-India Majlis-eIttehad-ul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi is also seen in the picture.(Photo: PTI) Hyderabad: Iran on Friday expressed willingness to share its vast oil and natural gas resources with India and simplify visa norms to strengthen bilateral ties. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is on a three-day visit to India, said the current century belongs to Asia where New Delhi and Tehran have an important role to play. The Chabahar port in the Gulf country will open up the transit route for India to Iran and Afghanistan (bypassing Pakistan), Central Asian countries and Europe, he told a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid here after offering Friday prayers. Under an agreement, India is to invest $85 million for equipping the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran. Iran has abundant oil and natural gas resources and is willing to share them with India for its progress and prosperity of (its) people, he said. The President said Iran is hopeful India will reciprocate by simplifying visa rules to enhance people-to-people contact. Although one of them does take an aim, the other ends up hitting him in the face. Several burglaries are reported across the world every year and there have also been portrayals of robberies in pop culture. But while many of these crimes are meticulously planned, thieves spotted in China seem to be the dumbest of the lot. An attempted robbery in Shanghai came to an abrupt end when one of the burglars knocked down his partner. The two masked men can be seen trying to shatter a glass door with bricks in a video. Although one of them does take an aim, the other ends up hitting him in the face. The man seems unconscious after the bizarre turn of events as his accomplice drags him away. Shanghai police even mocked the clumsy robbers saying that they wont have to work overtime with such thieves out there. The man, Vikas had fights with her wife over domestic issues that led to tension in the family, police said. Victim allegedly left home by telling his wife that he was going to commit suicide on February 14 night. Later, his brother found his body on railway tracks. A suicide note was also found on him, the police officer said. (Representational image) New Delhi: A 31-year-old married man allegedly committed suicide by jumping before a moving train in Madhu Vihar area of Delhi on Valentine's Day, police said on Thursday. The man, Vikas, left behind a suicide note levelling allegations on his wife and in-laws, said a police officer. He got married three months ago and lived with his wife at Chandra Vihar area. He had fights with her wife over domestic issues that led to tension in the family, he said. He allegedly left home by telling his wife that he was going to commit suicide on February 14 night. Later, his brother found his body on railway tracks. A suicide note was also found on him, the police officer said. The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem, he added. The mishap triggered protests by local people who blocked the busy SP Mukherjee Road-Desopran Sashmal Road near Charu Market police station. An elderly woman and a boy were crossing the road when they were knocked down by a private bus of Route no 40B at around 10 am. (Photo: File/Representational) Kolkata: Two persons, including a child, were injured when a bus knocked them down in Tollygunje area in Kolkata on Friday, the police said. An elderly woman and a boy were crossing the road when they were knocked down by a private bus of Route no 40B at around 10 am, they said. The two were taken to the nearby M R Bangur hospital while the bus was intercepted a little distance away and the driver arrested. The mishap triggered protests by local people who blocked the busy S P Mukherjee Road-Desopran Sashmal Road near Charu Market police station for over an hour demanding immediate action to stop rash driving along the stretch. The blockade, along one flank of the S P Mukherjee road, disrupted movement of vehicular traffic for an hour. Deputy Commissioner, SSD (South Suburban Division) Rupesh Kumar persuaded the locals to lift the blockade at around 11:30 am. He later said the demands of the local people for more police posting and installation of traffic signal at the thoroughfare were being considered. The fire brigade officials reached the spot after sometime and they doused the fire within a few minutes. Mumbai: A five-year-old girl and her mother died in a fire incident which happened in Airoli at their resident early on Thursday. The family stayed on the first floor, above their ground-floor shop that caught fire due to a short circuit. The three men from the family immediately jumped off their flats window but the mother of two children could not jump down. She chose to save the life of her one-year-old infant son first, though she as well as her five year-old daughter perished in the fire. She threw her one-year-old son outside her window who was caught safely by local residents gathered below. The mother, Manju Chaudhary, and her five-year-old daughter, Gayatri, died due to suffocation at the flat. A police officer said, After having dinner on Wednesday night, Chaudhary closed the shutter of the shop and went to sleep on the first floor. Around 3.45 am the cousin woke and spotted a fire in the shop, one of his cousin brothers, who stayed with them, slept in the shop realised the fire and he called everyone. After the plastic toys caught the fire, the fire spread very fast and the shop was filled with smoke. The fire brigade officials reached the spot after sometime and they doused the fire within a few minutes. They then found Gayatri and her mother Manju lying unconscious on the first floor. They were rushed to a nearby hospital. But they doctors declared them brought dead. The doctors said that they died of suffocation on the fire. A delegation of the locals led by Mr Thackeray met the CM at his official residence Varsha. Mumbai: After announcing to go solo for the next Lok Sabha poll, a meeting between Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday at the latters bungalow has created flutter in the political circle. Though the official reason for the meeting was the Senas opposition to the proposed Naner oil refinery, sources said that both the leaders possibly discussed the current political scenario. Sena has been opposing the proposed Naner refinery project in Konkan along with the locals. A delegation of the locals led by Mr Thackeray met the CM at his official residence Varsha. Locals do not want the project, fearing it will ruin the environment and displace 3,000 families. The expected investment in the project is Rs 2.3 lakh crore and would require 15,000-acre of the land along the Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri border. The sources in the government said that the two leaders met separately before the refinery discussion. The met for around 15 minutes and possibly discussed the current political scenario, the sources said. Though the Sena has passed a resolution to go solo for the polls, the two parties might have some amicable solution for the polls. The meeting between the two has political significance as there were reports that the alliance between the two will not continue longer. The delegation told the CM about the problems of the proposed refinery project. The CM assured them that he would look into the matter. He even said that the government would respect the sentiments of the villagers and will reconsider the project, the sources said. Earlier in the day, industries minister and Sena leader Subhash Desai had said that the project would not be enforced on the people. I appeal to all farmers that if ministers approach you with less amount, do not accept it; beat them instead. Mumbai: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti on Thursday made a controversial remark while addressing a farmers rally in Solapur district. On the subject of compensation to hailstorm-affected farmers, Mr Shetti said that farmers should beat the ministers who were declaring negligible monetary relief. Mr Shetti called the BJP-led central and state government a most insensitive one in independent India. Now they are coming out with just two thousand to three thousand per hectare for hailstorm-affected farmers. This is peanuts. Farmers are not going to keep quiet. I appeal to all farmers that if ministers approach you with such a less amount, do not accept it; beat them instead. Mr Shetti said that if any calamity had impacted industries, the government would have given the sector a package. But as they are not sensitive towards your (farmers) issues, they are not paying attention to you, Mr Shetti said. Mr Shetti also criticised marketing minister Subhash Deshmukh in his speech. Mr Desai is talking about relief for sugarcane farmers. What is his contribution in it? The BJP government allowed importing sugar from Pakistan for so long that the domestic market collapsed and sugarcane growers were badly hurt, he said. In a rejoinder to Mr Shetti, Mr Deshmukh said, He (Mr Shetti) should know that it is the BJP government that has helped farmers in bigger ways than the previous Congress-NCP government. Farmers will not listen to him and they will be with the BJP as they know the real faces of opposition parties. Defending Mr Shettis remarks, Ravikant Tupkar, leader of SSS, said, This is the anger of the farmers. If you go to rural Maharashtra and listen to the difficulties of the farmers, everyone will support Mr Shetti. As BJP is sensing defeat in the coming elections, it has started talking to farmers. Seizures to the tune of Rs 5,100 crore were done by the ED till late evening, officials said. Mumbai: The CBI and the Enfor-cement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted pan-India raids at 17 properties belonging to diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his business aides in connection with the fraud. Seizures to the tune of Rs 5,100 crore were done by the ED till late evening, officials said. The ED officials added that would probe the roles of senior officers from PNB as fraudulent transactions to the tune of such a huge amount was not possible without their connivance. The companies in question are Nirav Modis outlets, Firestar Diamo-nd Pvt Ltd and Firestar International Pvt Ltd. Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and relative Mehul Choksi are partners in Diamonds R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds that have showrooms in India and abroad. The ED searched 17 premises across India of Nirav Modi and Geetan-jali Gems in case related to fraud in PNB. Stocks of gold, diamond and precious stones worth Rs 5,100 crore seized, said an ED statement. BMC counsel Anil Sakhare told the high court that the fire department had already submitted a detailed report. Mumbai: Clearing its stand before the Bombay high court, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said there is no need to appoint any independent judicial commission to probe the Kamala Mills fire in which killed fourteen lives were lost in December last year. BMC counsel Anil Sakhare told the high court that the fire department had already submitted a detailed report and the civic body is also probing the incident in depth. He also told the court that the civic body has already appointed a four-member committee, which also has the BMCs chief engineer as a member, that is probing the fire. This committee will file its report before the municipal commissioner within three months. The court was also informed that criminal prosecution had been initiated against 13 persons and a departmental inquiry had been initiated against officials found to be negligent towards their duties; however, this inquiry is at a premature stage and hence the court should not form any judicial commission of inquiry into the incident, he said. Following this statement, the division bench of Justice R.M. Borde and Justice R.G. Ketkar asked the state about its stand on the court forming a judicial commission. To this, advocate Purnima Kantharia, the counsel for the state, sought time from the bench to take instructions from the state and file a reply. The bench granted her time and now the bench is expected to issue directions on the same on Friday. The bench was hearing PIL filed by former police commissioner Julio Ribeiro through advocate Sujay Kantawala, Ashish Mehta and Brijesh Pathak seeking a judicial inquiry into the incident. According to police, 11 others were admitted to a private hospital in Kalyan and are said to be out of danger. One worker, identified as Sanjay Sharma, died of suffocation and a case of accidental death was registered at Ulhasnagar city police station in this connection, police said. (Representational image | File) Thane: A 34-year-old worker died and 11others were hospitalised after suspected leakage of hazardous gas in a rayon manufacturing unit at Shahad in Kalyan in the district, police said on Friday. The incident took place late on Thursday night, they said. "The process of mixing of three different gases was in progress at the unit, when around 11.30 pm some workers complained of nausea, eye irritation and suffocation, possibly due to leakage of hazardous gas. They were rushed to a hospital," a police officer said. One worker, identified as Sanjay Sharma, died of suffocation and a case of accidental death was registered at Ulhasnagar city police station in this connection, police said. According to police, 11 others were admitted to a private hospital in Kalyan and are said to be out of danger. Investigation into the case is on. Sena chief was unhappy with Ashish and Mangeshs conduct. Mumbai: In a major political development in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ruling party Shiv Sena asked two senior Sena corporators - Mangesh Satamkar and Ashish Chemburkar - to resign from their posts as members of the civic standing committee on Thursday. Both were asked to resign from the committee by the party leadership on Thursday. The move is seen as a serious blow to the aspirations of these heavyweight corporators. Both the corporators submitted their resignations to the municipal secretary. Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar later made the formal announcement of their resignation in the civic house. With the resignation of these corporators, two positions held by the Sena in the all-important standing committee have become vacant. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will announce the replacements soon, said party sources. Ashish Chemburkar According to sources, the move to remove these corporators has been made to accommodate corporators from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), who recently switched their loyalties to Sena, in the standing committee. Six MNS corporators, led by party group leader Dilip Lande, formally joined the Sena at the civic body's general body meeting on Thursday. Asked about his resignation, Mr Chemburkar said: "I have resigned following the orders from the party leadership." Mr Satamkar remained unavailable for comment. Mr Satamkar and Mr Chindarkar had retained their position in the civic standing committee following the lottery, which was held after the committee completed its one-year period. It meant they would have continued as standing committee members next year too. Sources in the Sena said the party leadership was unhappy with their performance. After the BMC elections held in February 2017, both were seen as strong contenders for the posts of mayor and standing committee chairman. However, rejecting their claims the party appointed Mr Mahadeshwar as a mayor and Ramesh Korgaonkar as a standing committee chairman. The post of party group leader too went to Yashwant Jadhav. Following this, Mr Satamkar and Mr Chemburkar had openly expressed their displeasure. Mangesh Satamkar Sena sources tried to downplay the developments. The resignation of both these corporators is a routine procedure as committee members are changed annually. It is up to the party leadership whom to appoint on which committee, a senior Sena leader said. The erudite Prakash Karat had announced that Modis government is not fascist. On Sunday, the CPI(M) faces what may be its biggest battle in a long time. Tripura, the state it has been ruling for 25 years, goes to the polls. And this time the fight wont be with a dwindling Congress, but with a shrewd, ruthless and well-organised BJP that is steadily gaining ground across the Northeast. Manik Sarkar, the incorruptible, dedicated, dyed-in-the-wool Communist leader has been an outstanding chief minister for a quarter century. But the times are odd. And after its spectacular loss in West Bengal, if the CPI(M) loses Tripura, it may as well forget about being taken seriously as a national party. It must reinvent itself as a godless party in Gods own country. Curiously, the godless grand theorists from Gods own country have surreptitiously been supporting their god-peddling opponents for years. Prakash Karat and his cosy comrades from Kerala have helped the BJP climb into power and are now busy making sure it stays there. Thats suicidal, of course, for the CPI(M) and for the democratic, secular, egalitarian nation it dreams of. But they developed that trait when they decided to be led by a theorist who couldnt get his nose out of tenets to appreciate urgent practical needs. We saw this suicidal trait of the CPI(M) again last month, when its central committee rejected the suggestion by Mr Karats successor, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, that it have a tactical understanding with the Congress to form a united Opposition against the BJP for the 2019 general election. Of course, this decision to not join forces will help the BJP, by splitting anti-BJP votes and weakening a united front against the Hindutva brigade. BJP wins in central committee by 55 to 31 votes! lamented disappointed liberals, who had hoped for a strong, united, democratic front that could take on the BJP in 2019. It does seem like the BJP has infiltrated the CPI(M). Because the systematic sabotage of the Oppositions chances against the Hindutva party defies logic. Dont these erudite Communist ideologues understand the enormous gravity of the situation? This is not the time to seek out differences between possible allies, its time to put differences aside and build on common, larger ideological goals, to come together to fight the greater enemy that is uprooting pluralism and democratic freedoms and trying to change the very idea of India. This refusal to have even a tactical understanding, let alone an alliance, with the Congress for the Lok Sabha polls is yet another historic blunder by Mr Karat and his friends, one that many in the party and country will regret forever. The CPI(M)s Stalinist authoritarianism has flourished under Mr Karats stewardship, and has faithfully prioritised its scorn for sundry conceptual enemies above the countrys greater good. So this poll strategy is the latest feather in Mr Karats jokers cap. The first was in 1996, when he wouldnt let the party join the Central government, not even with Jyoti Basu as Prime Minister. What spectacular scorn he displayed for parliamentary governance, what stunning arrogance in believing that people would elect them to merely be critics in Parliament. And what spectacular imagination to believe they would step in to rule once they had a majority. So charming. So unworldly. Since then dear Karat has collected quite a few feathers for his cap. One for not allowing comrade Somnath Chatterjee to become President of India. One for its muscular ejection of Mr Chatterjee from the party for doing his duty as Lok Sabha Speaker and not putting party before country. One for confounding the people by ignoring issues of hunger, price rise, healthcare and governance to focus squarely on the India-US civil nuclear agreement, clearly something that would endear the pro-poor party to its voters in villages and slums. Then another for joining hands with the BJP to pull the plug on the secular UPA government they had helped set up. The UPA government survived, though, but the CPI(M) didnt. From that day in 2008, the CPI(M) has been in free fall. For years the older generation of CPI(M) leaders like Harkishen Singh Surjeet, E.M.S. Namboodiripad or Jyoti Basu had worked to get the party to that position of power. Where they had the numbers in Parliament, where they mattered, they could help form government policy. They developed a humanism that was attractive to young idealists dreaming of an equal, just, secular country. The powerful Karat chop squashed all that and took the party back to a fundamentalism that disrespects the democratic process and throttles dissent. It has had disastrous consequences. The Left did terribly in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections where the UPA won handsomely. And in 2011, it faced the historic defeat of being routed in West Bengal after 34 years of rule. Finally, it weakened the anti-Hindutva bloc that had come together, which helped the BJP come to power. Instead of carrying on the work started by Surjeet and comrades to find ways of halting the rise of right-wing fascism, Mr Karat and company are busy preserving party tenets as fossilised as flies in amber. With weird logic. They agree that it is crucial to defeat the BJP by bringing together all secular and democratic forces in the Opposition, yet they refuse to befriend the largest, national, pan-Indian, secular Opposition party. This is particularly silly when the CPI(M) has had many close ties with the Congress from P.V. Narasimha Raos time, through the Third Front and till Manmohan Singhs first UPA government. Brilliant scholars as they are, they must remember how Stalin joined hands with imperialist forces to fight Hitler. Guess they can only follow suit when the situation is perfectly replicated. The erudite Mr Karat had announced that Mr Modis government is not fascist. Nor is the RSS its merely semi-fascist. So any coming together of the CPI(M) with secular democratic forces, including the Congress, must wait till the RSS, and then its political partner BJP are totally fascist. And perhaps reach Nazi proportions? It was launched on February 13 from the Russian space complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. An unmanned Russian cargo ship has docked successfully at the International Space Station, delivering a fresh batch of supplies for the crew. The Russian space agency Roscosmos said the Progress spacecraft moored at the station on February 15 in automatic mode, bringing 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of food, fuel and instruments. It was launched on February 13 from the Russian space complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch initially set for Sunday was postponed at the very last minute due to an unspecified glitch. And instead of the original plan to test a new regime for docking less than four hours after launch, it performed a standard two-day approach maneuver. There are six astronauts aboard the space station three Americans, two Russians and one from Japan. China is involved in a widening maritime dispute with several Southeast Asian countries over islands in the resource-rich South China Sea. The Trump administration has made clear that the US wants a productive relationship with China, and the two countries must work to manage and resolve differences. (Photo: File) Washington: The US will not allow China to bully or coerce nations in Asia, a senior Trump administration official has said, amid Beijing flexing its muscles in the region. The Trump administration has made clear that the US wants a productive relationship with China, and the two countries must work to manage and resolve differences, Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in her confirmation hearing. We have been equally clear, however, that we will not abide Chinese attempts to displace the US in Asia, to coerce countries in the region and that we will not be taken advantage of, she said. If the international system that has enabled Chinas rise is to continue, then rules and standards must be observed and countries must not be bullied or threatened, but treated as equal players, Thornton said. The administration, under Trumps leadership, is working to expand and deepen partnerships throughout the region via the Indo-Pacific strategy, she said. We also continue to prioritise work in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to promote high-standards and fair trade and to support ASEAN-centered regional architecture, which underpins East Asian peace and security. The US is a Pacific power and will remain committed to this regions success, Thornton said. The Asia Pacific region has a very real security and economic challenges, including the menacing threat of North Korea, the rise of an authoritarian China, and the spread of terrorism and extremism, she said. Although the region has enjoyed peace and growing prosperity for years, the threat from North Korea continues to increase, tensions and extremism are on the rise, and the export-led model that underpinned, Thornton said. East Asias stunning growth is no longer viable. We must insist on fair and reciprocal market access, if we are to sustain the global trading system. Backsliding on democracy, governance and corruption, and human rights is also undermining prospects for stability and growth in some countries, she told the lawmakers. China is involved in a widening maritime dispute with several Southeast Asian countries over islands in the resource-rich South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the islands. 'China's impressive military buildup could soon challenge the United States across almost every domain,' Admiral Harry Harris said. The Admiral Harris said Kim's long-term goal is not merely to ensure the survival of his regime, but to control the entire Korean peninsula. (Photo : Representational | AP) Washington: China's military might is growing at such a pace that it could soon rival American power "across almost every domain," a top US military official said Wednesday. Admiral Harry Harris, who heads up the military's enormous Pacific Command (PACOM), warned lawmakers they must be wary of Beijing's investments in traditional assets as well as its development of a new wave of technologies such as hypersonic missiles and artificial intelligence. "China's impressive military buildup could soon challenge the United States across almost every domain," Harris told the House Armed Services Committee. "Key advancements include fielding significant improvements in missile systems, developing fifth-generation fighter aircraft capabilities, and growing the size and capability of the Chinese navy to include their first overseas base in the port of Djibouti." He added: "If the US does not keep pace, PACOM will struggle to compete with the People's Liberation Army on future battlefields." Harris, who has been nominated to become the next US ambassador to Australia, has led PACOM for more than two years. He also addressed politicians' concerns about the threat of a missile strike from North Korea. The Pentagon can, as of now, block any missile coming from the regime of Kim Jong Un, he said, but warned America needs to adapt to the rapid advances in Pyongyang's capabilities. "Given what we think the North Korean capability might be in terms of their missiles in three or four years.... I think we must continue to improve our missile defenses," he said. Harris said he supported a study to consider whether America should install ground-based missile interceptors in Hawaii, augmenting the batteries already in place in Alaska and Hawaii. The admiral said Kim's long-term goal is not merely to ensure the survival of his regime, but to control the entire Korean peninsula. "He is on a path to achieve what he feels is his natural place, where North Korea's natural outcome is a unified Korean peninsula that's subject to (Kim) and the communist regime," Harris said. Korea experts frequently say Kim's motivations for building a nuclear deterrent are somewhat rational because he sees it as protecting his regime, even though his missile push has put him at risk of conflict with the United States. As a candidate, Trump promised 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.' Trump's policy, the third version of the ban that he has issued since taking office in January 2017, blocks entry into the United States of most people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. (Photo: AP) Washington: President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries violates the US Constitution by discriminating on the basis of religion, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday in another legal setback for the policy. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals, on a 9-4 vote, became the second federal appeals court to rule against the ban, finding that the Republican president's own words demonstrated that bias against Muslims was the basis of the policy. The US Supreme Court has allowed the ban, put in place by Trump by presidential proclamation in September, to go into effect while litigation challenging it continues. The 4th Circuit ruling went further than the earlier decision by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which found the ban violated federal immigration law but did not address whether it also violated the Constitution. The Supreme Court already has said it will consider both issues in deciding the legality of the ban in the coming months. The justices are due in April to hear arguments over the ban and issue a ruling by the end of June. "Examining official statements from President Trump and other executive branch officials, along with the proclamation itself, we conclude that the proclamation is unconstitutionally tainted with animus toward Islam," 4th Circuit Chief Judge Roger Gregory wrote in the ruling. The travel ban challengers "offer undisputed evidence of such bias: the words of the President," Gregory wrote, noting Trump's "disparaging comments and tweets regarding Muslims." As a candidate, Trump promised "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." The court also took note of the fact that Trump in November shared on Twitter anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right British political figure. Trump's policy, the third version of the ban that he has issued since taking office in January 2017, blocks entry into the United States of most people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Trump has said the policy is needed to protect the United States from terrorism by Islamic terrorists. US Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the 4th Circuit ruling "does not alter the status quo, and we look forward to ultimate resolution of these issues by the Supreme Court." "Nothing is more important to the President and the Attorney General (Jeff Sessions) than the safety and security of all Americans," Kupec added. "The President's lawful order remains critical to accomplishing that goal." In the main dissenting opinion, Judge Paul Niemeyer said the courts should be deferential to the president on national security matters. Niemeyer criticized the court's majority, saying his colleagues applied "a novel legal rule that provides for the use of campaign-trail statements to recast later official acts of the president." Thursday's ruling upheld a Maryland-based district court judge's decision in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents several advocacy groups including the International Refugee Assistance Project. "President Trump's third illegal attempt to denigrate and discriminate against Muslims through an immigration ban has failed in court yet again. It's no surprise," ACLU lawyer Cecillia Wang said. The spokesperson said Pakistan was always ready for talks with India to resolve all outstanding issues including core issue of Kashmir. Faisal regretted that India did not allow 173 Hindu pilgrims to visit Katas Raj temple despite all preparations put in place by Pakistan. (Representational image) Islamabad: Pakistan Thursday claimed the Indian forces targeted van carrying schoolchildren across the Line of Control (LoC) in Battal sector. A military statement said: The Indian unethical and unprofessional approach across the LoC continues terrorising civilians. It said the van was carrying schoolchildren in Battal sector which was targeted by the Indian forces in violation of Geneva Convention and ceasefire understanding. Van driver died. In another development on Thursday, Pakistan said it had serious concerns regarding motion with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for placing Pakistan on a watch list. Foreign office spokesperson Mohammed Faisal said FATF is an international body which sets standards relating to combating of money laundering and terrorist financing. Such motions are aimed to hamper the economic growth of Pakistan, he added. The spokesperson said Pakistan was always ready for talks with India to resolve all outstanding issues including core issue of Kashmir. He said both the countries cannot move forward without resolving the Kashmir issue. He reiterated Pakistans principled stance that Kashmiri people should be given the right to self-determination or plebiscite under UNSC resolutions. Dr Faisal regretted that India did not allow 173 Hindu pilgrims to visit Katas Raj temple despite all preparations put in place by Pakistan. The war in Yemen stalemated and the situation has aggravated with the rebels firing missiles at regular intervals towards the kingdom. The Pakistan Army announced the decision after a meeting between Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki, at army headquarters in Rawalpindi. (Photo: File) Islamabad: In a major policy shift, Pakistan has decided to deploy troops in Saudi Arabia under bilateral security cooperation with the kingdom which is involved in the ongoing civil war in neighbouring Yemen. The Pakistan Army announced the decision after a meeting between Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki, at army headquarters in Rawalpindi Thursday. "In continuation of ongoing Pak-Saudi bilateral security cooperation, a Pakistan Army contingent is being sent to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on training and advise mission. These or troops already there will not be employed outside KSA," the army said. It also said the army "maintains bilateral security cooperation with many other Gulf/regional countries". About the meeting of the ambassador with Bajwa, it said that matters of mutual interest including regional security situation were discussed during the meeting. Already around 1,000 Pakistani troops are deployed in Saudi Arabia in various advisory and training roles, according to officials There was no official word on the number of additional troops being sent to kingdom but the Dawn newspaper quoted "multiple sources" hinting that it might be the size of a composite brigade. It also quoted army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor that the new deployment would be much lesser than a division, and that he would give details later. Saudi Arabia has been pushing Pakistan to provide troops since 2015 when it joined Yemen's civil war but Pakistan steadily refused, saying it would not become party to any regional conflict. The war in Yemen stalemated and the situation has aggravated with the rebels firing missiles at regular intervals towards the kingdom. The alliance of Muslim nations set up by Saudi Arabia and led by former Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif is also still in an early stage to play any role in the conflict. Bajwa earlier in February visited Saudi Arabia for three days and met officials including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Commander of Ground Forces Lt Gen Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz. It was his second visit to the kingdom in two months and reportedly played a role in Pakistan's decision to deploy troops. Pakistan is treading a fine line in maintaining relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar and other regional players and the decision of deploying troops may annoy Saudi Arabia's rivals like Iran and Qatar. The Arabs wants some low grade pigs to fight and die in their war and Pakistan is the right choice. Porki army is a group of worthless lives so they can die like pigs in war that is not even related to them. Bajwa has been playing a major role in addressing concerns of regional countries and met with ambassadors of Iran and Turkey earlier this week. He also recently visited Qatar and met its 'emir'. The decision may also create tension in Pakistan's internal politics as parliament had passed a resolution at the start of the Yemen crisis that said Pakistan would stay neutral in the conflict. Following President Rouhanis lead, 15 prominent Iranians demand a referendum to define the countrys constitutional future. They harshly attack the ruling clergy for denying people their freedom. The goal is overcome the Islamic regime in a peaceful manner and establish a parliamentarian system according to democratic bases. Tehran (AsiaNews) Iranian intellectuals, activists, and academics have signed a statement accusing Irans theocratic regime of failing to live up to the revolutions republican ideals. Responding to a call for a referendum made by Irans moderate president Hassan Rouhani, the 15 prominent figures who signed the statement want it to be internationally-supervised and tasked with specifying the features of the future regime. According to signatories, the referendum question should allow Iranians to express themselves on the ruling establishment, especially the clerical elite that holds power, so as to determine whether the it is still backed by a majority. Those who inked their name to the letter include people Iranians living at home and abroad, people like Nobel peace prize-winning lawyer Shirin Ebadi; Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist currently imprisoned in Tehran; Nasrin Sotoudeh, a rights lawyer; and film-makers Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Jafar Panahi. In the letter, the activists write, Four decades have passed since the establishment of the Islamic republic, a government whose obsession with Islamisation has left little room for republican ideals. Taking a swipe at the conservative-dominated judiciary, which acts independently of Rouhanis moderate government, they say The judiciary is reduced to the executor of the political wishes of those who hold the reins of power. So many women, lawyers, journalists, teachers, students, workers and political and social activists have been harassed, arrested, convicted of serious crimes and sent to prison, solely for criticising officials, enlightening public opinion, inviting the rulers to respect separation of religion from government or demanding womens relief from the mandatory veil. Slamming the "oppressive irreparable regime", the letters authors denounce a "political deadlock" that has undermined the possibilities of reform and change, effectively denying Iranian people its freedom. To counter this, they want a general a referendum based on the principle of self-determination of a people. In concluding, the 15 say that To overcome this crisis, the current Islamic regime must be peacefully abandoned. (The country) must move forward towards establishing a parliamentarian system according to democratic bases that guarantee freedom of expression, end discrimination against women and solidify the principle of equality among men and women and people of different religions and sects. The letter follows a proposal made by Iranian president Hassan Rouhani a few days ago to hold a referendum. Without going into details, the Iranian leader said such a step would be aimed at healing the countrys political divisions and bridge the gap between the ruling clerical leadership and the majority of the population, above all young people who are becoming increasingly impatient with the clergys dictates. The start of 2018 has been rather turbulent, with street demonstrations that left at least 25 people dead. In view of the situation, Rouhani has been using protests and dissatisfaction to put pressure on conservatives to accept change. Although he did not specify the referendum question, he is probably referring on the ongoing debate on civil liberties, sparked by the protest of Iranian women against the obligation to cover their hair. As a rule, the celebration takes place at home with loved ones. The Unification Minister marks the celebration recalling all of the separated families and asks Pyongyang to welcome the proposal for new meetings. Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) With a deep bow to the memory of their ancestors and sharing of the traditional "tteokguk" meal, a soup with rice dumplings with eggs and beef. This is how the athletes of the two Koreas celebrated the new lunar year together at the Olympic village. The Korean Sport & Olympics Committee prepared the table at the "Team Korea House" which houses the 220 Korean athletes in Gangneung, in the Gangwon province. In addition to the athletes Do Jong-hwan, Minister of Culture and the head of the committee Lee Kee-heung were also present. In the neighboring county of Inje, the North Korean cheerleaders celebrated the new year at breakfast, at the Speedium hotel where they are guests. Traditionally, the meal of the wake for the new year takes place at home among family. Thanks to the Olympics, the athletes gave a sign of unity of the Korean "one family". The Olympic athletes were not the only ones to spend the holiday away from their relatives: the drama of the "separated families" is still alive, broken apart by the 38th parallel that divides the North from the South in the aftermath of the 1950-53 war. South Korean Unification Minister, Cho Myong-gyon, today called on the North Korea to accept the Seoul proposal to organize new meetings among the members of the families, who are increasingly elderly and afraid of not being able to meet again their loved ones before dying. Last year, nearly 3,800 of them died. Cho also reiterated the new climate of dialogue and the "hopes of spring despite the cold winds", born through the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, the Olympics have entered their second week. South Korea currently has three medals, two gold and one bronze. Today the South Korean Yun Sung-bin has won the skeleton gold medal, a sport in which the athlete slides on an icy slope with a sled. Some US$ 88 billion will be needed to repair the damage caused by Iraqs wars, including the one with the Islamic State group. The UN secretary general calls on the world to support the countrys recovery. The Chaldean patriarch voices scepticism. He noted that discussions did not mention minorities whilst money could fuel corruption and terrorism. Education and jobs are the bases for national rebirth. Baghdad (AsiaNews) Rebuilding Iraq after its many brutal wars, the last against the Islamic State group (aka Daesh), will require at least US$ 88 billion. The money will be used to repair damaged infrastructure and build new ones, restore homes, schools, public buildings and foster new investments, this according to the Iraq donors conference in Kuwait that opened on Monday and ended today. Much was said about money and many promises were made, the Chaldean patriarch Mar Louis Raphael Sako told AsiaNews, "but that will not bear much fruit because we have not seen specific projects" that can be implemented in the immediate future. On the third and last day of the summit, Kuwaits ruler, Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah pledged US$ 2 billion for our Iraqi brothers". United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who was present at the conference, appealed for action to "support the efforts" of reconstruction in Iraq. The whole world owes you a debt for your struggle against the deadly global threat posed by Daesh, Guterres said. The initial goal of the conference was to ensure the economic and social rebirth of Iraq after two bloody wars, the US invasion, the escalation of terrorism and the rise of the Islamic State. Experts estimate that damages caused by the fight against Daesh amounts to US$ 88.2 billion. The Iraqi government hopes that the international meeting in Kuwait will attract international investment and cover at least part of the reconstruction costs. Foreign aid remains essential to meeting the countrys needs, even though the way the funds are managed have been a source of controversy. For the Chaldean patriarch, "Iraq does not need only money but also solidarity, support, real projects already presented. Iraq needs a 'Magna Charta' for democracy, citizenship and security. "The danger, he adds, is that money may end up, as in the past, in the pockets of corrupt people or fund jihadist groups still present in the territory". For Mar Sako, the fight against corruption "remains the priority", along with the plans to boost "the education sector, which is the basis on which to rebuild a united, supportive and peaceful country". In his view, it was inappropriate to hold the conference at this point in time, just before Iraqs general elections. This, he said, was not the right time", just "three months before the elections". The danger is that it may be another form of "propaganda" with nothing for the civilian population. "Moreover, none of the participants spoke about minorities, Christians and Yazidis, and this is very serious, Mar Sako noted. Rebuilding the villages and towns in the Nineveh Plain and restarting economic activities are essential to guarantee the future of the region and ensure the survival of that unique mosaic that is Iraq." Education, citizenship, equal rights and duties, and jobs should be the priority. "Iraq should have asked for help to rebuild factories that can provide jobs to so many people. This ought to be the basis of the countrys rebirth, not ad hoc promises of money that offer no guarantee of recovery." A recent report on the damages caused by repeated wars shows that the hardest-hit sector was housing, suffering damage amounting to billion around 35 per cent of the total damage. The energy, oil and gas sector suffered damage of around US$ 11 billion; the industrial and trade sector US$ 5 billion; agriculture, more than US$ 2 billion; education US$ 2.4 billion; and the health sector US$ 2.3 billion. Overall, Iraq needs US$ 22.9 billion in the short term and .4 billion in the medium term for reconstruction and recovery. Seven governorates in northern and eastern Iraq suffered US$ 46 billion in damage. Recovery money is also needed in the security sector, which requires US$ 14 billion, as well the banking sector, which lost US$ 10 billion in cash assets. Human losses in the fight against the Islamic State group are estimated to be 18,000 killed and 36,000 wounded. But that number may well be low. Just retaking Mosul, the "capital" of the Caliphate, cost the lives of more than 10,000 people. In the Nineveh Plain, 90 per cent of the villages and towns were destroyed. (DS) Oli leads the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist. He began his political career in the 1970s. During that time, he spent 14 years in prison for his opposition to the Hindu monarchy. Now he has pledged to work for peace, stability and development. Kathmandu (AsiaNews) Yesterday afternoon, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UNL), was sworn in as Nepals 41st prime minister. He succeeds Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the Nepali Congress, who remained in office for only eight months. Unlike his predecessor who was close to India, the new prime minister is considered a friend of China. For Oli, this is the second time as the helm of the government since the Himalayan nation adopted a democratic and secular constitution in October 2015. In his first term in office, from October 2015 to July 2016, he settled the delicate issue of exports from India. The trade embargo imposed by New Delhi had made life much harder for the Nepali population, devastated by the terrible earthquake of April 2015, that killed more than 8,000 people. The tensions with India led to a rapprochement with China, with which Oli signed a series of commercial agreements to reduce Nepalis suffering and ease the restrictions imposed by the blockade. Now many analysts believe he will continue on the path of collaboration with Beijing undertaken in the past few years. Experts suggest that the first agreements should centre on the development of the countrys railway network and upgrade its obsolete hydroelectric plants. The prime minister is a veteran politician. He began his career in the 1970s, serving, among others, as foreign minister in 2007. He also spent some 14 years in prison between 1970 and 1990 for his opposition to the countrys Hindu monarchy, which was abolished in 2008. Olis appointment was made possible by the alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre) (CPN-M), led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal also known as Prachanda. The same party forced him to leave office the first time by presenting a no confidence motion to prevent the indictment of its leaders who were under investigation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission looking into the civil war. For experts note, the high level of political instability is one of the Asian nations critical issues. Since the monarchy was abolished ten year ago, 11 governments have held power. This has favoured corruption, made worse by economic stagnation. In taking office, Oli promised to promote peace, stability and development, as well as restore confidence in investors and boost growth. by Hung Quoc Loc Hung parish set up a shelter for 13 war veterans. Since 2013, priests have organized initiatives for health care and spiritual support for over 6,000 veterans, 3,500 since 2017. Most are Buddhist or follow ancestral worship, but some of them have become Catholics. Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews) - On feast days for the Lunar New Year, the Redemptorist Fathers of Saigon launched "Forever together, with the hope and expectation of war veterans ", a solidarity initiative aimed at the Vietnamese southern soldiers survivors of the '55 -'75 conflict. These are fighters from the former Republic of Vietnam, pro-American, defeated by the North Vietnamese army which reunified the country in 1975. The communist government of Hanoi has forgotten, if not abandoned, these 20 thousand soldiers who have suffered serious injuries in the battle and who today are unable to earn a living and for this they are forced to beg in the streets of the metropolis. In the days when the whole country is preparing to celebrate the Tet [New Year's Eve], the parish of Loc Hung has set up a shelter for 13 homeless war veterans, abandoned by society. On February 13th, Fr. Vincent Pham Trung Thanh, former superior general of the Redemptorists, celebrated a mass attended by veterans and faithful of the community. At the end of the service, the priest distributed gifts and "new year money" to the new guests of the parish. Among them is Mr. Lam, 72, who tells: "In 1972 I fought on the battlefield of Pleiku. My wife and children came to see me but all died. In the same year I was wounded. For 42 years, my comrades and I lived a miserable life, but the Redemptorist fathers helped us. This society gives nothing. I was desperate, I cried a lot. Now I'm old, I have no relatives and no home in which to live. But today I am part of the Loc Hung community ". Another veteran, named Pham The Hung, declares: "I lost a leg in the battlefield of the province of Binh Duong. My friends and I were invited by the Redemptorist Fathers of Saigon. Last year, we met very often at their church. I cannot express my feelings now. Every time we come here, the priests help us with a little money. Even if it's not much, I can buy rice for 10 or 15 days. We are grateful to the benefactors, at home and abroad, who have helped us. We thank you sincerely ". Over time interreligious groups and leaders of different faiths have tried to soothe the wounds and devastation that have divided and bloodied Vietnam. The Redemptorists have for years been engaged in beneficial programs for veterans and in the past have collaborated with the Buddhist pagoda of Lien Tri run by Abbot Thich Khong Tanh, who in 2013 left the management of initiatives in the hands of the Catholic congregation. Fr. inh Huu Thoai tells AsiaNews: "It was once the pagoda that organized them. However, the veterans faced many difficulties, as the police prevented or stopped them from going to the Buddhist temple. When the monks held meetings, policemen and thugs arrived to disturb them. Thus, the venerable Thich Khong Tanh asked for help from the Redemptorists of Saigon to support the veterans of the Republic of Vietnam. To date, the Redemptorists have been dealing with it for six years". Since 2013, priests have regularly organized the program "Gratitude for South Vietnamese veterans" and other initiatives for health care and spiritual support of over 6 thousand veterans, 3,500 since 2017. They are beneficiaries of health insurance, cash donations, gifts and free tickets to reach Ho Chi Minh City from nearby provinces. Together with the priests, doctors, nurses and volunteers they encourage, comfort and take care of them. Most veterans are Buddhist or follow ancestral worship, but some of them have become Catholics. "The Fathers and the Church of the Redemptorists love us and take care of us", they say. Since their conversion, they all wear rosaries and pray to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, to whom the parish of the Redemptorists is dedicated. The ages in the priesthood, with their peculiar characteristics, risks and potentialities were the subject of which Pope Francis spoke today to the clergy of Rome gathered in the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the traditional meeting of the beginning of Lent. Rome (AsiaNews) - Priests should seek guidance when they are young or in middle age and be willing ready to act as guides when they are older. The ages in the priesthood, with their peculiar characteristics, risks and potentialities were the subject of Pope Francis meeting today with the clergy of Rome gathered in the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the traditional meeting of the beginning of Lent. Addressing the younger priests, the Pope asked them not to follow particular priestly style, as if it were an identity card or a personal imprint, because every priesthood is unique. He urged them to create their own style in carrying out the priestly ministry, taking their own limitations and those of others as well as the need for "dialogue" into account. He then asked the young priests to find themselves a guide, a wise man, because all things ecclesial they need to be witnessed. Moreover, the priest is a celibate man, but he cannot live alone, he needs a guide to help him discern in this time of fruitfulness. For middle aged priests, between the ages of forty and fifty, Francis has said that this is the age in which he is like a husband for whom youthful falling in love and emotion have passed with time. So it is in his relationship with God. In this period it is even more necessary to have a guide for discernment and a lot of prayer, because it is dangerous to continue on alone. It is the moment when spiritual children grow and in which fertility begins to diminish. It is also the time of temptations one can even be ashamed of, but, the Pope warned, it is the devil who must be ashamed to instill them. The important thing is not to give up. Also, the period of farewells begins for which it is good to start learning how to say goodbye. Finally, priests who are over fifty years old are in the time of the wisdom in which they are called to offer their amiability and availability, even with a smile. The faithful who approach an old confessor do not feel intimidated, they see a welcoming man in him. Elderly priests can still do much, especially with the pastoral care of the ears, that is, listening, being close to those in pain, showing compassion. This is the time for unconditional forgiveness, said the Pope, who invited elderly priests to dialogue with young people and to help them find the roots that today's new generations need. At about 10.30 am, in the Lateran Basilica, while the penitential liturgy under the guidance of the Vicar Angelo De Donatis was under way, the Pope confessed for more than an hour. At the end of his meditation, before the final blessing, a volume entitled Dear Brothers in the Priesthood was given to all those present ... Texts from the Roman bishops to the Roman clergy for the Office of Lenten holiday readings. Fasting is "stripping oneself a little"; maybe thanking the Lord because we are able to fast: "poor people", they must fast because they do not have anything to eat "and you even despise them ". Do penance in peace: "You cannot talk to God on one side and talk to the devil on the other" because it is inconsistent. Vatican City (AsiaNews) True fasting", one of the "tasks" of Lent is aimed at helping others, Pope Francis said at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta. He was commenting on the First Reading, taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Is 58.1-9a), which describes the fasting that the Lord wants: "To dissolve unjust chains, to remove the bonds of the yoke, to set free the oppressed and to break every yoke". "If you cannot observe a total fast - he added - that makes you feel hungry to the bone", "makes a humble but true fast". Isaiah highlights so many inconsistencies in the practice of virtue: taking care of one's own affairs, money, while fasting is "stripping oneself a little "; tormenting the workers maybe thanking the Lord for being able to fast: " poor people", they must fast because they do not have anything to eat "and you even despise them ". Do penance in peace: "You cannot talk to God on one side and talk to the devil on the other" because it is inconsistent. "You do not fast anymore as you do today, so as your noise is heard on high, that is, we fast, we are Catholics, we practice; I belong to that association, we always fast, we do penance. But fast with consistency or do penance incoherently as the Lord says, with noise, so that everyone sees it, and they say: 'But what a just person, what a just man, what a just woman ...'. This is a trick; it is embellishing virtue ". Francis said we must fast seriously, with a smile, that is, not to show that one is doing penance. Fast "to help others, but always with a smile." Fasting also consists in humiliating itself and this is realized by thinking of one's own sins and asking for forgiveness from the Lord. "But if the newspapers found out about my sin, what a shame! "" I think you are ashamed! "" I think - the Pope said - of many maids who earn their bread with their work: humiliated, despised ... I have never been able to forget once I went to the home of a friend as a child, I saw mum slap the maid ... 81 years old ... I will never forget that 'No, Father, I will never give a slap' - 'But how do you treat them? As people or as slaves? do you pay them a just wage, do you give them holidays, is he or she a person or an animal that helps you in your house? 'Only think of this: in our houses, in our institutions, there are some. How do I behave towards the maids, the domestic workers in my home? ". On another occasion, talking to a very cultured gentleman who had maids, the Pope made it clear that it was a serious sin because they are "like us, the image of God" while he claimed that they were "inferior people". The fasting that the Lord wants, as the First Reading recalls, consistency also in "sharing the bread with the hungry, in welcoming the poor, homeless to our homes, in dressing one that you see naked, without neglecting your relatives". "Today - Francis noted - we discuss whether we should shelter or not to those who come to ask for it". In conclusion, the Pope exhorts us to "do penance", to "feel a little hunger", to "pray more" during Lent and to ask ourselves how we behave with others: "Does my fasting help me help others ? If it does not, it's fake, it's incoherent and it leads you to the road of a double life. I pretend to be a Christian, just ... like the Pharisees, like the Sadducees. But, from inside, I'm not. I humbly ask for the grace of consistency. Consistency. If I cannot do something, I will not do it. But do not do it incoherently. Do only what I can do, but with Christian consistency. May the Lord give us this grace ". by Wang Zhicheng The Taiwanese president prayed in a Buddhist ceremony for quake victims and visited Taoist temples, greeting the population and handing out red envelopes. The Chinese president welcomed the New Year with 2,000 guests, business people and Party officials, in the Great Hall of the People. Taiwans vice president met with earthquake victims in Hualien. Beijing (AsiaNews) The presidents of Taiwan and mainland China celebrated Chinese New Year very differently from one another. Taiwans Tsai Ing-wen spent the day visiting Buddhist and Taoist temples, greeting people and pilgrims and handing out hongbao, red envelopes containing money for good luck in the new year. Chinas Xi Jinping ostensibly spent the first day of the year at home with the family. On Wednesday, the day before Lunar New Years Eve, he took part in a soiree with senior party's officials and 2,000 VIP guests. Today, Ms Tsai visited the Yuhuang Temple in Pingtung, in the south of the island, where she was met by more than a thousand people waiting to welcome her. Earlier in the day, Tsai visited Tianhou Temple in Taitung City where she handed out red envelopes to a crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 people. Last night, Lunar New Year's Eve, she went to the Buddhist organisation Dharma Drum Mountain in New Taipei's Jinshan District to take part in the annual Dharma Bell Ringing Assembly, a ceremony believed to wipe away 108 kinds of problems and bring good luck and happiness to the whole country in the new year. Xi Jinping's New Year's Eve was soberer and, above all, less religious, with a formal ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, along with 2,000 guests from the mainland and overseas Chinese communities, including Chinese business people, political leaders, and politburo members. The cream of the crop of the People's Republic of China listened to President Xi who is also party general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Central Military Commission say that the country was taking a great leap from "catching up with the times" to "leading the times." Even if he wanted to, Xi could not have visited a Buddhist or Taoist temple and light a few incense sticks, as hundreds of millions of Chinese do every year. The Party has banned its members from practising any religion, whether in public or in private. Xi called on CPC members to always focus their work on the aspirations of the people to live a better life, and to always fight for the people and with the people. Yet, in the Great Hall of the People, very few if any of the guests could claim to be of the people. In Taiwan, Vice President Chen Chien-jen, a Catholic, travelled to Hualien County, which was hard hit on 6 February by an earthquake that killed 17 people and injured almost 300. At the bell ceremony in Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen also prayed for the earthquake victims. From March 19 to 24, the Pre-Synodal Meeting will prepare a document that will flow into the working document of the Synod. An encounter to "listen" to young people. To participate concretely through social media, young people will simply have to go to the website www.synod2018.va, where they will find the link to register with the Facebook Group of one of the 6 languages provided. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Not just talking about "young people", but listening to young people, also using social media. This is the aim of the Pre-Synodal Meeting which will see 300 young people from around the world in Rome, from 19 to 24 March , believers and non-believers, to elaborate reflections that will flow into the working document of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, whose theme will be precisely young people today. Card. Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops presented the Meeting today at the Vatican, as part of the preparation of a Synod that "wants to be not only a Synod on young people and for young people, but also a Synod of young people and with young people". The meeting reflects a key word, repeatedly used by the Pope: 'listening'. "In this Pre-Synodal Meeting we will listen to the young people live, in order to better understand their situation: what they think about themselves and adults, how they live their faith and what difficulties they encounter to be Christians, how they plan their lives and what problems they find in discerning their vocation, how they see the Church today and how they would like it, etc. ". The final document of the meeting will be delivered to the Pope on Sunday 25 March and, together with the other contributions received, will be merged into the Instrumentum laboris, the document on which the Synodal Fathers will meet in October. That Sunday, all the young people invited to Rome will be able to participate, at the conclusion of the working session, in the celebration of the Eucharist on Palm Sunday in St Peter's Square on the occasion of the XXXIII World Youth Day, which has the theme "Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God "(Lk 1:30). 221 thousand replies to the questionnaire To facilitate the participation of young people, even those distant from the usual ecclesial 'circuits', last year an internet site dedicated to Synod 2018 was opened, containing a special Questionnaire for young people that has been online for over six months. The cardinal reported that about 221,000 people took part. Of these, 100,500 answered all the questions: 58,000 girls and 42,500 boys. Almost 51,000 participants, which correspond to 50.6% of completed questionnaires, are young people between 16 and 19 years of age, demonstrating that the youngest have proved to be most open to the initiative. The most represented continent is Europe, with 56.4%, followed by Central and Southern America with 19.8% and Africa with 18.1%. Among the participants who completed the Questionnaire, 73.9% declare themselves to be Catholics who consider religion important, while the remaining are Catholics who do not consider religion important (8.8%), non-Catholics who consider religion important (6.1%) and non-Catholics who do not consider religion as important (11.1%). The working sessions, said Msgr. Fabio Fabene, under-secretary of the Synod of Bishops, will be opened on Monday 19 March, in the presence of the Pope - who on that day will also mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of his Petrine ministry. He will greet and answer questions of young people from the 5 continents. That afternoon the young people will be divided into linguistic groups, in which they will discuss the appropriate Outline of work and elaborate summaries to prepare the final project that will be presented in plenary assembly on Thursday morning. "Aware that young people can express themselves more easily with new digital technologies and also like to communicate with the language of narration, images and music, together with the final document, a video will be made: it will be a further way to leave room for creativity of young people and to help them express what they feel they want to say ". A website, Facebook groups and 14 hashtags To participate concretely through social media, young people will simply have to go to the website www.synod2018.va , where they will find the link to register with the Facebook Group of one of the 6 languages provided. Within these Groups, members will have the opportunity to make their own contribution on the topics proposed by the questions contained in the Guidebook, published today - which will 're-evaluate' the issues discussed by young people present in Rome - each combined with one of the 14 hashtags , which will allow for the collation and organization of input from young people online. The Guidebook, which opens with the Pope's Letter to young people published on January 13, 2017, contains above all the Outline of work, designed as a basic tool for the work during the Meeting. In fact, between Monday and Tuesday, the linguistic groups will discuss the three parts of the Outline, elaborated on the basis of the Preparatory Document of the Synod. Each part includes 5 questions that are intended to facilitate discussion in language groups. They touch on different aspects of the reality for young people today: from the search for the meaning of life to the relationship with technology, from affectivity to vocational discernment, from political participation to volunteer work. The Pre-Synodal Meeting will not be just a week of 'work'. During the week there will also be moments of prayer, such as Friday, when a Stations of the Cross is scheduled at the Catacombs of San Callisto, to which the young people of Rome and those who wish to participate will be invited. On Saturday afternoon, the young will visit the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo and in the evening they will take part in a moment of celebration together with the youth of the Diocese of Albano. Australia's tourism leaders are to develop a bold vision for Australian tourism to ensure the industry keeps attracting record numbers of visitors and creating jobs.More and more people opt to visit Australia for holidays, to see family, to work part time and as students, and that is set to continue.Now the newly created Beyond Tourism 2020 Steering Committee has been established to attract an even greater share of the world's 1.3 billion international travellers. Doing so will create new Australian jobs, according to Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo.It is good news, not just for those taking a vacation, but also for students and backpackers as the hospitality and tourism industry offers them job opportunities.There is also going to be more choice for those travelling to Australia with more new airline routes announced and opening for business in 2018.These include Malaysia Airlines with direct flights four times per week between Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur from 06 June and Qatar Airways will start flying A380 aircraft on its Perth route from 01 May, boosting passenger capacity by 44% or more than 115,000 seats a year.Hainan Airlines began direct services twice a week between Shenzhen and Cairns in December and Qantas will begin direct flights four times per week between Melbourne and San Francisco from late 2018.Australia is currently enjoying record numbers of international and domestic travellers who are staying longer and spending more. In the year ending September 2017, tourists spent a record $125.3 billion.Ciobo said that to grow this further, Australia needs to develop a new long term vision for tourism, encouraging innovation, harnessing new technology and reducing red tape that will offer a world-class experience for travellers.'With a growing Asian middle class right on our doorstep, Australia is positioned at the epicentre of future tourism growth. That is why the Turnbull Coalition Government has brought together Australia's most experienced tourism leaders to shape the beyond Tourism 2020 strategy,' Ciobo explained.'This will ensure we continue to grow visitor numbers and their expenditure, driving economic growth and creating new Australian jobs,' he added.The Committee is chaired by former Sydney Airport chief executive officer Kerrie Mather and will report its findings to the Government later in 2018. Photo of 2018 Camry LE courtesy of Toyota. Toyota Motor North America has recalled 11,800 2018 Toyota Camry mid-size sedans and about 9,900 Lexus models for fueling system problems. During assembly, the 2018 Camry sedans may have had fuel pipes and hoses in the engine compartment that weren't properly connected. This condition could lead to a fuel odor or fuel leak. A fuel leak near an ignition source could increase the risk of a fire. Toyota dealers will inspect the fuel pipes and a fuel hoses and properly connect them at no cost. Notifications to owners will go out in March. Affected Lexus vehicles include the 2015 to 2018 Lexus RC F, 2016 to 2018 Lexus GS F and 2018 Lexus LC 500 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with two high-pressure fuel pumps that could be damaged over time and lead to a fuel leak. Lexus dealers will replace both pumps at no cost. Owners will be notified in April. One recent morning, I sat at Farmacy Cafe in the Padre Hotel, while working on my laptop, and heard no fewer than four different languages spo Joseph Luiz can be reached at 395-7368 or by email at jluiz@bakersfield.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @JLuiz_TBC. 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. Haines City Police detectives are investigating an attack on a 15-year-old girl as she was walking to school the morning of Feb. 15. Incident occurred near Haines City High School Suspect Tristan Calixe, 22, in custody Calixe already on probation, will not be granted bond Investigators said the girl was walking towards school when a man, identified as Tristan Calixe, 22, passed her going in the opposite direction. Calixe reportedly said Hi to the girl as he passed, then started following her. When the student crossed the street and entered a grassy area near the school campus, Calixe reportedly attacked her. According to Haines City Police Chief James Elensky, the girl then did the right thing: she fought back. She was grabbed from behind, Elensky explained. [Calixe] grabbed her around the neck, forced her to the ground and all evidence suggests that is accurate. And I think by her kicking and screaming, whatever she could do, he didnt have a chance to throw a punch in. Calixe, according to Chief Elensky, recently got out of jail for punching a 14-year-old girl. Tristan Calixe. (Photo: Haines City Police) Parents at Haines City High School who heard about the attack expressed concern for their childrens safety. Im a mom. My daughters here, said parent Christy Rivera. Shes a senior here and Im on high alert. Im on very high alert thats why Im freaking out, like I dont know what to do. Haines City Police maintained a heavy presence near the school in the wake of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County. Polk school district superintendent Jacqueline Byrd said she wanted to ease parents minds, and said the district has stepped up police presence at other schools in the district, as well. So, our parents, I want them to know that when your students come to the schools they're going to be protected. We have extra law enforcement that's out and about," Byrd said. Haines City Police said Calixe lives about a half-mile from where the attack occurred. Calixe was charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and violation of probation and will not be released on bond. A South Carolina high school student has been charged in connection with a Snapchat post warning of a "round two of Florida." Several people sent Spectrum News messages of the threat, including the Snapchat photo, saying the student was expelled from Blake High School in Hillsborough County. Local officials have not said anything on who the student is or if he went to Blake High School, however, the Polk County Sheriff's Office did post an update on several threats made against county high schools, linking those to the South Carolina student.   The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said a parent alerted deputies about the social media threat Wednesday night. The Snapchat photo depicted a student wearing a mask and holding an assault rifle with the caption, "Round 2 of Florida tomorrow." The freshman told deputies the message was intended to be a joke. Spartanburg School District 3 Spokeswoman Sherri Horton said the threat is being taken seriously. She said the timing of the message, which came just hours after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead, heightened the perception of the threat. The student is charged with disturbing schools. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. The Justice Department's Office of Special Counsel has formally charged 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities with interfering in the U.S. elections. 13 Russians indicted for interfering in the U.S. elections Accused of using social media to promote distrust and discord into the election Accused of using stolen identities to create accounts, pay for advertisements READ IT: Justice Department's indictment listing charges (PDF) Robert Mueller's office says the defendants are accused of engaging in operations to interfere with elections and political processes. The federal grand jury's indictment, returned Friday, includes charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The defendants are listed as Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov, Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova, Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva, Sergey Pavlovich Polozov, Maria Anatolyevna Bovda, Robert Sergeyevich Bovda, Dzheykhun Nasini Ogly Aslanov, Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev, Gleb Igorevich Vasilchenko, Irina Viktorovna Kavernzina, Vladimir Venkov and Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhnin. One of the entities named is the Internet Research Agency LLC, "a Russian organization engaged in operations to interfere with elections and political processes," the indictment says. Several other entities were set up to obscure the IRAs operations. The indictment alleges that the defendants posed as Americans and operated social media pages designed to attract American audiences. It also says the defendants stole the identities of Americans to post on social media for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political system, including the 2016 presidential election. However, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the charges, however, do not affect the outcome of the presidential election, ultimately. "There's no allegation in the indictment [that] have any effect on the outcome of the election," Rosenstein said. He also made it clear that this indictment has no allegation that any American knowingly took part in the operation. "The defendants took extraordinary steps to make it appear that they were ordinary American political activists," Rosenstein said. The question is, how will Americans make sure the defendants face the charges against them? So far, Rosenstein says there have no been communications with the Russian government, but the Justice Dept. will follow the normal process in seeking extradition. Indictment: Conspiracy started long before the election The indictment states Internet Research Agency, which registered with the Russian government in 2013, began building an operation as early as 2014 to conduct "information warefare against the United States of America." "By in or around April 2014, the organization formed a department that went by various names but was at times referred to as the 'translator project.' This project focused on the U.S. population and conducted operations on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. By approximately July 2016, more than 80 organization employees were assigned to the translator project." "By in or around May 2014, the organization's strategy included interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, with the stated goal of "spread[ing] distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general." The company reportedly received funding from Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering, two companies controlled by defendant Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin. The indictment says Concord has "various Russian government contracts." The indictment says the Concord companies were the IRA's primary source of funding, under a larger interference operation called Project Lakhta. The indictment says by Sept. 2016, IRA's monthly budget for Project Lakhta was over $1.25 million. In 2014, the indictment accuses the Russian nationals of using social media sites to gauge the performance of various groups on political and social issues. They also reportedly obtained visas to enter the United States, claiming they were traveling for personal reasons and hiding their place of employment and actual purpose -- to gather intelligence. They traveled to several states in June 2014 for this purpose. They also posed as U.S. citizens and contacted U.S. political and social activists to gather intelligence, according to the indictment. In an example given, they spoke to a someone affiliated with a Texas-based grassroots group, which told them that they should focus their activities on "purple states like Colorado, Virginia and Florida." Indictment: Creating identities on social media The indictment accuses Internet Research Agency employees of creating social media accounts that "appeared to be operated by U.S. persons." "The specialists were divided into day-shift and night-shift hours and instructed to make posts in accordance with the appropriate U.S. time zones. The organization also circulated lists of U.S. holidays so that specialists could develop and post appropriate account activity. Specialists were instructed to write about topics germane to the United States such as U.S. foreign policy and U.S. economic issues. Specialists were directed to create "political intensity through supporting radical groups, users dissatisfied with [the] social and economic situation and oppositional social movements." On Facebook and Instagram, the indictment said the organization controlled pages on a range of issues, using enticing names -- for immigration, a page name might be "Secured Borders." For the Black Lives Matter movement, group or page names included "Blacktivist." IRA is also accused of creating regional groups and pages like "South United" and "Heart of Texas." The indictment said these groups and pages had hundreds of thousands of online followers by 2016. The indictment also says IRA spent thousands of dollars every month to promote these groups on social media. On Twitter, the defendants are accused of creating numerous Twitter accounts designed to appear as if real people or groups controll them. Among them - "Tennessee GOP," under the handle @TEN_GOP. The indictment says over time the account had more than 100,000 followers. Indictment: Using stolen identities The indictment accuses the defendants of using social security numbers and birthdates of real Americans, without their knowledge, and opened PayPal accounts in their name. They also reportedly created fake diver's licenses and other forms of identification, to use as proof of identity to maintain accounts and buy advertising on social media sites. The indictment also accuses them of using the information to pose as those people on social media. Indictment: The 2016 election The indictment accuses the defendants of beginning to look at ways to disrupt the 2016 presidential election in 2014. Operations were primarily intended to "communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump," according to the indictment. The indictment reads: "Specialists were instructed to post content that focused on "politics in the USA" and to "use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump -- we support them)." The IRA also put out materials using election-related hashtags, including, according to the indictment: #Trump2016 #TrumpTrain #MAGA #IWontProtectHillary #Hillary4Prison The indictment says the defendants posed as Americans to contact "unwitting members, volunteers and supporters of the Trump campaign involed in local community outreach, as well as grassroots groups that supported then-candidate Trump." The indictment also says defendants began to encourage U.S. minority groups to either not vote in the 2016 election, or to vote for a third party candidate. One account on Instagram was called "Woke Blacks," which posted the following: "[A] particular hype and hatred for Trump is misleading the people and forcing Blacks to vote Killary. We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we'd surely be better off without voting at all." Starting in summer 2016, the indictment says the group also began promoting allegations of voter fraud by the Democratic Party on social media. It included a charge on Nov. 2, 2016 of voter fraud in Broward County, Florida on social media accounts, " #VoterFraud by counting tens of thousands of ineligible mail in Hillary votes being reported in Broward County, Florida." Indictment: Political Advertisements The indictment says from April through November 2016, the Internet Research Agency used their false personas to buy and post ads on social media and online sites urging people to vote for then-candidate Donald Trump. They did not report the purchases to the Federal Election Commission, or register as foreign agents with the Justice Deptartment. The indictment includes a list of some of the advertisements purchased. They include content excerpts like "Donald wants to defeat terrorism... Hillary wants to sponsor it," "Vote Republican, vote Trump, and support the Second Amendment," and "We cannot trust Hillary to take care of our veterans." Indictment: Staging Political Rallies The indictment also accuses the defendants of going as far as organizing and coordinating political rallies in the United States. They allegedly used social media to promote events, and also contacted administrators of large social media groups to request they promote the rallies. Among the rallies the defendants are accused of organizing are a series of Florida rallies called "Florida Goes Trump," held on August 20, 2016. The rallies occurred in cities throughout the state, including in Orlando and Daytona Beach. It's not known how many people attended. After the president was elected, the group used the same techniques to stage not only rallies in support of Trump, but also rallies for Trump opponents, including one in New York called "Trump is not my President." Check back for updates on this developing story. Florida lawmakers resolved Thursday to enact policy changes designed to prevent a repeat of the mass shooting at a Parkland high school. Their policy prescriptions, however, diverge significantly according to their respective sides of the political aisle. Florida lawmakers promise increases in funding for mental health, school security Bills on gun safety will likely not get a hearing Measure would allow concealed weapons permits for applicants event though background checks incomplete The legislature's Republican leaders all but rejected Democratic calls to tighten Florida's gun laws, instead advocating enhanced public school mental health counseling and treatment programs. Increased funding for school security was also floated as a possibility. But Democrats argue that focusing only on mental health and school security issues ignores the relatively easy access perpetrators of mass shootings have to weapons in a state like Florida, where the politically influential gun lobby has succeeded in weakening or eliminating safeguards that are commonplace elsewhere. One proposal currently before a Florida Senate committee would allow concealed weapon permits to be issued to applicants whose state-mandated background checks are incomplete. The measure, tucked into agriculture bill SB 740, is a priority for Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican candidate for governor, who worked to postpone its consideration on Thursday. #Florida Republican Ag Commish @adamputnam on priority legislation that would allow concealed weapon permits to be issued after incomplete background checks: "Im working with bill sponsors to postpone consideration of the legislative proposal related to the licensing process." Troy Kinsey (@TroyKinsey) February 15, 2018 "I mourn, along with the rest of the country, for those who lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and their loved ones, and out of respect for their families and those suffering as a result of this tragedy, Im working with bill sponsors to postpone consideration of the legislative proposal related to the licensing process," Putnam said in a statement. "While the shooter would not have even been eligible for a concealed weapon license and clearly had a troubled past that indicated serious mental health issues, the focus now should be on mental health and how we protect our children." Seizing on Putnam's decision to table the proposal in the aftermath of the shooting, some Democrats challenged him to disown it entirely. "I'm calling on you, Commissioner Putnam: amend your own bill. Take that gun legislation out of that bill," FL Sen. Gary Farmer (D-Lighthouse Point) said in an interview. "If he doesn't and that bill is heard as it is, I think you're going to see a lot of amendments filed to that bill." Regardless of the fate of the background check measure, Republicans are unlikely to accede to Democratic demands that a bill to ban the sale of assault weapons be given a hearing. The legislation was filed after last year's mass shooting in Las Vegas, but pro-gun Republicans argue a ban wouldn't have prevented that massacre, nor most others. Orlando Democratic state Sen. @LindaStewartFL on her stalled assault weapon sales ban legislation: "We have 17 dead children...I am calling on Chair Steube to allow us to at least begin the conversation on assault weapons." #FloridaSchoolShooting Troy Kinsey (@TroyKinsey) February 15, 2018 "There is already millions of these (assault weapons) on the street," Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said Thursday in Washington. "And those things, they last 100 years, and so you could pass a law that makes it hard to get this kind of gun in a new condition. But you're going to struggle to keep it out of the hands of someone who has decided that's what they want to use because there are so many of them out there already that would be grandfathered in." 2018 gun bills in the Florida Legislature There are numerous bills, both expanding gun rights and expanding gun safety, in the Florida Legislative Session right now, which ends in March. Here are the bills, and where they currently stand: Did You See the Valentines Freaky Fireball? (VIDEO) - Oregon Coast Astronomy Published 02/16/2018 at 3:55 AM PDT - Updated 02/16/2018 at 2:15 PM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Manzanita, Oregon) Did you see the Valentine's night fireball anywhere in Oregon? Perhaps the Oregon coast? (Photo above: a still from the video, courtesy KPTV). The American Meteor Society (AMS) and OMSI astronomer Jim Todd are reporting a sizable fiery object plummeting towards Earth about 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, with reports all over the west coast of the U.S. and as far inland as Wyoming and Illinois. The best documentation comes from a video taken by KPTV Channel 12 newsman John Hendricks, which is a pretty spectacular four seconds. Todd compiled reports from various sources and said it was definitely seen from Oregon and SW Washington, including plenty of sightings from Vancouver, Portland, Sherwood, and some from McMinnville and other parts of wine country. It appears that is the farthest west from which reports came, and so far none from the actual Oregon coast. Todd said weather was generally clear, with the object moving from west to east, starting around 270 degrees in the sky to 90 degrees. Its coloration was orange / yellow, and it appeared in various levels of brightness in different areas. The fireball appeared to either break into two pieces or showed up as two pieces that part is not quite clear. It was slow moving, being observed at 12 to 20 seconds by many. It also showed up as a persistent train, meaning it consistently had a trail behind it. No one reported any smell nor any noise associated with the rather stunning astronomical event. The video captured by Hendricks was of the object moving slowly above the eastern horizon. In my opinion, this was a space junk, Todd said. Space junk is slower than a meteor or bolide (based on duration). Bolide is the term for a meteor that explodes in the atmosphere. Todd said the few reports from Oregon indicated it was a low angle. Orange is typically the color of space debris, while meteors are generally white or blue, he said. Also, Todd noted the way it was breaking up was typical of space junk. ( Oregon Coast Hotels in these areas - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours) Meteors are often quicker and brighter, sometimes exploding bright and low, he said. Reports closest to the Oregon coast are those in wine country, which is closing in on Oregon coast range territory, such as McMinnville, Tigard and Newberg. The AMS is showing those, as well as plenty around Tualitin and Sherwood. Redmond, Oregon was also in the mix of reports, along with Bend, Beaverton and Gresham. Washington towns citing the display include Kennewick and Camas. California sightings include Los Angeles and Paso Robles. Video below: Below that, other interstellar objects above the Oregon coast. Here's a look at the video I shot of the tail end of it. Not the best shot. But you can see it. #SpaceJunk? #Space #Oregon pic.twitter.com/q3eFcYA2qf John Hendricks (@JohnKPTV) February 15, 2018 More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging..... More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining..... Coastal Spotlight LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles Back to Oregon Coast Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted The Bible has been under attack in the western world for over 200 years but never more intensely than today. These attacks have taken different forms and have come from many different corners of the academic world, from philosophers, to scientists, to textual critics. In the specialized world of archaeology the attacks have increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Once a specialization filled with Bible believing individuals, the field of archaeology is now overrun with atheists and skeptics, agnostics and those committed to the destruction of the Bible as a source of true historical information. These attacks on the Bible are a part of a sweeping movement in western culture. Spearheaded by academic elitists in the university and the public educational system, the news and popular media, and the entertainment industry, these revisionists cloak themselves with supposed objectivity, purity of motives, and the superiority of science over the "uninformed", "unscientific", religious community. They regularly mock those who question their world-view and their conclusions by name-calling and the worst forms of anti-Bible and anti-Christian propaganda. They have powerfully infected the church by turning Bible believing Christians against the very Scripture which is the foundation of truth and life in this world. Instead of contending for the Bible, Christian academics, pastors, and lay-persons are making egregious accommodations to these destroyers of faith and truth. In these days of intense spiritual battle, God has called ABR to step into the gap to contend for the truth and to assist the church in this critical hour. ABR is a non-profit ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible and to give answers to questions being asked by believers and non-believers alike. We do this by using original archaeological fieldwork and research along with studies in other apologetic disciplines. We take on the bold claims of skeptics and critics. We challenge the bizarre anti-biblical propaganda that is purveyed upon the public as gospel through television and print media. We uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is God's message for the salvation of all mankind! A long struggle for rights The role players Global responsibility Kenya is second only to the Netherlands for flower imports to the UK , with a total of 13,013 tonnes per year. And because of globalisation and global value chains, the Netherlands itself imports most of its flowers from Kenya, with an estimated value of $1bn in 2016.In Kenya, growth in the volume and value of flower exports led to it moving from 3.6% to 8.1% of world exports between 2001 and 2016. Most exports are to the Netherlands and the UK. An estimated 100,000 tonnes of flowers leave Kenya every year for these two markets. Over a 132,000 tonnes are exported worldwide every year. In recent years Kenya has moved away from exporting lower value to higher value stems and bouquets.One of the groups of people to benefit from the burgeoning industry have been women. They form an estimated 75% of workers at production level in Kenya and have seen some positive improvements in their employment conditions and rights over the years.But it hasnt been an easy journey. At the outset, women faced systemic inequalities which made them vulnerable workers. These included poor labour conditions, the violation of health and safety rules and sexual harassment. The product upgrading, along with concerted campaigns by human rights activists, NGOs, trade unions and the buy-in of business led to a sea change in the womens working conditions.The reforms show that when a broad range of stakeholders come together substantive changes can be made in favour of vulnerable women workers. In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights , big corporations can be transformative in contributing to social justice for women workers. In a collaborative effort, the business community has a great opportunity to step in and lead the change.In the early 2000s NGOs, human rights, civil society and trade union organisations in Kenya and Europe campaigned over poor labour conditions for women workers. These included women workers on constantly renewed temporary contracts, violations of health and safety rules in greenhouses and endemic sexual harassment by male supervisors.In addition, there were also often demands for unplanned overtime because of last-minute orders placed by buying companies. This caused childcare problems. Women were also subject to additional risks such as sexual harassment and long hours and nighttime journeys to and from work.The range of actors involved in the campaign brought a raft of changes across the industry. Sound gender policies on workers rights, training, promotion and grievance procedures were introduced. Social auditing involving local NGOs, trade unions and human rights organisations helped identify specific issues facing women workers on particular farms.Thanks to specific gender policies on workers rights and grievance programmes, as well as to a decisive product upgrading, many Kenyan flower growers underwent a crucial switch from temporary to permanent contracts . This meant that women workers were now members of the unions, thus giving them access to another main channel to grievance and remedy Kenyan NGOs, trade union and human rights organisations played a critical role in raising issues. A complaint was made about supermarket sourcing to the UK Ethical Trading Initiative , an alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers rights around the globe. This led to investigations and involved visits to Kenya. A number of changes resulted in the leading flower farms, bringing real change for women workers.Gender committees were established on farms, providing a channel for women workers to voice grievances. Some supermarkets allowed longer lead times for delivery, assisting childcare responsibilities while reducing the risk of sexual harassment at night.Improvements in Kenyas employment law in 2007 also helped improve national labour standards. Over time, more women became supervisors and moved into managerial positions; and there was a significant reduction in reporting of labour abuse and sexual harassment. Procedures are now in place for reporting problems and for remedying them.The business benefits of the changes also became clear. Improving the rights of a largely female workforce has led to lower labour turnover, more committed skilled workers, higher productivity and quality.But there is still a long way to go: workers are working with trade unions and civil society organisations in their fight for a living wage and other rights.Corporations at the top of global value chains have a responsibility to stop exacerbating gender discrimination in their operations by factoring gender into the due diligence investigations they do into corporate human rights.The first step is to recognise that protecting women workers rights is their responsibility. And that workplaces can be used as an engine for changing social norms and reducing gender inequalities.At the same time, companies can lead the charge in finding viable solutions for protecting women workers rights. Tackling the root causes of gender inequalities, securing access to effective remedial processes and boosting regulations on sexual harassment can lead to fundamental and systemic change.Human rights abuses and sexual harassment can be tackled in global value chains. But for this to happen large corporations must take responsibility. In addition, a broad range of actors must be involved in securing real change for women workers, as Kenya has shown.This article was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africas preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.Go to: http://www.inet.co.za There has been plenty to celebrate in Malta this month. We learned the island's GDP growth is predicted to be the highest in Europe and secondly, it's Karnival time! Different cakes, same food colouring Feathers and finery at Karnival 2018, Valletta | Mark Leach Marcus, Marie Antoinette and a Maltese munchkin at Karnival 2018, Valletta | Mark Leach A portrait gallery come to life EUs highest GDP forecast Lets start with the annualcelebrations which take place over five days in February the traditional 40 days before Easter. The only cloud on the scheduling horizon was that we had heavy storms that disgorged Februarys entire average precipitation in just 36 hours. That meant that wind and rain stopped play for the first two days of2018, but when the clouds parted, the revelry began.presents in three different ways. Firstly, the exuberantly modelled floats which are built in open-sided hangars outside Valletta. There is a very specific style of modelling the giant figures and an equally specific neon colour palate so that even though each floats theme is different, when massed together, they all look very similar almost as if everyone was baking different cakes but only had access to the same food colouring! Floats are judged according to thematic category: triumphal, satiric, company, etc.Secondly, there are the troupes with costumes so spectacular, I wonder why anyone bothers taking the family to Disneyland Paris. I say spectacular for three reasons: creativity, cost and impractability!Here at, its as if somebody upended Alices rabbit hole and all of Lewis Carrolls characters came spilling out. Courtiers and queens, rearing horses, Eiffel Towers and Big Bens as well as a full panoply of period costume re-enactments from Maltas history. To call these looks outfits would be to do them a disservice; most of the creations are wearable sculptures attached to the body by a harness and then run up in a glorious panoply of stiff brocades, sumptuous velvets, dizzying sequins, shiny taffetas, gleaming silks and rhinestone-encrusted feathers.creations can cost up to 1,000 (R15,000) and they are gloriously impractical being both high and wide. I have no idea how you would travel to Valletta wearing them and am amazed that with the press of cellphone wielding selfie-takers, the attire isnt inadvertently destroyed when wading through the crowded streets of the capital. These creations are largely worn by grown-ups mostly women who gather the troupes in St Georges Square to competitively line dance in their upholstered finery to the strains of something retro-fabulous likeor the Abba songbook. At all times, the dancers are resiliently pleasant and red-carpet ready for endlessly posing for photos with visitors.By far my favourite part of, however, are the children. Although there are some dancing schools that send in costumed teams of tots (think Anne Geddes-inspired wardrobes), Maltese families with small children like to dress them up and wheel out the pushchairs through the baroque streets of Valletta. Were not talking about Superman pyjamas or dinosaur onesies here, these are more likely to be French musketeers or Spanish Infantas, as if a portrait gallery in the Grandmasters Palace had come to life. The Maltese people are very, very family oriented andis an adult expression of a childs fantasy!The whole island had good reason for optimism this past week. According to the European Commissions Winter 2018 Interim Economic Forecast, Maltas GDP growth rate is the highest in the EU and more than double that of the European economy.Maltas growth rate is projected to hit 5.6% in 2018 and 4.5% in 2019.The EC reacted favourably to Maltas real GDP growth in the first three quarters of 2017, which reached 7.2%. They attributed this to the external sector, driven by growing services exports.On growth for 2018, the EC expects private consumption to become the main driver of growth off the back of strong employment growth, improved consumer confidence and growing disposable income.Business takeout: Maltas EC-predicted future rate of growth will be more than double the archipelagos average growth rate between 2009 and 2013.The social take-home: The typicaldessert treat is the. Made with pine nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, honey and sized like a Swiss roll covered with white icing and glace cherries, it has the consistency of a dry, crumbly nougat. Aficionados agree, the bestcome from Busy Bee and Caffe Cordina in Valletta. Almost a year after the National Health Laboratory Service's (NHLS's) board suspended its top executives for alleged corruption and maladministration, it has only just begun getting its teeth into the meat of the disciplinary action it brought against them. CEO Joyce Mogale and chief financial officer Sikhumbuzo Zulu were suspended at the end of February 2017, following a forensic investigation ordered by the board after National Health, Education and Allied Workers Union alleged corruption and maladministration.The board also suspended the NHLS's head of internal audit, its supply chain manager and its facilities manager. The latter two resigned in the face of their disciplinary charges.NHLS board chairman Eric Buch said that after numerous technical and procedural delays, the disciplinary hearing for Mogale and Zulu had got under way in earnest on Tuesday.Further dates for the hearing had been set for later in February and in March.It was not unusual for disciplinary processes to be delayed in this fashion, and the board had moved as fast as it could, he said. "I think we have acted in an exemplary and swift manner ... [and] we are working to wrap it up as speedily as possible."Buch declined to elaborate on the disciplinary charges brought against Mogale and Zulu, saying only that they were largely related to procurement irregularities.The NHLS board had laid charges against all five individuals with the South African Police Service, in line with its obligations in the Public Finance Management Act, Buch said. It had also notified the Treasury's chief procurement officer.In November, it emerged that the NHLS had received a qualified audit for 2016-17 after its auditors, SizweNtsalubaGobodo, highlighted irregular expenditure of more than R1bn and cast doubt on its ability to continue as a going concern because it reported a R1.879bn deficit for the year.The deficit represented a significant swing into the red, as the NHLS had reported a surplus of R273m the year before.At the time, Buch said the board was extremely concerned about these issues.It had identified most of the problems in the audit and instituted disciplinary proceedings against those deemed responsible, he said.The NHLS provides all the tests used for diagnosing and monitoring diseases among state patients and is thus considered the backbone of the health service.It also provides services to the private sector, including certain highly specialised tests that private laboratories do not offer.The auditor's report said a debt of R1.8bn was confirmed by the office of the accountant- general as payable by KwaZulu-Natal for services provided between April 1 2010 and March 31 2014, and discussions for payment arrangements were under way.A long-running billing dispute with Gauteng has yet to be resolved, which also affected the auditor's view of the NHLS's financial position. SHANGHAI, China - Guo Bonan has opened several new branches of his "8Peppers" spicy Sichuan-style restaurants across Shanghai since last year, and not one has a dining room. He doesn't need them stationed outside each outlet are packs of food deliverymen on motorbikes waiting to whisk dishes from Guo's steaming kitchens to homes, office buildings and factories across the city of 24 million.China's app-based meal-delivery boom of the past two years has introduced several now-familiar phenomena: families and office workers huddling around mobile phones to place orders, delivery scooters scattering pedestrians on crowded sidewalks, and mountains of empty plastic meal containers.But it's also fuelling wider change by shrinking restaurants and reducing how often families cook at home while allowing millions to fry up meals in their own home kitchens and ship them to hungry buyers."In a rapidly developing city like Shanghai, time is money. So people don't want to spend it cooking for themselves anymore," said Guo, 29, adding that many younger people like him are no longer learning how to cook."8Peppers" focuses purely on delivery through leading platforms like Ele.me and Meituan, avoiding the expense of paying waiters and maintaining a dining space.Business is good. "8Peppers" now has 10 branches and Guo is a partner in a separate kitchen-only project with eight outlets and hundreds more planned nationally.Passionate about food, Chinese are also eager adopters of e-commerce, a potent combination for delivery start-ups.More than 200 billion yuan ($32 billion) worth of meals were delivered in 2017, equalling Bolivia's gross domestic product, a figure expected to grow another 20 percent this year, consultancy iiMedia Research said.Users of meal-ordering platforms tripled in two years to 343 million in 2017, the China Internet Network Information Center said, the vast majority using mobile apps.The delivery cost of a few yuan is no deterrent as Chinese incomes rise, said Zhang Xuhao, Ele.me's founder and CEO."Price is not so important anymore. Convenience and efficiency get the most attention, especially among Chinese born in the 90s or 2000s," Zhang told AFP.Ele.me is now working on user-data systems that can help restaurateurs determine where to open for maximum sales, and testing delivery drones.With its massive and growing cities, "China's potential is extremely large," Zhang said.The industry is another proxy battle between e-commerce heavyweight Alibaba and gaming and social media rival Tencent in their struggle for tech dominance in everything from online games to content and mobile payments.Alibaba is an Ele.me backer while Tencent is heavily invested in Meituan.Delivery platforms have raised billions in venture capital and are said to be burning cash via discounts to grab market share, with growth rates expected to slow.But the industry impact will deepen, say analysts. "It will change restaurant design. Kitchen space only used to be one-fourth of a restaurant. But restaurants are now becoming something like processing centres for delivery," said Wang Yuke of real estate consultancy RET.Su Xiaosu struggled after migrating several years ago from rural Jiangsu province to Shanghai, where she married. But in 2016, she joined fast-growing platform Hui Jia Chi Fan ("Go home to eat"), which plugs home kitchens into delivery networks and is now in six cities.Su, 34, now grosses up to 3,000 yuan ($475) per day, an eye-popping take for most Chinese, by frying up Jiangsu specialities in her tiny home kitchen and handing them to blue-clad Ele.me deliverymen in her apartment stairwell. She can now afford a foreign tutor for her young daughter and has plans to buy an apartment, once only a dream."My biggest concern is upsetting my neighbours. There are crowds of deliverymen during peak hours and some elderly neighbours sleep early," Su said.Not everyone is happy. Besides delivery waste that has taxed municipal authorities, tens of thousands of accidents were blamed on notoriously risk-taking deliverymen in 2017, including scores of deaths, prompting new government safety guidelines.And supermarket sales are "depressed" as meal deliveries reduce grocery demand, said Bruno Lannes, a partner with consultancy Bain & Company."It's now so easy to get food delivered at home, in the office or anywhere within 30 minutes, and in a variety that you can't get at home," Lannes said."People just aren't cooking at home anymore."Even perennially strong sales of instant noodles dropped three straight years from 2013 to 2016 as food delivery took off, according to state media.Supermarkets have rushed to offer delivery, and Alibaba in 2015 launched a new grocery chain with online ordering and delivery.Alibaba and others also have launched initiatives to connect suddenly vulnerable mom-and-pop stores to delivery networks."That's the future. Some of these new apps will help mom-and-pop stores survive," said Lannes. Steinhoff International's troubles continue to mount. On Thursday, 15 February 2018, the Cape High Court began to interrogate the controversial lending practices of Capfin, which provided unsecured credit to customers of Pepkor and Ackermans. Pepkor and Ackermans are two of Steinhoff's most profitable subsidiaries. They operate predominantly in Africa and were essential to the formation of Steinhoff Africa Retail.Capfin was extensively covered in the controversial report released by Viceroy Research the day after Steinhoff announced it was investigating "accounting irregularities" in early December.Capfin is part of Southern View Finance (SVF) which, according to Viceroy, is one of the three main off-balance sheet entities controlled by former executive officers and associates of Steinhoff. Viceroy said the purpose of these entities was to allow Steinhoff to book interest revenue on loans to them, to remove losses from Steinhoff's consolidated accounts and to round-trip its predatory consumer business.The case before the High Court, which has been brought by Summit Financial Partners on behalf of Esmerelda Baartman, alleges Capfin provided unsecured finance to Baartman in a reckless manner in contravention of the National Credit Act. Baartman was granted six loans in six months but Summit alleges five of the loans were used to roll over the first and that each roll-over incurred initiation fees.In its heads of argument, Summit says Capfin should not be allowed to profit at the expense of Baartman and should be ordered to repay all interest and fees charged. It dismissed Capfin's argument that Baartman had been blatantly dishonest about affordability criteria, saying she had not been appropriately assessed.This is not the first time Capfin's lending practices have come under scrutiny.In August 2014, the National Credit Regulator launched a probe into its lending practices, in particular concerns that it had not collected documented proof of income from its customers.In February 2015, the regulator cancelled Capfin's licence. SVF challenged the cancellation and, following a hearing in October 2015, reached a settlement with the regulator the terms of which were not made public.At about this time, Capfin was transferred to another of Steinhoff's three off-balance sheet entities, Campion. A bridge too far for Dakar? Whats the real problem? Clarity is key A bond is a debt security issued by a public agency to raise money, often for infrastructure projects. Sovereign bonds are widely used by national governments, and municipal bonds are used by many cities (particularly in the Americas).For comparison, cities in sub-Saharan Africa have raised less than 1% of the US amount since 2004. Only a handful of local governments have successfully issued municipal bonds, almost all of them in South Africa. Yet there is a desperate need for infrastructure investment throughout the region. Current estimates place the financing gap at $41.6bn . Municipal bonds, originated for urban infrastructure, will go a long way to addressing this gap.Why arent African cities using municipal bonds to raise money for capital projects?Some international experts point to a lack of local capacity and technical ability to prepare a municipal bond. Others argue that projects are not structured in ways that ensure a sufficient return to prospective investors. Still another group insists that municipal leaders lack the interest or ability to use more transparent financing instruments.All of these views stem from a belief that civil servants and investors in sub-Saharan Africa are not exposed to global financial best practices, or are unwilling to comply with them. Some of these assumptions are both wrong and offensive.My paper considered this question and came to a conclusion that there is another key contributing factor that is often overlooked. This is the weakness in regulations governing the roles and powers of cities authorities to raise finance and the ability of central governments to adjust these based on political whims.This creates an uncertain environment. Prospective issuers cannot be confident that their preparatory work will ultimately lead to a transaction. And they cant be sure that their efforts can be undone at the last minute by a government.In my paper I argue that poor financial skills and ignorance is less of a problem than many suggest.Take, for example, the cities of Dakar (Senegal) and Kampala (Uganda). Both recognised the need to reduce their reliance on development assistance or commercial banks. They also recognised that, to attract investment from institutional investors like pension funds and insurance companies, they would have to demonstrate their creditworthiness.Creditworthiness can be understood as both the willingness and the ability to borrow. To achieve a satisfactory credit rating, Kampala and Dakar needed to prove that they could reliably raise and manage money from a range of local sources, including from property taxes, parking fines and license fees.Months of dedicated work yielded positive results. Independent ratings agencies assessed the health of the cities finance systems. Both cities received investment-grade credit ratings, meaning that prospective investors could be reasonably confident of recovering their money.Indeed, after the cities secured these credit ratings, several local investors indicated their desire to purchase municipal bonds.But political conflicts between the local and national levels led to Dakars bond issuance being cancelled at the last minute. And in the case of Kampala, national regulation has capped the citys borrowing at a prohibitively low amount. This limit means that the city cannot borrow enough money to make bond issuance worthwhile.If the issue doesnt stem from creditworthiness, technical proficiency, or financial market readiness, there must be another factor limiting municipal bond issuance.My paper attributes the lack of bond issuance not to the municipality or potential investors, but to limiting behaviour of national governments.While they devolve substantial responsibilities to cities, they limit their ability to raise funds. This is often driven by a fear on the part of sovereign leadership to allow cities to have a hand in holding their own purse strings. This power can ultimately lead to less dependence on the national government.A closer look at a number of cities shows that only those in highly centralised countries like Cameroon or highly decentralised countries like South Africa have been able to successfully issue bonds. The argument for the success of bond issuance in decentralised economies is well-understood in the African context and more broadly around the world. But the case for success in countries at the other end of the spectrum is less-considered but equally valid.Cities in heavily centralised countries are not provided with autonomy for decision-making. Instead they are positioned as direct participants within an administrative machine governed by decisions from the capital. Any financial obligation entered into by a city in this political ecosystem is viewed as one explicitly guaranteed by the central government.South Africa provides a good example of how enabling legislation can help municipalities raise money. In 2004 the country passed a law The Municipal Finance Management Act that sets out clearly what financial activities cities can and cant undertake. Cities are prohibited from borrowing for operational expenditures and, instead, can only borrow for long-term investments.The law has made it safer for pension funds, insurance companies and other investors to lend to city governments. They know that municipalities cannot issue bonds without being in full compliance with existing regulations that are not subject to different types of interpretation or changes in political will.By comparison, the cities of Dakar and Kampala have struggled because of ambiguous or contested relationships with their national governments. And both cities have spent years improving their revenue collection and management systems to achieve an investment-grade credit rating. Yet the constraints on municipal bonds are created by systems beyond the citys control.More African governments need to clarify enabling regulatory and legal environments on the sub-national level. These must explain how much cities can borrow and under what conditions. Only then will African cities be able to use bonds to finance the infrastructure their citizens so desperately need. There is nothing wrong with the way police resources are allocated, a lawyer for the South African Police Service (SAPS) told the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday. SJC members sang outside the Western Cape High Court where the police resources case is being heard. Photo: Mary-Anne Gontsana Advocate Renata Williams was representing SAPS in the application brought by the Social Justice Coalition, Equal Education and the Nyanga Community Policing Forum, asking the court to declare that the allocation of police resources discriminates against black people and the poor.Williams said this had not been established by the applicants and the case should be dismissed without costs.The court case resumed on Monday, after it was postponed last December.Williams said it was not true that there were more police officers in affluent areas than in less affluent areas. She took issue with the evidence put forward by Jean Redpath, researcher at the University of the Western Capes Dullah Omar Institute, on policing and the Theoretical Human Resource Requirements (THRR).The THRR is a complex and secret system, which establishes how police and staff are allocated.Williams said that all crimes were important and police had a mandate to police all crime. While murder is important, it is not the only crime. Ms Redpath cannot use murder as a predictor or indicator of violent crime. Redpaths model is fundamentally flawed. Redpath is no expert, she probably just studied some case studies.She said Redpaths affidavit was filled with useless annexures.Judge MJ Dolamo asked Williams what was the best predictor of crime according to SAPS. She replied that crime could not be predicted only by population size and crime rate.Williams said there had been changes to police allocations, including in Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Athlone. She said 22 extra police officers had been sent to Athlone because of the high crime rate; 41 to Khayelitsha, 47 to Harare police station and 41 to Nyanga.Is there any information or document that you can show me that shows if the additional police have helped in any way or have not helped? asked Dolamo. Williams did not provide the information.On whether the allocation of police resources discriminated against poor communities, Williams said, Racially driven allocation is what the applicants want to see. That is a disregard of the Equality Act. It would be going backwards, and not forwards.She said the THRR only stipulated how many officers should be allocated to each province, and the decision about the distribution of officers within a province was taken by the police commissioner of that specific province in accordance with the SAPS Act. She said the applicants were challenging the wrong part of the process.In response, the advocate for the applicants, Peter Hathorn, said they were arguing against the national system of police resources allocation. When they submitted their court papers, he said, the applicants only had information from KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape to show discrimination. He said he would give details on Thursday.The case continues. Privately-owned regional carrier SA Airlink is to face prosecution after its passengers on the Johannesburg-Mthatha route overpaid about R100m over five years, the Competition Commission said on Wednesday, 14 February 2018. The commission referred SA Airlink to the Competition Tribunal on charges of excessive and predatory pricing after an investigation following complaints by regional carrier Fly Blue Crane and other parties.Fly Blue Crane has not been operational and in business rescue since February 2017.The complainants alleged that SA Airlink, as the dominant carrier on the Johannesburg-Mthatha route, charged excessive prices for its service, but when Fly Blue Crane began operating the route it lowered its prices below its costs, a practice known as predatory pricing.This forced Fly Blue Crane to abandon the route in January 2017.After Fly Blue Crane exited the route, SA Airlink raised its prices, again to excessively high levels, the complainants said.The commission said SA Airlink's conduct contravened the Competition Act and amounted to an abuse of its dominance on the route from September 2012 to August 2016. "The effect of the predation is also likely to deter future competition on this route from other airlines," deputy commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu said in a statement.Airlink CEO Rodger Foster denied the allegations and said the carrier welcomed the opportunity to put its case before the tribunal so that the matter could be put to rest.The service between Mthatha and Johannesburg remained operational, he said.The commission is seeking a penalty of up to 10% of Airlink's annual turnover. Morocco's Ecole Marocaine des Sciences de l'Ingenieur (EMSI) and YK Business School (YKBS) in Mauritius have formally joined the Honoris United Universities' network as member institutions. Honoris United Universities is a private pan-African higher education network committed to preparing and educating the next generation of African leaders and professionals able to impact regionally in a globalised world. Collaborative intelligence, cultural agility and mobile mindsets and skills are at the heart of Honoris vision of higher education.Honoris United Universities gathers a community of 27,000 students on 48 campuses, learning centers and via online, in nine countries and 30 cities across Africa. Students have an opportunity to experience exclusive partnerships and exchange programs in more than 50 universities across Europe and the United States. Over 100 degrees are offered in the fields of Health Science, Engineering, IT, Business, Law, Architecture, Arts and Design, Media, Education and Political Science.EMSI, the largest private higher education institution in Morocco, has been a pioneer for over 30 years serving as an innovation center as well as the leading multidisciplinary engineering school. Likewise, YKBS is one of the leading business schools in Mauritius offering competitive and relevant business and law programs.The additions of EMSI and YKBS mark an important milestone as we expand the Honoris United Universities network across the continent, explains Luis Lopez, CEO of Honoris United Universities. Honoris United Universities mission is focused on education that enables Africas future leaders to compete and excel in the prospective challenges and opportunities the continent holds. As we continue to bring together diverse, high quality and award-winning institutions from Northern and Southern Africa, we are able to refashion student success via more agile approaches. Our notion of collaborative intelligence further enables us to propose impactful solutions to increase access to affordable and high quality education throughout the continent.Dr Kamal Daissaoui, a founder of EMSI along with Dr Bargach El Fatimi, Dr Jawad Khayat, and Zouhair Benabbou said, We are delighted to be a part of the Honoris United Universities network as it represents an initiative devoted to fast-tracking Africas journey towards helping young people realize their potential. At EMSI, we have been educating engineers and innovators since 1986, a community that over these years has contributed significantly to the development of Morocco. Currently, EMSI has more than 10,000 alumni and over 4,000 student engineers in training throughout the Kingdom. EMSIs commitment to empowering the new generation of Moroccan leaders is in line with the Kingdom's vision for African nations to adopt a determined co-development approach for the sustainable development of the continent. The Kingdoms vision emphasizes the critical role of Africas youth in the development and transformation of the continent and therefore, EMSIs mission and our participation with Honoris strongly endorse this vision.Prof. Jaumally Mahmad Reshad, Chairman, YKBS, added Looking at Africa from a global point of view, Honoris United Universities will act as a catalyst for intellectual transfer between Northern and Southern Africa. Geographically, Africa is a large continent with vast disparities. Collaborative intelligence is therefore important it seeks to build bridges of connectivity which will help to improve higher education and generate new opportunities to mould our future generations of African leaders. We look forward to embarking on this journey with Honoris United Universities. Mauritius remains in demand for local travellers, with the island destination recording a 7% increase in arrivals year-on-year to 112,129 compared to 104,834 in 2016, from South Africa for the year ended December 2017 - a performance the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) is particularly pleased with. Image Supplied Global growth in international arrivals Image Supplied A favourite holiday destination The new year has also started off on a positive note. In January 2018, South African arrivals to the island totalled 7,196, an increase of 10.3% from the 2016 figure of 6,522. And, South Africa ranks as the fifth highest source market for the month, contributing 5.9% of market share.In December, South Africa was the second best source market for arrivals to the island destination (behind France) with 20,838 arrivals (up 6.3% from 19,609 in 2016), and a 13.4% share in tourist arrivals for the month. Taking the entire year into consideration, South Africa represented an 8.4% share of overall tourist arrivals (that totalled 1,341,860), a slight increase from the 8.2% share for 2016, and was ranked the fifth best performing market (behind France, the UK, Reunion Island and Germany).This upturn in the arrival figures to Mauritius bodes well for a similar pattern unfolding as we head into 2018. According to the latest figures released by the UNs World Tourism Organisation in its World Tourism Barometer, international arrivals globally also grew by a remarkable 7% last year, with a total of 1.3 billion travellers. It expects this strong trend to continue this year, at an anticipated growth rate of 4-5%.With international travel and tourism cited as a key economic driver for Mauritius to create jobs, grow the economy and prosper local communities, this is all good news.A further endorsement for the Indian Ocean island as a favourite holiday destination came from the global company, Lonely Planet. It listed Mauritius among the Top 10 countries to visit in its recently-published Lonely Planets Best in Travel 2018. Mauritius presents an abundance of reasons to place it at the top of your bucket list of dream travel destinations.It is also just a short, four-hour flight from South Africa, with flights departing from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. No visa is required for South African travellers, which takes another travel hassle out of deciding where to book your next holiday. And, the wide selection of accommodation on offer, from five-star ultra-luxury hotels to all-inclusive hotel packages, beautiful villas and self-catering apartments, makes this island destination even more appealing to local travellers.The destinations selected for the Lonely Planet publication must offer travellers an outstanding experience in the coming year, and this could be that something special is going on. That is certainly the case with Mauritius, as the island will be celebrating a momentous milestone in its history the 50th Anniversary of Independence. Gearing up for this special celebration, a series of national events and activities are currently being organised to culminate in March 2018. A popular track at this year's IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication) Conference on Thursday, 8 February was that of creative and big idea creation, and a talk that really struck a cord, so to speak, was BBDO South Africa's CEO Boniswa Pezisa's on the power of breakthrough creativity and the role it plays in triggering emotions to communicate effectively. Boniswa Pezisa Salience at scale Theres this feeling that were all like Spock, especially at work, but no, were not like that, were all like Homer Simpson, and I know it feels like an insult, but inside, I have feelings, emotions, I eat donuts, like all of you, I eat chocolate, and I do all of those things, and you know what, every now and then I want to have a beer! I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Pezisa first explained that at BBDO, they believe in work that works. We believe in the science of how brands grow and how big ideas help them grow and drive salience.For many years, marketing has been the poor cousin of all sciences, she adds. What she means by this is that, while its a science, you cant scientifically prove its necessity and effectiveness.In the old days, there was this outrageous claim that we all made. We said, Ahh, creativity is the weapon to basically move your business forward. But the science wasnt behind it, so clients questioned whether this was true.She referred to Peter Field, an analyst from London also known as one of the godfathers of advertising effectiveness who has spent the last 10 years looking at IPA and Cannes case studies in search of the correlation between creativity and effectiveness.As a result, the claim that we were making is now validated. According to his report, ads that win awards are 11 times more effective than those that dont or arent actually creative.So, if your work isnt breaking through, you may as well burn the money that you put behind it, believes Pezisa. In other words, work that doesnt creatively resonate with your target market is pointless.The path to growth for any brand is to get people to pay more, buy more and get more people to buy your brand, she says, and in order for this to happen, brands have to shout louder for us to connect with them, but its not just about connecting, its about exciting feelings at the end of the day.Creative communications are about changing consumer behaviour and certain behaviours are triggered by certain emotions. Look at it this way:Thinking like Homer, she says, Ive lost a bit of weight and Im dying for a chocolate, Im going to go for that, but theres a reason Ive selected Cadbury Its because Ive built an affinity with Cadbury, I have an emotional connection with Cadbury, and that was built buy some communication that resonated with me.So, what triggers emotions and what is the role of creativity? The answer is dopamine and oxytocin, and using these by creating an element of surprise, a plot twist, discovery, climax, awe, humour, reciprocity or empathy, etc., and leveraging feelings of falling in love or a sense of safety, etc. for communication.She ran through a number of examples that demonstrate this, from Sainsburys Christmas is for Sharing, to Cesars Love Them Back and the South Africa Alive With Possibilities campaign to name a few that get this right."So we have to use these sentiment triggers, we have to arouse, we have to get under the skin of the consumer and get the right message across because you can do great creative work, but if the message is wrong and doesn't move the needle in terms of market share and sales, we're in the wrong business."In the words of Maya Angelou: BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission said on Thursday that certain social media companies need to do more to fully comply with EU consumer rules, singling out in particular Facebook and Twitter. "While Google's latest proposals appear to be in line with the requests made by consumer authorities, Facebook and, more significantly, Twitter, have only partially addressed important issues about their liability and about how users are informed of possible content removal or contract termination," the Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in a statement.The social media giants had published on Thursday the changes they have made to comply with the demands of European regulators.Some of those changes include having the right to withdraw from an online purchase; being able to lodge complaints in Europe rather than in California; and the platforms being responsible towards EU consumers in the same way as off-line services."I am pleased that the enforcement of EU rules to protect consumers by national authorities is bearing fruit, as some companies are now making their platforms safer for consumers; however, it is unacceptable that this is still not complete and it is taking so much time," said Vera Jourova, European commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality.The European Union's demands to the US internet giants were made in November 2016 following numerous complaints by consumers in Europe about being hit with fraud and scams when using their websites.There were also concerns by consumer protection authorities about requesting the removal of illegal content.The Commission said unlike Google, Facebook and Twitter have not set up deadlines to deal with the requests of national authorities."We need a 'New Deal for Consumers': EU consumer rules should be respected and if companies don't comply, they should face sanctions," Jourova said. The Cape Town Air Access initiative has welcomed the announcement made by RwandAir that it will launch a direct route to Cape Town. As of 16 May 2018, the Rwandan national carrier will fly directly from Kigali to Cape Town International Airport, with a stop-over in Harare, four times a week. Boosting tourism, trade and investment Increased direct flights to Cape Town In a RwandAir press release, CEO Chance Ndagano said: This is yet another big milestone for RwandAir as we continue to expand our network. Our aim is to provide to our customers seamless and better connections on the continent and beyond. Abuja and Cape Town come in as a boost to the different economies in terms of tourism and trade on one hand, and enhance the bilateral partnership between our countries on the other hand.The Cape Town Air Access initiative agrees that this will greatly assist in boosting tourism, trade and investment between the Cape and Rwanda. It will also help link the Western Cape with Zimbabwe, with a stop-over in the countrys capital. This is in addition to the Kenya Airways route to Cape Town, via Victoria Falls.Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 16% growth in two-way passengers between Zimbabwe and Cape Town. This was largely due to a 36% increase in two-way passengers from Victoria Falls. Harare, however, only increased by 1%. This new stop-over in the capital will, therefore, assist in boosting travel between Zimbabwe and the Cape significantly.According to Wesgros IQ unit, the five top Western Cape exports to Rwanda in 2016 included: Refined petroleum at R13.7m Wine at R11m, recording a 100% growth Insecticides, R6.6m Engine parts, R3.8m Undenatured ethyl alcohol at R1.8mIn addition, there were a total of eight(FDI) projected from South Africa to Rwanda, valued at $32.1m, and a total of three foreign direct investments from Rwanda into South Africa, valued at $37.3m. All of the investments, however, took place were in Gauteng. Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris said that this was an exciting move that will help grow trade further and assist land FDI from Rwandas growing economy into the Western Cape.Cape Town and the Western Cape are not only open for business, but through better linkages, are also becoming the gateway to the rest of Africa. Improved Air Access with the continent, will not only boost tourism, but also help bring more investors to our respective countries, and help facilitate business-to-business engagements that result in important trade deals. We are extremely grateful for the confidence that RwandAir has shown in us, and our team is ready to provide support to them so that this route maintains itself well into the future, said Harris.Western Cape minister of economic opportunities, Alan Winde said: We are excited to welcome Rwanda Air and all its passengers to Cape Town International Airport. With four flights a week, there is tremendous potential to grow trade and tourism between Cape Town and Kigali, which in turn will help us to achieve the growth and jobs goals weve set ourselves through Project Khulisa. This announcement is a testament to the hard work being done by the joint Air Access team, whove already grown direct two-way seats to Cape Town by almost a million.Executive mayor of the City of Cape Town, Patricia De Lille welcomed increased flights from the rest of Africa: This news is a major boost for Cape Town and demonstrates that our efforts to position Cape Town as a globally competitive business destination are paying off. The increase in the number of flights will mean that more tourists and business people can travel to and from Cape Town with much more ease. This is indeed good news in terms of our mission to increase trade and investment between Cape Town businesses and businesses in cities across Africa.Airports Company South Africa: Cape Town International Airport general manager, Deon Cloete added: "The airport has seen exceptional international growth in the last number of months and at this rate, Cape Town International Airport is set to pass the 11 million passenger milestone, following closely on the heels of surpassing the 10 million passenger mark just over a year ago. Were aware of our responsibility to ensure that our infrastructure capacity meets demand."Were especially pleased that weve been granted approval to proceed with the realignment of our runway which enables the airport to handle more aircraft. Were also going to be reconfiguring our domestic arrivals terminal and well as the international terminal."The success of the Air Access initiative is critical to ensuring the continuous growth not only of our airport and the ACSA network of airports, but our region as a whole. We look forward to welcoming RwandAir" concluded Cloete.Last week, Kenya Airways announced that they would launch a direct route between Nairobi and Cape Town from 6 June 2018. This route will operate three times a week Kenya Airways currently flies three times a week from Nairobi to Cape Town via Victoria Falls. It also operates a flight to Cape Town via Livingstone, and this route will be increased from three flights to four flights per week from 25 March 2018.TAAG has also announced that it will increase capacity from Luanda to Cape Town from three flights per week to four on a Boeing 777-300 from 25 March 2018. Air Mauritius has also announced a capacity increase on its route to Cape Town, introducing a widebody A340-300 from 28 March. The Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau has won the bid for Cape Town to host its third major water conference, the International Conference on Sanitation, Waste and Water, which takes place from 20 to 23 November 2018 at the Century City Conference Centre. Sanitation, water and waste management in Africa These include: Addressing clean water and poor sanitation Innovation and resilience in wake of drought This follows the Convention Bureaus successful bids for the International Water Associations (IWA) 2018 Water Loss Conference, to be held from 7 to 9 May 2018, and the Young Water Professionals Conference, held in December 2017. In addition, the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau welcome the Water Institute of South Africas biennial conference and exhibition in June 2018 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).The conference has been brought together through a partnership of the World Toilet Association, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the University of North West and the University of Limpopo.According to Aifani Tahulela from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology: "The conference aims to bring together practitioners and academics from all over the world with interest on better management of sanitation, water and waste in Africa and other third world countries with a view to learn from each other."It is expected that some 600 delegates will participate in these important discussions on the use and management of clean water across the world.In addition, it aims to achieve long-term outcomes which will significantly benefit our province and country. Academic publications in the form of a journal issue, conference proceeding and a book; A doctoral seminar that would bring together and network doctoral students working in sanitation, water and waste-related topics; Long-term research partnerships between various participating research institutions, individual academics, and practitioners; Exhibition by organisations that are involved in sanitation, water and waste management innovations with potential for selling their products and establishing research partnerships.Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris said: On behalf of the Cape Town and the Western Cape Convention Bureau, I would like to thank the conference organisers for selecting Cape Town for this critical gathering on water, hygiene and sanitation. We are also grateful for the support of the South African National Convention Bureau. It could not come at a more important time for our province. We are currently facing the worst drought in 400 years, and new and innovative ideas on how we can adapt to the realities of climate change will be critical.Our colleagues in the convention bureau will be working closely with this conference to help them become water-neutral so that they can come and visit Cape Town without any worry that they may make our water scarcity worse. In fact, these conferences are vital for our economy, bringing in the best and brightest minds who not only boost tourism but who may come back as future investors. We warmly welcome you to Cape Town and the Western Cape, which is open for business, and we look forward to working with you in helping us save water, continued Harris.Mayor of Suwon City, and spokesperson for the conference, Tae-young YEOM added: Resulting from problems associated with poor sanitation, waste management and water standards, it is reported that over 84 million people (one in 10) throughout the world do not have access to clean water. More than 2.3 billion people do not have access to a toilet while 289,000 children are dying on an annual basis because of the problems associated with lack of clean water and poor sanitation. This conference therefore squarely lands itself into addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number six which is clean water and sanitation access by all by 2030.The Western Cape minister of economic opportunities, Alan Winde said: Water is a very topical subject in Cape Town right now, but it should be on everyones mind as the world faces the challenges of climate change, population growth and ensuring public health. We welcome this conferences 600 delegates to our province and applaud the efforts of the organisers to ensure that it remains water-neutral. One of our Project Khulisas focus areas is on growing conference tourism to create more jobs. Conferences generated R425m for the province in 2016/17, a figure we are seeking to grow."CEO of South African Tourism, Sisa Ntshona welcomed the news saying: "Securing these important international conferences for South Africa and Cape Town in particular, where the water issue is so topical and pressing is a major feather in our business events industry's cap. The South African Tourism is thrilled that the increased bid support being provided by our national, provincial and city convention bureaus is already bearing fruit, significantly boosting our chances of hosting such major global conferences. The healthier our business events industry is, the more jobs we can create and sustain, the more economic growth we can stimulate, and the more our country's intellectual capital base can be enhanced and enriched.""While Cape Town is busy fighting the worst drought in recorded history, it is clear that we are also positioning ourselves globally as a city and a society that demonstrates enormous innovation and resilience when it comes to water management issues. It is our firm belief that this crisis will lead to Cape Town becoming a global site of interest when it comes to water challenges that other cities will have to contend with in this new era of climate change.Conferencing and tourism are especially important for our city. The fact that three water conferences have been held in Cape Town over the past year is certainly a testament to that. We, therefore, welcome this latest conference and suspect that there will be many more," concluded Lance Greyling, the City of Cape Towns director for enterprise and investment. Newspaper publisher Caxton has been fined R5.8m and the Independent Group R2.2m for colluding on the prices they charged to advertisers, the Competition Commission said on Friday. This follows a R22.3m fine handed to Naspers's pay-TV subsidiary, DStv, in May 2017, the commission said.In addition to the fines for price fixing, the media companies have agreed to contribute to black economic-empowerment development funds and to offer advantageous deals to small, black-owned advertising agencies.Caxton will contribute R2m and the Independent Group R799,417 to the development fund over three years. Naspers's DStv was required to contributed R8m to the fund over three years.The three media groups implicated so far are also required to offer 25% "bonus advertising space" to small, black-owned agencies for every rand of advertising bought, capped at R15m for Caxton, R5m for the Independent Group, and R50m for DStv."The matter relates to a November 2011 investigation which found that, through the Media Credit Co-ordinators (MCC), various media companies agreed to offer similar discounts and payment terms to advertising agencies that place advertisements with MCC members," the commission's statement said.The commission found MCC-accredited agencies were offered a 16.5% discount, while non-members were offered 15%."In addition, the commission found that the implicated companies employed services of an intermediary company called Corex to perform risk assessments on advertising agencies for purposes of imposing a settlement discount structure and terms on advertising agencies." Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION An internet imagery. LONDON (PTI): India's defence budget broke into the world's top five, beating the UK for the first time, a new report by a London-based global think-tank has said, signalling a key shift in the military balance between the two countries. India overtook the UK as the fifth-largest defence spender in the world in 2017 at USD 52.5 billion, up from USD 51.1 billion in 2016, according to the 'Military Balance 2018' report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). In contrast, the UK's defence budget fell from USD 52.5 billion in 2016 to USD 50.7 billion last year. "This represents a key shift in the military balance between India and the UK, with India allocating more capabilities to develop its regional resources than the UK in a global context," said IISS Senior Fellow for South Asia, Rahul Roy-Chaudhury. The report notes that while India continues to modernise its military capabilities, China with the world's second-largest defence budget after the US remains far ahead with three times India's defence budget at USD 150.5 billion. China's real defence spending increased by nearly 25 per cent in 2016-17, whereas India's rose by just 2.4 per cent. "Post-Dokalam, India's military balance with China continues to be significantly in China's favour. Since 2000, China has built more submarines, destroyers, frigates and corvettes than Japan, South Korea and India combined. China will continue to dominate the region militarily and seek to challenge the US in the region as well, Roy-Chaudhury notes. According to the analysis, the Chinese army has over 600,000 more active personnel than India; it has nearly 1,200 tactical aircraft compared to India's 785; and 55 more cruisers, destroyers and frigates than India. The report takes note of the Indian government's 'Make in India' policy, which aims to strengthen the defence-industrial base through measures such as "reforming the cap on foreign direct investment" (FDI) and that the country is one of the top troop contributors to UN peacekeeping operations. "The overall capability of the (Indian) army is limited by inadequate logistics, and shortages of ammunition and spare parts. Defence cooperation with the US continues to grow, with an increasing level of exercising and sales of US equipment. "Development and procurement programmes across the services are aimed at replacing ageing equipment, but many projects have experienced significant delays and cost overruns, particularly indigenous systems, the report finds. IISS says the new Indian Joint Armed Forces Doctrine issued last year sees an "emerging triad" of space, cyber and special-operations capabilities complementing conventional land, sea and air capabilities as India continues to modernise its strategic forces, particularly its delivery systems. Overall, the report found that China and Russia, with the world's fourth-largest defence budget at USD 61.2 billion, are challenging the military supremacy of the US (USD 602.8 billion) and its allies and that the West can no longer rely on the strategic advantage it has enjoyed until now. Saudi Arabia, with a defence spending of USD 76.7 billion, came in third to complete the world's top five the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India. An internet imagery. MAJULI, ASSAM/New DELHI (PTI): Two Indian Air Force pilots were killed in a crash in Majuli on Thursday, minutes after their microlight aircraft took off on a routine sortie, defence ministry officials said. The aircraft crashed in the river island around noon, soon after taking off from the Jorhat air base, they said. The pilots killed in the crash were Wing Commander J James and Wing Commander D Vats. "An Indian Air Force Microlight Virus SW-80 crashed around 1200 hrs today, after getting airborne from Air Force Station Jorhat, for a routine sortie," the defence ministry said in a statement in New Delhi. A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, the ministry said. The pilots attempted an emergency landing but the aircraft crashed in a sand bar in the northern part of the district and went up in flames, Tezpur-based defence spokesperson Lt. Col. Harshvardhan Pande told PTI. The crash took place at Darbar Chapori, a sand bar in the Brahmaputra where there is no human habitation. People from villages in the district spotted the aircraft going up in flames and informed the authorities. IAF personnel from the 10 Wing Air Force Station in Jorhat rushed to the spot while police and senior officials of the district set out for the crash site, accessible only by boat. The IAF had procured around 80 Slovenian-origin microlight aircraft about three years ago. They are usually deployed for environmental and bird recce missions, an IAF official said. 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 Amazon.com Inc will pay a $1.2 million penalty to settle nearly 4,000 alleged violations of US law in a move to prevent harmful exposure to pesticides through illegal sales, the US Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday. Amazon agreed to closely monitor and remove illegal pesticide products from its website in an effort to "significantly reduce the number of illegal pesticides available through the online marketplace," the EPA said. Amazon's violations were for selling and distributing imported pesticide and insecticide products that had been not licensed ... Indias Punjab National Bank, the second-biggest state-run lender, stunned the countrys financial sector when it announced this week it had discovered fraudulent transactions worth $1.77 billion at a single branch in Mumbai. The fraud, by far the biggest ever detected by an Indian bank, comes to light at a time when lenders - especially the state-run banks - are hobbled by $147 billion in soured loans on their books, a problem that has choked new lending and hurt the countrys economic recovery. Despite tight fiscal conditions, the government recently extended ... Jet Airways December quarter performance did not go down well with the Street, with the stock shedding nearly 6 per cent at close on Thursday. The company had declared the results after market hours on Wednesday. One reason for the stock fall could be the net profit decline. The bottom line, at Rs 1.86 billion, was down 38 per cent over the year-ago quarter. However, net profit for the year-ago period, at Rs 2.99 billion, included Rs 3.27 billion profit on sale and leaseback of aircraft. The company has restated the numbers for the third quarter of 2016-17 and nine months ... China on Thursday expressed anger over a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Arunachal Pradesh, which China also claims, and said India should stop any action that might complicate the dispute. China claims the region in the eastern Himalayas as South Tibet, and it has denounced Indian leaders visits there as attempts to bolster Indias claims. Chinas position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news ... The Indian Army is "inflicting heavy pain on the Pakistani side" and using coordinated fire assaults as it tightens the screws on Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC). In fact, the Indian Army's pressure on the Pakistani army along the LoC has reportedly forced the latter to sound 35 "red-alerts" for its border troops. For its part, Islamabad has been made to pay a heavy price, with the Indian Army revealing that it has killed at least 20 Pakistani Rangers and injured seven more in 2018 itself in cross-border firing along the LoC. However, given that the ... Prime Minister on Friday said he considers himself an outsider in politics and that he is not a politician from within. "I entered politics rather late. A lot of people are not able to accept it," he said during an interaction with students in his 'Pariksha pe Charcha' programme here. "I am in the political system but I am not a politician by nature. My nature is to do something." The remark came when he was asked by a Class 11 student if he was ready for his board exams - the next Lok Sabha election. Modi said he had the "blessings" of 1.25 crore Indians and election results were just a "by-product" of the work he does. "Are you prepared for your exam or are you a bit nervous?" asked Dilip, a student from Delhi's Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. Modi responded: "I always believe that you keep studying, trying to learn, and keep all focus on learning. Make the student inside you as energetic as possible. Make this your lifestyle... Exam, result and marks should be a by-product. "You have done your work, the result will come. If you go by marks, you may not achieve what we really want... I work on the same principle in politics. "All my time, energy and strength and mental capability, all should be spent on the 1.25 crore Indians. Elections will come and go, they are all by-products," he said. Modi added: "Our situation is such that you have exams once in a year, we have exams 24 hours in a day." He recalled how the Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lost all the seats in a Gujarat election. "They had 103 candidates. Whoever wanted to fight was given ticket. Out of 103, the security deposit of 99 was forfeited. "Four candidates survived. With their deposit money, they had a party and distributed sweets." He quoted a line from a poem of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee - 'haar nahi manunga' (I will not accept defeat). "Everyone should have such thinking," Modi added. The three heavily-armed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists who carried out the audacious attack on Sunjuwan military camp in Jammu had infiltrated into Kashmir from Pakistan in June last year, Army sources on Friday said. According to preliminary investigation of the Army, the three terrorists were hiding in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir for the past seven months and were looking at carrying out an attack. 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 The Supreme Court today directed a company, which is negotiating with embattled realtor Unitech Ltd to purchase land in Chennai valued at around Rs 4 billion, to deposit Rs 0.9 billion by March 31 in the apex court registry. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar asked Omshakthy Agencies (Madras) Pvt Ltd to deposit the amount after Unitech informed the court that there was an agreement for sale of pieces of land between the two firms. However, the apex court did not comment on the fervent request of Unitech Ltd Managing Director Sanjay Chandra, who is currently in jail, to grant him custody parole for 10-15 days to enable him to negotiate with interested buyers and arrange money for refunding the homebuyers and complete the ongoing housing projects. A senior official of Omshakthy Agencies (Madras) Pvt Ltd appeared before the court as per its January 29 direction when the bench initially asked him to deposit Rs 1.5 billion by March 31. However, the counsel representing the official told the bench that as per the agreement of sale with Unitech, the entire amount of Rs 4 billion was to be paid by June 2019 and by March 31 this year, the company has to pay Rs 900 million. "Let him (official of the company) deposit Rs 900 million on or before March 31, 2018," the bench then said. Advocate Pawanshree Agrawal, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, referred to an application filed by some investors saying that Unitech could sell three of its housing projects and get money to pay Rs 20 billion to the Noida Authority and over Rs 2 billion to the LIC. The company would then have a tranche of Rs 10 billion with it. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Chandra, said he would file a response to the suggestion given in the application. He also repeatedly requested the bench to grant custody parole to Chandra. "I (Chandra) am in jail for seven months. There is an onerous task for me. I (Chandra) am trying my best," Kumar said, adding, "The Supreme Court has asked me to give Rs 7.5 billion for bail. I want to come out (of jail). Give me custody parole. Every buyer does not want to come to the jail to meet me". When the amicus said that Unitech's Chairman Ramesh Chandra was there to look after these things, Kumar said, "the amicus should be neutral. He should not be speaking for the homebuyers only. This is not fair to me." Kumar also said that construction of six housing projects of Unitech was going on and in December last year, they have completed 600 flats. After the counsel said he would respond to the suggestions given by the amicus, the bench posted the matter for hearing on March 5. During the hearing, the amicus also told the bench that the homebuyers, who want possession of flats, should remove their names from the list of investors who want a refund of their money from Unitech. Unitech had earlier told the apex court that they were negotiating with Omshakthy Agencies (Madras) Pvt Ltd to sell two portions of its land in Chennai for around Rs 1.7 billion and Rs 2.29 billion respectively. The court had directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting with his company officials and lawyers so he could arrange money for refunding the homebuyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects. It had last year directed the Tihar Jail authorities to grant adequate meeting time to Chandra for allowing him to strike deals with prospective buyers. The top court had on October 30 last year said the jailed businessman will be granted bail only after the real estate group deposits money with its registry by December end. Chandra is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on August 11 rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home buyers of Unitech projects - 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project' - in Gurgaon. The NDA alliance is unlikely to crumble anytime soon. This author explains how simple gestures of negotiation are being made for better adjustments within the NDA. The Bhartiya Janata Party formed an alliance of around 48 small and big political parties during the 2014 parliamentary election. This partnership, called the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), got a thumping majority in that election. Some of its constituent parties represented caste and community interests and some stood for regional aspirations. Parties like Apana Dal, Suheldeo Bhartiya Samaj Party of Uttar ... Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. They do not reflect the view/s of Business Standard. India has invited trade ministers of over 50 nations including the US, China and Pakistan to discuss key issues related with areas like agriculture and services on March 20 here, government officials on Friday said. This would be an informal meeting of the WTO members and India is expecting representatives from every country in the deliberations, besides Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Roberto Azevedo. "Members would be discussing issues which are creating hurdles in progress of negotiations in the multi-lateral body," the officials said. The issues which are not moving forward includes finding a permanent solution for food security purposes; trade facilitation measures to push services trade and appointment of members in the WTO's dispute settlement body. The meeting would try to find out a common ground for taking multi lateral negotiations, which hit a road block at Buenos Aires in December last year, forward. "India would also seek guidance of the member nations on how to move forward on the issues of agriculture and services," the official said adding the effort would be to have an interactive deliberations to ensure free flow of ideas. At the end of the meeting, there would be a chair's summary, which reflect the discussions and agenda on which there would be near consensus. As host, Indian commerce minister Suresh Prabhu will be the chair. Key WTO trade ministries from both rich and developing economies are expected to particpate. Besides, representatives have also been invited from the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and several African countries. The meeting has been convened by India in the aftermath of failure of the trade talks at Buenos Aires last year on account of differences among the members of the World Trade Organisation. India has been keenly pushing agriculture issues and has also been raising its voice against bringing new issues, especially those which are not directly linked to trade, on the negotiating table. The talks at the WTO's 11th ministerial conference collapsed after the US went back on its commitment to find a permanent solution to the public food stockholding issue, a key matter for India. The four-day conference in Argentina, which ended without a ministerial declaration or any substantive outcome, did manage to make some feeble progress on fisheries and e- commerce by agreeing to work programmes. A dejected Azevedo expressed disappointment over the way the negotiations progressed and called for soul-searching among the member countries. State-run Allahabad Bank on Friday said it has an outstanding exposure of about $366.87 million (Rs 2360 cr) in the $1.8 billion fraud detected by another public sector bank PNB, but added it was confident of receiving the payment. Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country's second largest public sector bank, had detected the $1.8 billion fraud in one of its branches in Mumbai. Allahabad Bank was among other that were said to have offered credit based on Letters of Undertaking (LoU) issued by PNB. "The outstanding exposure related to the incident is approximately $366.87 million and the bank is fully secured by LoU documents and fully confident to receive the payment," it said in regulatory filing. The lender said it, through its overseas branch in Hong Kong, has been taking exposure with PNB as counter party under various LoUs issued through authenticated SWIFT message. An LoU is in effect a guarantee issued by one bank to the branches of other banks, based on which foreign branches offer credit to buyers. The bank has also purchased some buyers' credit assets from Axis Bank extended against PNB LoU through risk participation as a part of normal international business practice. Another public sector bank Union Bank of India had also said it has an outstanding exposure of about $300 million. ($1 = Rs 64.4) A former top bank official on Friday said Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case started during United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and continued in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Talking to ANI, former Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey said, "I had sent a dissent note against Gitanjali Gems to the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2013 but to no avail, I was directed that this loan has to be approved; I was being pressurized, so I resigned." Celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi and his business associate Mehul Choksi are embroiled in the PNB fraud case worth Rs. 114 billion. While Nirav Modi owns brand 'Nirav Modi', Choksi owns Gitanjali Gems. The former top bank official said the scam that started during UPA rule increased 50 fold in the NDA rule. The PNB has lodged two financial fraud complaints of Rs. 114 billion and Rs 2.80 billion against Nirav Modi, his family members and Mehul Choksi. The CBI filed a formal case charging four, Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and Mehul Choksi on January 31 over Rs. 2.80 billion fraud. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Interpol to locate billionaire jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his family who had left the country in the first week of January, weeks before the scam was reported to the agency, officials said. Officials said the CBI approached the Interpol with a request for issuing Diffusion Notice, which was aimed at locating an individual. "This (diffusion) is less formal than a notice but is also used to request the arrest or location of an individual or additional information in relation to a police investigation. A diffusion is circulated directly by an NCB (CBI in this case) to the member countries of their choice, or to the entire INTERPOL membership and is simultaneously recorded in Interpols Information System," the website of Interpol says. The CBI was confident about getting the location of Modi and his family by Friday, they said. Modi, who was alleged to have carried out fraudulent transactions worth over Rs 114 billion (Rs 11,400 crore) in Punjab National Bank, had left the country in the first week of January. The 46-year old, who holds an Indian passport, left India on January 1, while his brother Nishal, a Belgian citizen, departed from the country on the same day. However, whether they travelled together has to be probed, they said. Modi's wife Ami, a US citizen, left on January 6 and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain, left on January 4, the officials said. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have approached the government seeking revocation of passports of Modi and Choksi. The billionaire diamond merchant, a regular on the lists of rich and famous Indians since 2013, was booked by the CBI, along with wife, brother, and Choksi on January 31, for allegedly cheating the state-run Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 2.8 billion (Rs 280 crore). The bank again approached the CBI within a fortnight of the first complaint giving details of more transactions which were over Rs 114 billion (Rs 11,400 crore). The question as to why the PNB did not send a complaint to the CBI and decided to give it in tranches is also under the scanner of the agency, they said. The bank has claimed in three complaints to the CBI that so far it has detected 150 Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) which were fraudulently issued by its officials in connivance with Modi and the other accused in the case, the officials said. An LoU is a letter of comfort issued by one bank to branches of other banks, based on which foreign branches offer credit to buyers. He said the bank would not slip under the Reserve Bank of Indias prompt corrective action (PCA) even if it had to absorb the full liability of Rs 114 billion involved in the latest banking scam, in which letters of undertaking (LoUs) were fraudulently issued by PNB staff to the companies run by Nirav Modi, the prime accused in the case. ALSO READ: The PNB fraud: A clear cut case of no ... 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 his meticulously crafted Netflix special Tamborine, Chris Rock says Donald Trump might just work out as president, then takes a moment to listen to the silence of the crowd at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Yeah, I said it, he adds, in what has become something of a catchphrase for him. Wearing a simple black T-shirt and jeans, Rock, 53, made his case based not on Trumps potential, but rather on how his disastrous tenure could lead to something better, reminding the audience that the mistakes of George W Bush led to Barack Obama. People overlook George ... In a major policy shift, Pakistan has decided to deploy troops in Saudi Arabia under bilateral security cooperation with the kingdom which is involved in the ongoing civil war in neighbouring Yemen. The Pakistan Army announced the decision after a meeting between Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki, at army headquarters in Rawalpindi yesterday. "In continuation of ongoing Pak-Saudi bilateral security cooperation, a Pakistan Army contingent is being sent to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on training and advise mission. These or troops already there will not be employed outside KSA," the army said. It also said the army "maintains bilateral security cooperation with many other Gulf/regional countries". About the meeting of the ambassador with Bajwa, it said that matters of mutual interest including regional security situation were discussed during the meeting. Already around 1,000 Pakistani troops are deployed in Saudi Arabia in various advisory and training roles, according to officials There was no official word on the number of additional troops being sent to kingdom but the Dawn newspaper quoted "multiple sources" hinting that it might be the size of a composite brigade. It also quoted army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor that the new deployment would be much lesser than a division, and that he would give details later. Saudi Arabia has been pushing Pakistan to provide troops since 2015 when it joined Yemen's civil war but Pakistan steadily refused, saying it would not become party to any regional conflict. The war in Yemen stalemated and the situation has aggravated with the rebels firing missiles at regular intervals towards the kingdom. The alliance of Muslim nations set up by Saudi Arabia and led by former Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif is also still in an early stage to play any role in the conflict. Bajwa earlier this month visited Saudi Arabia for three days and met officials including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Commander of Ground Forces Lt Gen Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz. It was his second visit to the kingdom in two months and reportedly played a role in Pakistan's decision to deploy troops. Pakistan is treading a fine line in maintaining relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar and other regional players and the decision of deploying troops may annoy Saudi Arabia's rivals like Iran and Qatar. Bajwa has been playing a major role in addressing concerns of regional countries and met with ambassadors of Iran and Turkey earlier this week. He also recently visited Qatar and met its 'emir'. The decision may also create tension in Pakistan's internal as parliament had passed a resolution at the start of the Yemen crisis that said Pakistan would stay neutral in the conflict. The prospect of Pakistan being placed back on a global terrorist financing watchlist could endanger its handful of remaining banking links to the outside world, causing real financial pain to the economy just as a general election looms. Washington and its European allies have co-sponsored a motion calling for the nuclear-armed nation to be placed on a "grey list" of countries deemed to be doing too little to comply with anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering regulations, with a decision expected next week when member states of the Financial Action Task Force ... President Donald Trumps travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries violates the US Constitution by discriminating on the basis of religion, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday in another legal setback for the policy. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals, on a 9-4 vote, became the second federal appeals court to rule against the ban, finding that the Republican presidents own words demonstrated that bias against Muslims was the basis of the policy. The US Supreme Court has allowed the ban, put in place by Trump by ... The US Senate rejected a series of bills to protect Dreamer immigrants on Thursday, leaving in limbo the future of 1.8 million young adults brought to the United States illegally as children. The Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to move forward on four separate proposals, including one backed by President Donald Trump and a bipartisan bill that had been considered the most likely to survive the deeply divided Senate. But Trump slammed the bipartisan measure as a total catastrophe and backed a Republican plan that garnered only 39 votes, the ... Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday banned his cabinet ministers from having sex with their staffers. The trigger for the Prime Minister's decision was a scandal involving Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, whose 24-year long marriage broke down last year after he had an affair with a staff member, who is now pregnant with their baby, CNN reported. "I am not here to moralize. But, we must recognize that whatever may have been acceptable or to which a blind eye was turned in the past, today, in 2018, it is not acceptable for a minister to have a sexual relationship with somebody who works for them," CNN quoted Turnbull as saying. Turnbull announced that ministers "regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with staff". He also made it clear that his Deputy Prime Minister would be in breach of the new rules, if they'd been in place during his affair, making Joyce's position untenable. Turnbull, however, is powerless to formally reprimand or remove Joyce. Because Joyce leads a separate political party, Turnbull can't sack him, unless the Nationals decide to do so in a party room coup. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mark Wilson/Getty Images(PARKLAND, Fla.) -- After the third deadliest school shooting in U.S. history Wednesday afternoon, a number of people and organizations have found ways to extend a hand to the affected Florida communities. Cox Media, for instance, is hosting a blood drive today at various locations until 7 p.m., the Broward County Sheriffs Office said. One Blood, a Florida-based blood center, Wednesday night delivered additional blood to the Broward Health North Hospital, which treated massacre victims. One Blood said in a news release it is especially interested in donations of O-negative blood, which is the universal type and primarily used to treat trauma patients. Public Good, an online organization that partners with reputable nonprofits to distribute various donations, is collating trustworthy sites. And the Broward Education Foundation, which raises money for the public school system, has set up a Go Fund Me page. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression. U.S. Rep. John Katko wants Congress to act on mental health reforms in the aftermath of another mass shooting that left 17 people dead in Florida. Katko, R-Camillus, released a statement Thursday acknowledging that while gun violence has declined, the number of mass shootings has increased. The common thread in most shootings, he said, is mental illness. He expressed frustration that Congress has failed to produce bipartisan reforms that would address the mental health crisis, especially in the aftermath of mass shootings when it's known that the shooters had mental illnesses. "We need to have conversations that may make both sides of the aisle a little uncomfortable, and I'm willing to lead that effort," Katko said. One action he has taken is to examine the connection between mental illnesses and mass shootings. Joining him in the review is U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano, a California Democrat, who has partnered with Katko on other mental health-related initiatives. Lake Ontario flooding didn't affect visitation at the largest New York state park in Cayuga County. Fair Haven Beach State Park drew 262,202 visitors in 2017, up from 260,291 two years ago. Attendance bounced back slightly after a sizable decline from 2015 to 2016 that was blamed on drinking water system repairs. Despite flooding along the lake, the park remained open. There was damage to the park due to the high water levels. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a disaster aid request for Cayuga County, which includes the state park. Other parks in Cayuga County saw attendance decline in 2017. Fillmore Glen State Park reported 90,789 visitors last year, down from 96,226 in 2016. There were 33,795 visitors at Long Point State Park, down from 40,432 in 2016. New York state parks drew an estimated 71.5 million visitors in 2017, up from 70.6 million two years. Park attendance has increased 23 percent since Gov. Andrew Cuomo took office in 2011. Upstate New York could benefit from a new program created under the federal tax law, and four members of Congress hope Gov. Andrew Cuomo will nominate the region for the initiative. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik spearheaded a letter urging Cuomo to nominate upstate New York for the Opportunity Zones program, which was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed in December. The goal of the Opportunity Zones program is to spur private investment in low-income rural and urban communities. Stefanik, R-Willsboro, and other members who signed the letter, including U.S. Rep. John Katko, believe the program could benefit upstate New York. "According to the Economic Innovation Group, American corporations are currently sitting on over $2 trillion in unrealized capital gains, and as you know, many of the communities in our districts are in need of investment," the members wrote. "The upstate economy continues to struggle with high poverty, lack of quality jobs, and slow economic growth, and it has become increasingly difficult for businesses in this region to recruit and retain workers." There are several communities in upstate New York that are eligible for Opportunity Zone funding, including the cities of Auburn and Syracuse in Katko's district. There are three main recommendations outlined in the report, which has been submitted to President Donald Trump. The Commerce Department recommended a tariff of at least 24 percent on steel imports from all countries or a 53 percent tariff on steel imports from 12 countries, including Brazil, China, Russia and Turkey. The targeted quota would include a quota by product on steel imports from other countries that would be equal to 100 percent of their 2017 exports to the U.S., according to the report. Another recommendation is to impose a quota on all steel products from all countries that would be equal to 63 percent of each country's 2017 exports to the U.S. The recommendations could boost the U.S. steel industry. The Commerce Department estimated that each of the recommendations could help increase domestic steel production from its current level of 73 percent capacity to 80 percent capacity. The Commerce Department notes that no final decision has been made. Trump take action based on the recommendations he receives, or he may opt not to take any action. Trump must make a decision by April 11. Feb. 16, 1998 SENECA FALLS One-hundred-fifty years after the historic first Women's Rights Convention, the main players in one of the country's most important events were reunited. The likenesses of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott were the guests of honor Sunday afternoon at the National Women's Historical Park, the site of the Women's Rights Convention in 1848. The monuments, sculpted by Adelaide Johnson, are on loan to the park from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., for the next year. Park officials, the public and public officials including Seneca Falls Mayor Brad Jones attended the unveiling of the sculptures. "This is the first time the sculptures have traveled from the Smithsonian since the sculptor's family donated them after her death in 1955," said Vivien Rose, park historian. "One is also the first sculpture done by Adelaide Johnson of Elizabeth Cady Stanton." Compiled by David Wilcox Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 City councilors thanked the management council for working with the city and being open their recommendations. Management council Chair Ed Wagner thanked the city for their interest in the process. "Thank you for asking the tough questions," Wagner said. "I think this is how government should really work. We thought we came to you with a good proposal. You spoke, you did your due diligence, you put the breaks on it and for that I thank you." In order to give Auburn the additional representation, the management council will need to change the bylaws. That will be done at this month's Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council meeting, on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Now that all four parties the city, the town of Owasco, Cayuga County and the Owasco Lake Management Council have approved the agreement, the inspection program will now be able to move out of the control of the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District and into the control of the management council. Councilors unanimously voted to adopt the overhauled city zoning code. The final draft of the code was updated several times throughout the process as concerns were brought up from city residents, such as issues with the zoning of the South Street historic district and property owner owner notification. Staff writer Natalie Brophy can be reached at (315)282-2239 or natalie.brophy@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. Though Lesch hasn't nailed down what career path he will ultimately take, his time in Auburn instilled a passion for the environment in him. Antics at the woods at his family's property, such as catching frogs in a pond or hitting a trail in the woods with his younger brother, Aaron, took up a chunk of his childhood. "I just look at those times and they are valuable to me. I see a beauty in having that opportunity and the forest itself, I gained so much enjoyment (from,)" Lesch said. Teacher Sarah Chhablani, who taught Lesch in her model United Nations class her first year at the school and currently has him in her advanced placement European history course, praised Lesch for his knowledge and care for other people. Chhablani said the United Nations class, which Lesch has taken every year, involves seniors working with underclassmen, and the younger students are drawn to Lesch due to his calm, organized manner of explaining information. Lesch's measured tone of voice and demeanor signals to students they won't be greeted with condescension or judgement if they ask him a question, Chhablani said. She said Lesch is "fundamental" in the class, as he has been a model for other students. "Right away, he just stood out to me as a budding leader," Chhablani said. "(He is) someone willing to engage with ideas and challenge himself." Tidd said it was untrue that he was transferring human waste to his manure pit, and said he did have a septic system. O'Connor said she did not believe the health department had received a response from Tidd as of Friday. Standing in the mud and watching the families move out Friday, Tidd appeared incredulous at the effort underway. Then he pointed up to the house with a gloved hand at an open window. "The heat is on," he told a reporter from The Citizen. "That is constant. Constant." He said there had been issues with this particular group of workers. On Wednesday, he said, he told them they could work until Friday, but they'd have to move out over the weekend. The families say they were told to get out right away. Tidd said he has had multiple contacts with Owasco Code Enforcement Officer J. Patrick Doyle, and planned to address whatever needs to be addressed inside the house. "I never ever deny we have to do something to the house," he said. "I get it. However, there are cows here, 350 cows that have to be milked three times a day." Tidd said Dairy Farmers of America had conducted an animal welfare meeting at the farm earlier in the week and found the cows healthy and clean. A Montezuma man has been arrested after allegedly sending an anonymous letter in December that falsely claimed another individual threatened to commit acts of violence against Auburn High School. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office received the letter on Dec. 15, according to a news release. The Auburn Police Department was notified and the Auburn Enlarged City School District, through its school resource officers, was contacted about the potential threat. Detectives from the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office located the individual named in the letter and determined that the person, whose name wasn't released, wasn't a threat to the school. The source of the letter wasn't known until it was submitted to the New York State Police lab for analysis. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office was informed on Friday, Feb. 9 that a suspect had been identified. Authorities interviewed the suspect, Joseph R. Chehovich, of 8048 High St., Montezuma. They determined Chehovich, 51, was the author of the letter, police said. Chehovich wasn't a threat to the Auburn school district, an investigation revealed. He was arrested and charged with third-degree falsely reporting an incident. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Sennett town court. Anyone with information about the case should contact Detective Frederick Cornelius at (315) 253-6562. Tips can be left at cayugasheriff.com. You may remain anonymous. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 4 New York State Police opened an investigation at the Port Byron Central School District after a middle school student made a concerning post on social media Thursday night, Superintendent Neil O'Brien said. O'Brien said a student posted something on Instagram at about 7 p.m. Thursday that caused concern at the district, which asked state police to investigate. O'Brien on Friday would not disclose the exact contents of the post, but said there was "no direct threat to the school or students." He said police had conducted an initial assessment and found "no imminent threat" from the student. O'Brien said the student was not at school Friday. While the student has not been suspended or expelled, the superintendent said there had been a disciplinary issue with the student earlier in the week. O'Brien would not say what that issue was, but said it did not involve any weapons or physical contact with any student. Following the incident, O'Brien said there had been a lot of misinformation from students and parents on social media. He said the district notified parents at 6 a.m. Friday that there was an ongoing investigation at the school but stressed that there was no articulated threat to the school, staff or students. Governor General Julie Payette to pay an official visit to Toronto Mayor John Tory next Tuesday morning. Her Excellency will visit City Hall on her first visit to Ontario. The event is a photo opportunity only. Payette will be greeted by the mayor at the front doors to City Hall. They will walk past the City of Toronto Honour Guard, which includes retired members of Toronto Paramedic Services, Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Police Service, the Toronto Transit Commission and City staff. Related In a tragic irony, Oxfam has demonstrated the injustice of a certain kind of inequality. The international charity, which is known for its annual report on income inequality, is mired in scandal involving sexual coercion by its employees, possible pedophilia, and lying to a government agency in order to maintain taxpayer funding. While responding to the 2010 Haitian earthquake, relief workers engaged prostitutes in living quarters furnished by Oxfam, paid for with charitable donations (and tax dollars). Some have alleged that Oxfam workers did not spare minors. Behind all this is the fear that charitable aid may have been leveraged as a bargaining chip, leaving women fearing that if they did not comply, they would be denied food and medical supplies. The reports are familiar to Roland van Hauwermeiren, who oversaw Oxfam operations in Haiti. While denying some media reports, van Hauwermeiren admits he had relations with a Haitian aid recipient. I supported her young sister and very young mother with diapers and powdered milk, he revealed. He reportedly engaged in identical behavior while working for Oxfam in Chad and in Liberia for the aid group Merlin (which subsequently merged with Save the Children). In the latter, NGO workers reportedly abused boys as young as 14 and girls as young as eight. While allegations of pedophilia in Haiti thus far remain unproven, they would fit a discomforting pattern. When Oxfam officials discovered the Haitian sex scandal, they potentially violated the law by hiding it from the British government. Oxfam revealed sexual harassment in an August 2011 report, but withheld the most significant details. The UKs Charity Commission said: The report to us stated there had been no allegations, or evidence, of any abuse of beneficiaries. It also made no mention of any potential sexual crimes involving minors. Doing so allowed Oxfam to retain its access to a lucrative revenue stream. In its last financial year Oxfam received 32 million pounds ($44 million) from Britains aid ministry, about 8 percent of its overall income, Reuters reported. It receives another 29.3 million annually from the EU. Both agencies have threatened to revoke funding but neither has yet followed through. Sexual harassment and exploitation of vulnerable women flows from what the Financial Times describes as the inevitably yawning imbalance of power between the givers and recipients of aid. MEP Daniel Hannan wrote that villagers view Oxfam employees as little gods, handing out life or death one box at a time. Some aid workers come to share this view. Their self-aggrandizement inverts the advice of St. Gregory Nazianzus, who said, Be like gods to the poor, imitating Gods mercy. Humanity has nothing so much in common with God as the ability to do good. Whatever the solution to this crisis, it is not identity politics. Oxfams initial response boasted of its commitment to ensure more gender balance in leadership roles, adding that 15 of its 22 executive directors are women. (Sixty-eight percent is not, in fact, gender balance.) However, the one official who took responsibility and resigned is Oxfam GB deputy CEO Penny Lawrence. Nor could the situation be improved if government awarded this aid directly, rather than delivering it via private charity. UN workers in peacekeeping zones sexually abused 311 victims in 2016 alone. After the UN refused to stamp out such victimization in the Central African Republic in 2013 and 2014, the director of field operations in its human rights office (OHCHR) leaked the details to French media. Rather than the abusers it was the whistleblower, Anders Kompass, who found himself suspended. After an independent investigation vindicated him, his resignation letter denounced the UNs culture of complete impunity. The greater the power differential, the greater the immunity predators enjoy. Where could one begin to clean up such a mess? How can we assure that Western aid workers are seen as gods of mercy, not gods of plunder? Oxfams inequality report offers a helpful starting point. It outlines a course of action for corporations guilty of a much lesser offense: not paying its workers Oxfams definition of a living wage. The relevant passage reads: No dividends if no living wage: Multinational companies can choose to prioritize the well-being of lower paid workers by refraining from rewarding shareholders through dividends or buybacks or paying bonuses to executives and the highly paid until all their employees have received a living wage (calculated using an independent standard), and steps have been taken to ensure they are paying prices that can provide a living income for workers or producers in their key supply chains. If Oxfam believes entities are responsible for the deeds of other segments of its supply chain, then the charity can exercise responsibility for the actions of its own employees. Herewith, a modest counterproposal: Oxfam can choose to prioritize the well-being of its recipients by refraining from rewarding its directors with salaries or benefits or, at a minimum, decline all government funding until such time as 1) all its beneficiaries are free from sexual coercion by its employees and 2) it stops misleading the governments which funded that exploitation. If Oxfam finds this policy impracticable, it may wish to rethink the advice is dispenses. Failing that, the government should take compulsory measures to defund bad actors, who mislead supervisors to retain taxpayer funding. The Charity Commission is presently investigating the 2011 report. It should both assure that Oxfam fires everyone guilty of deception and exact a proportionate financial penalty from the agency. Furthermore, it should privatize a greater share of its long-term relief budget. This would offer more immediate oversight, less waste and red tape, and allow a more nimble and nuanced response to unique local circumstances. Any illegal actions committed by Oxfam personnel should be subject to vigorous enforcement of all applicable laws and statutes. Haitian officials have initiated this process, which the charity has publicly applauded. Ultimately, the only way to end the cycle of abuse is for charitable agencies to value the human dignity and well-being of the powerless the least of these over money. Human beings become gods of mercy only when they see the image of God in every human face, however discarded or disfigured. This renewed vision is so vital that our salvation depends on it (St. Matthew 25:31-46). Most aid workers like most priests fulfill their vocation with the highest of ethical standards. But no institution should sweep malfeasance under the rug, especially to preserve a steady stream of taxpayer funds. In its current fundraising pitch to combat extreme inequality, the charity writes: Oxfam is fighting for a future where people are put before profits. It is time for Oxfam to practice what it preaches. (Photo credit: Public domain.) MOSS POINT, Miss. -- Moss Point High School conducted a search of students' belongings on Friday after the principal learned students were allegedly threatened by another student on Thursday, according to district spokeswoman JaLeasa Walden. According to Interim Police Chief Brandon Ashley, the school was placed under lockdown Friday morning after reports of a student potentially having a gun on school grounds on Thursday. Friday morning, students reported to Principal Joe Griffin about what they claimed have seen on Thursday. "From what I can tell, some students may have said he had it yesterday -- they did not report these details until today," Ashley said. "He was questioned today and said he never had a gun. We did not find a gun on campus." In a statement released to the Mississippi Press, superintendent Dr. Shannon Vincent said the following: "Because of the threat of a possible weapon and the incident that occurred in Florida on Valentine's Day, we made immediate contact with the Moss Point Police Department to ensure that all students were safe. During our safety drill and search, students remained in class and items were checked. After the completion of all safety procedures, there was NOT a weapon found on campus and class changes resumed at the normal second block time." Parents of of MPSD students This morning, Principal Joe Griffin was notified that a student made a threat to another... Posted by Tiger Nation on Friday, February 16, 2018 The district said the safety of its students and the staff are the number one priority always. They also ask any students, parents, staff or community members who may have information about any incident happening at the school to please report it immediately. Reports being made after school hours will be answered directly by safety resource officers. Their number is 228-285-2037. Martin Meisel, professor of dramatic literature emeritus at Columbia University, said in another review that the book is impressively argued. He added that there is no question the manuscript must have been somewhere in the background mix of Shakespeares mental landscape while writing the plays. Mr. McCarthy used decidedly modern techniques to marshal his evidence, employing WCopyfind, an open-source plagiarism software, which picked out common words and phrases in the manuscript and the plays. In the dedication to his manuscript, for example, North urges those who might see themselves as ugly to strive to be inwardly beautiful, to defy nature. He uses a succession of words to make the argument, including proportion, glass, feature, fair, deformed, world, shadow and nature. In the opening soliloquy of Richard III (Now is the winter of our discontent ) the hunchbacked tyrant uses the same words in virtually the same order to come to the opposite conclusion: that since he is outwardly ugly, he will act the villain he appears to be. People dont realize how rare these words actually are, Mr. McCarthy said. And he keeps hitting word after word. Its like a lottery ticket. Its easy to get one number out of six, but not to get every number. Photo Scholars have used computer-assisted techniques in the humanities for several decades. Most of that scholarship, however, uses function words such as articles and prepositions to create a digital signature that can be used to identify a writer as author or co-author of another work, rather than using comparatively rare words to locate a source. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. McCarthy was inspired to use plagiarism software by the work of Sir Brian Vickers, who used similar techniques in 2009 to identify Shakespeare as a co-author of the play Edward III. While the book has been received favorably, the statistical techniques used have not yet been subjected to a rigorous review by other scholars in the digital humanities field. Those techniques may only be the icing on the cake, said Mr. Witmore, who briefly examined an advance copy. At its core, this remains a literary argument, not a statistical one. The book contends that Shakespeare not only uses the same words as North, but often uses them in scenes about similar themes, and even the same historical characters. In another passage, North uses six terms for dogs, from the noble mastiff to the lowly cur and trundle-tail, to argue that just as dogs exist in a natural hierarchy, so do humans. Shakespeare uses essentially the same list of dogs to make similar points in King Lear and Macbeth. Photo To make sure North and Shakespeare werent using common sources, Mr. McCarthy ran phrases through the database Early English Books Online, which contains 17 million pages from nearly every work published in English between 1473 and 1700. He found that almost no other works contained the same words in passages of the same length. Some words are especially rare; trundle-tail appears in only one other work before 1623. In the past, some scholars have identified sources for Shakespeare from a few unique words. In 1977, for example, Kenneth Muir made the case that Shakespeare used a particular translation of a book of Latin stories for The Merchant of Venice based on the word insculpt. In recent years, however, its become rare to identify new sources for Shakespeare. The field has been picked over so carefully, Mr. Bevington said. Mr. McCarthy is an unlikely literary scholar. Originally from Amherst, N.Y., he studied computer science and theater at the University at Buffalo, but never graduated. He began writing for magazines and newspapers and published a book in 2009, titled Here Be Dragons, about the geographical underpinnings of evolution. That interest led him to wonder if literary ideas could propagate the same way, and starting in 2006 he began to explore the sources of Shakespeare. Mr. McCarthy focused on Thomas North, a translator of Plutarchs Lives, whom Shakespeare relied on heavily for his dramas. In April 2011, Mr. McCarthy brought some of his findings to Ms. Schlueter, professor emerita of English at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and a founding editor of Shakespeare Bulletin, a scholarly journal. She admired his diligence and natural affinity for scholarly research. Dennis is the Steve Jobs of the Shakespeare community, Ms. Schlueter said, referring to the self-taught Apple founder. Mr. McCarthy, 53, works behind three computer monitors on the dining room table of his home. Supported financially by his wife, a biotechnology executive, he spends 12 hours a day or more at his computer. Photo Mr. McCarthy found a reference to the manuscript by George North, a likely cousin of Thomas, online in a 1927 auction catalog, which noted it would be extremely interesting to compare certain passages with Shakespeare. He and Ms. Schlueter scoured libraries and archives for a year before enlisting the help of a manuscript detective, who studies rare documents and traced it to the British Library, which had purchased it in 1933. (The manuscript was filed under an obscure shelf mark, which made finding it difficult.) Advertisement Continue reading the main story In 1576, North was living at Kirtling Hall near Cambridge, England, the estate of Baron Roger North. It was here, Mr. McCarthy says, that he wrote his manuscript, at the same time Thomas North was there possibly working on his translation of Plutarch. The manuscript is a diatribe against rebels, arguing that all rebellions against a monarch are unjust and doomed to fail. While Shakespeare had a more ambiguous position on rebellion, Mr. McCarthy said he clearly mined Norths treatise for themes and characters. One of the most compelling is Jack Cade, who led a failed popular rebellion against Henry VI in 1450. Shakespeare describes Cades final days in Henry VI, Part 2, in which he says he was starving and eating grass, before he was finally caught and dragged through the street by his heels, his body left to be eaten by crows. Scholars have long thought that Shakespeare invented these details, but all of them are present in a passage from Norths Discourse in which he inveighs against Cade and two other famous rebels. Mr. McCarthy and Ms. Schlueter argue that Shakespeare used those details to make Cade into a composite of the three. Photo While Cade is a minor character, Mr. McCarthy also argues that Norths Discourse may have inspired one of Shakespeares most iconic characters, the Fool in King Lear. He points to the memorable passage in which the Fool and Lear are lost in a storm, and the Fool recites a prophecy that he attributes to Merlin. Photo Scholars have long puzzled over the recitation, which doesnt seem to match any known prophecy of Merlins. In their book, however, Mr. McCarthy and Ms. Schlueter claim the passage was inspired by a version of Merlins prophecy that North includes in his Discourse to present a dystopian view of the world turned up side down. Mr. McCarthy and Ms. Schlueter argue such lines may have inspired themes in King Lear and even the character of the Fool. While agreeing the passage influenced the scene in King Lear, Mr. Bevington cautioned against an overly expansive reading, noting such themes were in the air in contemporaneous works, including Erasmuss In Praise of Folly. Whatever its influence, Mr. Witmore said, the find suggests that while scholars may have exhausted print sources, there may be other unpublished manuscripts that inspired the Bard that remain to be discovered. For his part, Mr. McCarthy is already planning future volumes based on his electronic techniques, hoping to present more discoveries that shed light on how Shakespeare wrote his plays. Mitt Romney has announced hes running for the Utah Senate seat that will open up when GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch retires at the start of 2019. The 2012 Republican presidential nominee and ex-Massachusetts governor has said and done plenty when it comes to K-12. Need a refresher on his record? Here you go. Maybe the most relevant recent action Romney has taken in education is publicly expressing support for U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos . In an op-ed last January before DeVos confirmation hearing, Romney wrote: Her key qualification is that she cares deeply about our children and will do everything in her power to offer them a brighter future. He also cited her work at the American Federation for Children and other organizations in support of school choice. We didnt see Romney weigh in on DeVos controversial confirmation hearing, which took place after he wrote that op-ed. But his other reasons for supporting DeVos havent been rendered obsolete by events over the past year. Otherwise, Romney has long been a fan of market-driven and traditional conservative approaches to education policy . During the 2012 presidential campaign, for example, he pitched turning federal funding for low-income and special education students into vouchers they could take to the public and private schools of their choice. (President Donald Trump later floated something similar.) He also proposed expanding the Opportunity Scholarship program in the District of Columbia. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney championed tough academic standards, and pushed for the state to adopt a new test in science for accountability purposes. He also pushed for the state to be measured on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) alongside other countriesMassachusetts ended up looking relatively good. And he defended the Bay States high school exit exam. He also supported teacher merit pay and tying teacher evaluations in part to test scores. And remember when the Common Core State Standards were an issue in the 2012 presidential race? Back then, Romney said there shouldnt be any federal support for it . Photo: Mitt Romney speaks at the NBC Education Nation Summit in New York in 2012 during his presidential campaign. (Evan Vucci/AP) Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . A veteran Puerto Rican educator worries that her daughter, a fellow teacher at her school, will leave the island. A physical education teacher worries that the generator at his home will be stolenwithout it, his daughter would have to do her homework in the dark. A school security guard says his building needs students who have fled to the U.S. mainland to return, in order for the school to remain open. A student is losing her best friend, who will soon move to Wisconsin with her family. Those stories and more are what we found during our recent reporting visit to Puerto Rico at the end of last month . The U.S. territorys 320,000 public school students are at the center of an increasingly contentious battle over how many schools will remain open in the wake of Hurricane Maria last year, what might replace any schools that the government is seeking to close, and even the attitude and culture inside some school buildings. In our latest story, for example, we highlighted a two schools in a rural area that are struggling to survive and engage their students. Need a captivating visual? Get a 360-degree view of one mountain road you have to take to get to a school in Utuado , and learn about what schools are facing in that rural, mountainous region while youre at it: Check out the home for our latest round of Puerto Rico coverage here . Well be updating it again in the near future. And click here for a Twitter gallery from our reporting in Puerto Rico. Finally, if you want to look back to where schools stood right after Hurricane Maria, see our on-the-ground reporting from Puerto Rico from last October. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Proposals in the Senate designed to address undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as young children, as well as other aspects of the nations immigration system, were all rejected by lawmakers on Thursday. The defeat of all these plans appears to make it much more difficult for Congress to pass a bill protecting the group known as Dreamers before March 5, when President Donald Trump has said he will formally end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, rule designed to provide them some legal protections. DACA was enacted by former President Barack Obama in 2012 by executive order. Roughly 250,000 school-age children have become eligible for DACA since Obama put the rule in place. In addition, about 9,000 educators who are protected by DACA work in U.S. schools , according to an estimate from the Migration Policy Institute. Trump has previously said he wants Congress to act and pass a bill formally enshrining DACA into law, although hes also publicly used DACA as a bargaining chip to push priorities like additional border security and tighter restrictions on immigration. Education advocacy groups, including the two national teachers unions and organizations like Teach For America, have pushed Congress hard to protect both students and teachers who would benefit from a permanent DACA fix. But despite various forms of political pressure related to DACA, Congress has yet to act. The proposals were introduced as Senate amendments to the Broader Options for America Act , which technically dealt with the Internal Revenue Service. The Senate votes were on ending debate for the respective amendments, not on the amendments themselves. Any proposal had to clear a 60-vote threshold in order to proceed. The proposal that had the most support among moderates in the Senate was a plan sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that had the backing of some moderates on both sides of the aisle, including Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. It would create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers under certain conditions. That proposal failed 54-45. Meanwhile, the Trump administration threw its support behind a plan headlined by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa . It also would have created an earned path to citizenship for DACA recipients. It earned 39 votes in favor of ending debate, compared to 60 against. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. John McCain, John McCain, R-Ariz., also offered a proposal that fell short by 52-47. However, the proposals would have treated different groups of migrants in different ways. The Migration Policy Instiute summed up the difference between those three proposals in the chart below. It also examined a proposal from Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., that did not get a cloture vote in the round of voting Thursday afternoon: Any proposal that would have passed out of the Senate likely would have faced a very tough time passing the House. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . By Alyson Klein and Andrew Ujifusa UPDATED President Donald Trump Thursday expressed sympathy for the families of the victims of a massive school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left at least 17 students and educators dead. He called for a new national focus on mental health, but did not outline concrete steps that his administration would take to prevent future mass shootings. Yesterday a school filed with innocent children and caring teachers became the scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil. To every parent, teacher, and child who is hurting so badly we are here for you, whatever you need, whatever we can do to ease your pain, Trump said at the White House. No child, no teacher should ever be in danger in an American school. He added that he was committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health, He said he would be meeting later this month with the governors and attorney generals and that, Making our children safer will be our top priority. It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference. We must actually make that difference. Trump said he planned to visit Parkland, Fla., the site of the Feb. 14 shooting, to meet with local officials and coordinate the federal response. But the president did not say what his administration or Congress might do to avert such tragedies in the future. He ignored a shouted question about from a reporter about gun control. Nearly a year ago, Trump signed House Joint Resolution 40 , which nullified an Obama administration rule that prohibited people with mental illnesses from purchasing firearms under certain conditions. The Obama-era rule was finalized in December 2016. Both the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union opposed the Obama rule, according to PolitiFact . And presidents fiscal 2019 budget proposal seeks to scrap Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which is currently funded at $400 million and is the main federal program that districts can use for mental health, school safety, school counseling, and more. DeVos Calls for Hearings Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called on Congress to hold hearings on school shootings in an interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt. Im just heartbroken for all the families that have been impacted by this, DeVos said. Congress needs to be holding hearings. Weve seen lots of discussion about this every time weve had another incident. Weve seen lots of finger-pointing back and forth. But we need to have a conversation at the level where lawmakers can actually impact the future. ... One of the shootings is one too many. ... We have to have an honest conversation, and Congress needs to lead on this, its their job. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate education committee, doesnt see eye-to-eye with DeVos on much. But she agreed that hearings are a smart move. As a mother and a grandmother, I cant imagine the shock and pain families in Florida are going through right now, and sadly those feelings are not new or rare in our country, Murray said in a statement. Families across the country are tired of waiting for Congress to step up, have the tough conversations, and adopt commonsense gun safety and other policies to end this scourge in our schools and communities, so I am very glad that Secretary DeVos has requested Congressional hearings on this issue and I wholeheartedly agree. Democrats on the House education committee have echoed Murrays call for hearings on school shootings , noting in a Friday letter to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the chairwoman of the committee, that their panel has not held hearings on the issue since 2013. In the radio interview, DeVos declined to offer an opinion on whether teachers should be trained to use guns. Thats a question states and local community leaders should answer on their own, she said. I think this is an important issue for all states to grapple with and to tackle. They clearly have the opportunity and the option to do that, DeVos said. I think this needs to be part of the broader more robust conversation about how we can avoid these things in the future. Congressional Response Already, lawmakers are calling for action. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a leading proponent of gun control legislation, said Wednesday that America is the only nation where such masascres occur and that policymakers are to blame. It only happens here not because of coincidence, not because of bad luck, but as a consequence of our inaction, said Murphy said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else. Meanwhile, Floridas two senators offered dramatically different responses to the slayings. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., called for Congress to renew efforts to beef up background checks on guns and to ban assault weapons. Lets dont hide from it, he said. Lets have a conversation about this right now. Not just about mental illness, and thats part of it. Not just about protection in our schools, and thats part of it. Lets get to the root cause. Lets come together and help end this violence. Lets talk about that 19-year-old carrying an AR-15. Lets do what needs to be done, and lets get these assault weapons off our streets. But Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that while it was not inappropriate to mix grieving with a debate over policy, of the proposals that have been offered up to this point would not have prevented this tragedy. It is a very difficult thing to stop if someone is determined to kill people, he said. But he added there were clear warnings on social media that the alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, 19, a former student at the school was mentally unstable. There is no longer such a thing as an innocent posting online where you can just assume the person is weird or harmless, Rubio said. Im not saying, dont focus on the gun part. But we also have to focus on the violence part. Sandy Hook Aftermath The Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was the second-deadliest school shooting in the nations history. It is second only to the slayings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, which left 20 children and six adult staff members dead. After that incident, then-President Barack Obama called on Vice President Joe Biden to seek solutions to the countrys gun violence problem. The administration sought a ban on assault weapons sales, limits on magazine capacity, and increased background-check requirements for gun purchasers. Those efforts failed for lack of congressional support. The president also proposed $150 million in new money for school-based resource officers and mental-health professionals, $50 million for training new social workers, $30 million to help districts revamp their emergency-preparedness plans, and $15 million in new funding to train teachers in mental-health first aid. Congress ended up funding some similar proposals. For instance, lawmakers provided money for at least three grant programs aimed at mental health, school counseling, and school safety at the Education Department. Those included school climate transformation grants and grants for school emergency management. The Education Department also provided grants to schools impacted by shootings through Project SERV, the primary vehicle for responding to disasters and violence. And lawmakers allocated additional funding for school resource officers in 2013, 2015, and 2016, according to the National Association for School Resource Officers. Congress provided nearly $15 million for Mental Health Awareness Training Grants, to help teachers and other adults who work with youth to provide mental health first aid. Congress also provided nearly $50 million in grants to state education agencies to help better coordinate state efforts to make schools safer and boost access to mental health services. And lawmakers approved nearly $20 million for a Healthy Transitions program, to support state efforts to make schools safer and increase access to mental health programs. Lawmakers also made mental health a focus of the Every Student Succeeds Act, allowing, for instance schools to use Title I dollars for disadvantaged students for counseling and mental health programs. Schools can also use professional development money under Title II to train teachers on mental health, for instance by partnering with public or private mental health organizations. ESSA also consolidated other health and safety programs to create the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, a flexible $1.6 billion fund that school districts could use for school counseling and safety programs. But Congress only provided a quarter of the funding for that program, $400 million. And the Trump administration has proposed slashing it entirely. Trump also proposed refocusing the departments school climate grants on combatting the opioid epidemic. President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 15 at the White House. --Evan Vucci/AP Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . David Schuler, a superintendent in Ilinois, was named on Thursday as the 2018 National Superintendent of the Year at the annual gathering of school superintendents and district leaders in Nashville. Schuler, who leads the 12,000-student Township High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Ill., was chosen from a group of four finalists . The other contenders for the award were Wendy Robinson of the Fort Wayne, Ind., schools; Mary Sieu of the ABC Unified schools in Cerritos, Calif.; and Mike Winstead of the Maryville City, Tenn., schools. The AASA, the School Superintendents Association, which gives out the annual award, applauded Schulers efforts to create a career pathways program that has helped students earn college credit and land internships, career-specific learning experiences, and industry certifications. He also helped launch a teacher-preparation program that provides mentoring and job placement to high school students who are interested in the profession through partnerships with elementary schools and postsecondary institutions. Schuler served as the 2015-16 president of AASA and leads the organizations Redefining Ready! program, an initiative devoted to helping educators appropriately assess whether students are college- and career-ready upon high school graduation. Schuler began his career in education as a social studies teacher in Wisconsin before going on to serve as a principal. He served as a superintendent in two Wisconsin districts, Marshall and Stevens Points, before taking the job in District 214 in 2005. The award comes with a $10,000 scholarship for a student who either attends the high school from which Schuler graduated, or a student in a school serving the same area. Photo Credit: David Schuler, the superintendent of Township High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Ill., is the 2018 National Superintendent of the Year. --courtesy of James Minichello, AASA It was one of the first issues that Antwan Wilson dealt with as District of Columbia schools chancellor: well-connected public officials getting special treatment for their kids in school enrollment. Wilson helped draft a policy to address the problem. Then he broke that policy, bypassing district protocol to secure a spot in a coveted high school for his own child. As reported by the Washington Post and other news organizations, Wilson reached out to D.C. Deputy Mayor of Education Jennifer Niles for help in transferring the child to an out-of-boundary school, and Niles arranged for the transfer. Niles will resign from her post at D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowsers request. Bowser is referring the matter to the Board of Ethics and Government and the D.C. inspector general. My decision was wrong and I take full responsibility for my mistake, Wilson wrote in a letter to district parents and employees Friday. While I understand that many of you will be angered and disappointed by my actions, Im here today to apologize and ask for your forgiveness. Wilsons daughter will be moved from the out-of-boundary school, Wilson High, that she transferred to. She will now attend her neighborhood school, Dunbar High. Located in a predominately affluent neighborhood, Wilson High draws high-achieving students from across the city. Dunbar has some of the worst test scores in the district and the schools principal was placed on administrative leave earlier this year as officials investigate his role in the school districts ongoing graduation rate scandal . The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General are investigating the districts high school graduation practices . A report from the Office of the State Superintendent, requested by Bowser and Wilson, found that teachers felt pressure from school administrators to find ways to graduate students who did not come close to meeting the requirements for earning a diploma. Its just the latest in a string of questionable practices in the 50,000-student district. Last spring, the D.C. inspector general found that Wilsons predecessor, former schools chancellor Kaya Henderson, helped high-ranking officials bypass the districts lottery system to land their children spots in highly regarded schools. In response, Wilson unveiled a policy last summer that was designed to limit any possibility of favoritism or improper use of public office for private gain, or even the appearance of favoritism. Now, less than a year later, hes apologizing for violating that very policy. Photo Credit: Jennifer Niles, left, the-then deputy mayor for education in the District of Columbia, incoming schools chancellor Antwan Wilson, and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser arrive for a news conference at Eastern High School in Washington on November 2016 to announce Wilson in his new role. (Andrew Harnik/AP) Seventeen people are dead and several more are injured after a former student opened fire with an assault rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday. The Parkland, Fla., school shooting was the nations deadliest since the 2012 attack on the Newtown, Conn., elementary school, Sandy Hook. Now, as policymakers weigh how to respondsome Democrats have advocated for stricter gun control, while President Donald Trump has framed this as a mental health issueone of the more controversial options is being raised once again: arming teachers at school and training them to shoot back in case of emergency. Most of these pathetic cowards like Nicolas Cruz would turn and run if faced with someone else shooting back. Its way past time to end Gun-Free Zones and train and arm our teachers to shoot back.#Parkland #StonemanDouglas -- Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) February 15, 2018 Dear America, Please do not let the @NRA convince you that the only way to end school shootings is to arm teachers. As a veteran teacher, I can say with absolute certainty that it is not the answer. If we have to arm teachers, we have already lost. #GunControlNow -- Nicholas A. Ferroni (@NicholasFerroni) February 15, 2018 While theres a federal law that prohibits carrying or discharging guns within 1,000 feet of public or private school grounds, at least 15 states allow authorized adults to carry concealed, loaded guns on school grounds (or at least allow districts to make that decision). The federal law provides an exception for law enforcement officers acting in their official capacity. In the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting, theres likely to be a rush of state legislation that calls for loosening or ending the prohibition of guns on school groundsafter the Sandy Hook shooting, 73 of those bills were introduced across the country, according to an Education Week analysis . And Trump pledged during his presidential campaign to end gun-free school zones , calling them bait for sicko[s]. Last month, a Maryland representative filed a bill that would give public school districts across the state the authority to allow certain, select employees to carry firearms on school property, in case of a school shooting. The representative, Republican Rick Impallaria, told the Associated Press that this bill would allow districts to work with law enforcement and set up a program where qualified employeessuch as those with law enforcement or military backgroundsare able to carry a weapon. Why not make sure that our schools have that extra security that if, God forbid, something did go wrong, there is someone on the premises that can respond in seconds rather than minutes? Impallaria told the AP. And according to N.C. Insider editor Colin Campbell on Twitter , North Carolina state Rep. Larry Pittman has called for training and arming teachers in response to the Parkland shooting. I believe government officials are accountable for the number of deaths and injuries being as high as they are in these incidents, said Pittman on Thursday. Pittman has previously introduced legislation to allow teachers to carry guns on school grounds, which did not pass. While districts generally require extensive training for educators who would be armed at school, this type of legislation generates a lot of outrage and concern from educators. See also: Educators Join New Fight to Block Guns in School In a recent segment on PBS NewsHour, Education Week explored some of these proposals across the country. Gun-safety advocates say that teachers cant safely and quickly move from the mindset of teaching to being asked to fire a gun at an active shooter, while some educators say they want to be able to protect their students by any means necessary. On Twitter, teachers were expressing both support and opposition for these types of proposals: As a teacher I dont think I should be armed. The money is better spent in parenting education and parent support. How to be a responsible and involved parent will reduce unstable people using guns in insane ways! -- Jenny (@Jen7Baker) January 28, 2018 Worst idea. I would never, ever carry a gun while trying to make kids feel nurtured and safe. -- Rebecca Mathinaz (@mathinaz) December 18, 2017 Great idea as long as Ts are willing to get trained and practice often. There should be requirements. Not every teacher should. -- Scott Wilson, M.Ed. (@mrwilson218) December 17, 2017 If a monster was about to attack a class of kids, the police are 3 min away, and the only one between the killer and the children is the teacher, wouldnt you want her to have a fighting chance? Teachers should have the freedom to choose to protect their kids. #gunsense -- James Michael (@j3mike) December 17, 2017 A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 55 percent of respondents opposed allowing teachers and staff to carry guns in schools, although the idea was more popular among Republicans . In an Education Week video, a retired principal who survived a 1986 school shooting in Montana spoke about why he opposed guns in schools: Could not establish database connection. DB: bostonimc and SQL: --> The administrator has been notified and will resolve the problem ASAP. 070218KOKODA TO SUPPORT BOUGAINVILLE By Aloysius Laukai The ABG member for KOKODA, RODNEY OSIOCO says KOKODA constituency will support the ABG meet the Pillar for Fiscal Self Reliance of Bougainville under the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Speaking at the launch of the KOKODA Exploration launching in Tunania on Monday, MR.OSIOCO said that the Autonomous Bougainville Government has wasted Millions of Kina in the hope of kick-starting the now closed Panguna Mine. He said each time new funds were injected to Panguna another new problem would emerge making it more difficult for the ABG to realize its dreams. MR. OSIOCO said that the granting of an Exploration license to SR METALS INC Bougainville has made it possible for the company to start exploration in the KOKODA area and eventually establish a mine that would support the ABG with the much needed funds. He called on the people of KOKODA to forget their differences and support the project that would benefit the landowners and the people of Bougainville as a whole. The ABG President Chief DR. JOHN MOMIS officially launched the exploration program for KOKODA . The ABG last year granted another exploration license to the ISINA Resources Limited also in the KOKODA and Kongara area of Central Bougainville. Ends 130218MOMIS PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE PAUL AKOITAI By Aloysius Laukai The ABG President Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS today paid tribute to the late PAUL AKOITAI the big brother of SAM AKOITAI of TOGARAU in WAKUNAI. President Momis in his condolence message to the family of the Late PAUL AKOITAI said that on behalf of his wife Lady Elizabeth Momis And the people of Bougainville he extended their most sincere condolences on the passing on of the late PAUL AKOITAI. He said that the late PAUL AKOITAI was a leader and Commander of the Wakunai Resistance Force but also known to other resistance forces on Bougainville. The late PAUL AKOITAI contributed greatly to peace negotiations and agreements. He was a great supporter of Peace and the Autonomous Bougainville Government. MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE. Ends 130218MV SANDY ROSE TOURUKA WELCOMED TO SOUTH BOUGAINVILLE By Aloysius Laukai The South Bougainville fastboat, MVSANDY ROSE TOURUKA was officially welcomed to South Bougainville last week. The ONE MILLION KINA boat bought with funding from the DSIP funds of the member for South Bougainville failed to arrive at the KANGU wharf where the celebration was staged due to strong winds and bad weather. The boat left TOROKINA the previous night but took refuge at MAMAGOTA and could not travel to Buin due to strong winds. Despite this the launce was staged at the KANGU wharf and officials came from BANA, Siwai and Buin to witness the boats arrival. Speeches at the beach was made by the member for the South Bougainville former combatants, Women member for South Bougainville ISABELL PETA and the ABG President Chief DR. JOHN MOMIS. The ABG President, Chief DR. JOHN MOMIS said that the coastal villages of South Bougainville will now be serviced by this boat once it starts operating. He said that the ABG was not able to service these areas in the past as it had no money. And he thanked the member for South Bougainville, TIMOTHY MASIU for working with the ABG to serve the people of Bougainville. Ends 130218UN PNG RESIDENT CORDINATOR VISITS BOUGAINVILLE BY Aloysius Laukai The new UN Resident Coordinator for Papua New Guinea, GIANLUCA RAMPOLLA arrived in Buka today for an official visit to Bougainville. MR RAMPOLLA was accorded a Bougainville traditional welcome and was welcomed by the ABG Vice President, RAYMOND MASONO, ABG leaders, senior Government officials and UN and UNDP Bougainville officials. The UN team then proceeded to meet the ABG President, Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS than later meet with the Bougainville House of Representatives Deputy Speaker FRANCESCA SEMOSO and Chairman of the Bougainville Referendum Committee and member for Selau, Joseph Watawi. They will then meet with women parliamentarians tomorrow morning. The UN leader will also meet with former combatants before meeting with the Minister for Peace Agreement Implementation, ALBERT PUNGHAU and the Secretary for the Peace Agreement Implementation, JAMES TANIS. Also tomorrow the UN team will later meet with the Bougainville chief Secretary, JOSEPH NOBETAU at the Bougainville administration conference room. Before departing for Port Moresby on Thursday the UN leader will meet with the Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative for a round table consultation. Ends 150218 CALLS ON ABG MEMBERS NOT TO THREATEN OMBUDSMAN OFFICERS By Aloysius Laukai The ABG President Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS is calling on the ABG members not to threaten the Manager for the Bougainville Ombudsman Commission office regarding the Constituency Support Grant saga. In a media release yesterday, the ABG President that it was not appropriate for some ABG members to make threats to the Ombudsman Commission Manager in Buka regarding this issue. President MOMIS said that he was working with the Ombudsman Commission to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. He said that a formal submission will be made to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to reach a resolution on this important allowance to support members of the House of Representatives in the work they undertake. He also called on the Ombudsman Commission to maintain open communication channels with the ABG Parliament so that members remain informed of the work to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. New Dawn FM last year ran a story on the concerns raised by the Ombudsman Commission on ABG members banking the Constituency Support Grants to the members personal accounts. Ends 150218MASIU THANKS OBEC By Aloysius Laukai The ABG member for Konnou and Minister for Police and Justice, WILLIE MASIU yesterday thanked the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner and his staff for making arrangements to get the body of the late DORCAS AUASI to her final resting home in PAGHUI, WISAI. Speaking at the Funeral Service in Buka, MR. MASIU said that as the member for Konnou he was happy that the Department of Peace and Obec officers have moved quickly to make funeral arrangements and including the airlifting of her coffin from Port Moresby. MR. MASIU also acknowledged the work that the late DORCAS did in Konou and Wisai to bring peace and reconciliation to Konnou and Bougainville as a whole. Ends 150218MASONO BELIEVES ONLY ON MINING By Aloysius Laukai The ABG Vice President and member for Atolls and Minister for Mining, RAYMOND MASONO says mining and Independence cannot be separated. He said only mining can enable the ABG to meet its 3rd pillar that is Fiscal Self-reliance in a short period of time. MR. MASONO said other economic activities like agriculture will take years and will not reach the amount needed by the ABG to govern as an Independent nation. The Vice President made these remarks when thanking KOKODA constituency for the launch of their Exploration licence at Aropa recently. MR. MASONO said he has been talking mining since day one, but now KOKODA will lead Bougainville if their exploration is successful. A local company SRMI Bougainville Limited has started its exploration work in the KOKODA area whilst ISINA and TOREMANA and KALI Resources are yet to start with their exploration work. The Vice President said that KOKODA is leading the way forward to move Bougainville into its previous glory days before the Bougainville conflict. Ends United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. MIGUEL DURON, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. DIRECTOR ENID STUL, USCIS Hialeah Field Office, Field Office Director, Defendant, DISTRICT DIRECTOR LINDA SWACINA, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Miami District Director, UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES, USCIS, USCIS HIALEAH FIELD OFFICE, Defendants-Appellees. No. 17-10445 Decided: February 14, 2018 Before TJOFLAT, WILLIAM PRYOR, and JULIE CARNES, Circuit Judges. Plaintiff Miguel Duron, a native and citizen of Honduras, appeals the district court's order dismissing his complaint filed pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 701, and the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. 2201, against Defendants Linda Swacina and Enid Stulz, Miami District Director and Hialeah Field Office Director at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, respectively. In his complaint, Plaintiff sought a declaration that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services's (the Immigration Service) denial of his application for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent residentbased on its determination that he was ineligible under 8 U.S.C. 1255(c)(2) for failing to maintain continuously a lawful status since entry into the United Stateswas arbitrary, capricious, and otherwise not in accordance with the law. On appeal, Plaintiff argues that his grant of temporary protected status (TPS) overcomes 1255(c)(2)'s bar on adjustment of status for aliens who have failed to maintain continuously a lawful status since entry into the United States. After careful review, we affirm. I. BACKGROUND A. FACTS The relevant facts are not in dispute. Plaintiff, a native and citizen of Honduras, entered the United States without inspection in December 1997. On January 5, 1999, following a hurricane in Honduras, the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security designated Honduras for inclusion in the TPS program. A foreign state is designated for inclusion in the TPS program if certain conditions exist in [the] country including the occurrence of an environmental disaster, that results in a substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions in the area affected. Mejia Rodriguez v. U.S. Dep't of Homeland Sec., 562 F.3d 1137, 1140 (11th Cir. 2009). An alien granted TPS is not subject to removal from the United States during the period in which that status is in effect and is also entitled to work authorization during that time. 8 U.S.C. 1254a(a)(1). Plaintiff applied for TPS on August 12, 1999. The Immigration Service granted his application on April 7, 2000. In 2001, Plaintiff married a lawful permanent resident. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiff's wife filed a Form I-130, Alien Relative Petition on his behalf, which was approved in 2006. After requesting and receiving advanced parole through the TPS program, Plaintiff traveled abroad on December 6, 2014. On December 13, 2014, he was paroled back into the United States and resumed his temporary protected status. On February 5, 2015, Plaintiff filed an application for adjustment of status based on his marriage to a lawful permanent resident. The Immigration Service denied his application, concluding that he was barred from adjustment of status because he failed to maintain continuously a lawful status since his entry into the United States as required under 8 U.S.C. 1255(c)(2). The Immigration Service explained that Plaintiff was without lawful immigration status from the time he entered the United States in 1997 until he applied for TPS in August 1999. Although he departed and was subsequently paroled back into the United States in 2014, this did not cure his failure to continuously maintain a lawful status in the United States since his arrival in 1997. B. Procedural History In April 2016, Plaintiff filed a complaint against Defendants seeking review of the denial of his application for adjustment of status and a declaration that the Immigration Service's determination that he was ineligible for adjustment of status was arbitrary and capricious. Defendants moved to dismiss Plaintiff's complaint for failure to state a claim. The district court granted Defendants' motion, concluding that Plaintiff was statutorily barred from adjustment of status under the plain language of 8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(4) and 1255(c)(2) because he could not show that he maintained continuously a lawful status since his entry into the United States in 1997. Although an alien with TPS is considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful status pursuant to 1254a(f)(4), the court determined that this lawful-status benefit was limited to the time period that the alien has TPS. Because the lawful-benefit status did not apply to the time period prior to the grant of TPS, the court determined that Plaintiff was not eligible for adjustment of status because he had failed to maintain continuously a lawful status since his entry into the United States in 1997. Thus, the district court determined that the Immigration Service's denial of Plaintiff's application was consistent with the plain language of 1254a and 1255. Alternatively, the district court concluded that even if 1254a and 1255 were ambiguous, the Immigration Service's decision was entitled to deference because it was validly reasoned and consistent with the agency's and the Board of Immigration Appeals's decisions regarding the interpretation of 1254a and 1255. Accordingly, the district court granted Defendants' motion and dismissed Plaintiff's complaint. II. DISCUSSION A. Standard of Review We review the district court's grant of a motion to dismiss de novo, and in doing so, we view all allegations in the complaint as true and construe them in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff. Perez v. U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Servs., 774 F.3d 960, 964 (11th Cir. 2014). We review issues involving statutory interpretation de novo. Serrano v. U.S. Att'y Gen., 655 F.3d 1260, 1264 (11th Cir. 2011). Under the Administrative Procedure Act, a court may review an agency's interpretation of a statute and set aside an agency action or conclusion that was arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law. 5 U.S.C. 706; see also Serrano, 655 F.3d at 1264 (Courts may, under the Administrative Procedure Act, review an agency's interpretation of a statute.). When reviewing an agency's construction of a statute, we first look to whether Congress has directly spoken to the precise question at issue. Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 84243 (1984). If the language at issue has a plain and unambiguous meaning with regard to the particular dispute in the case, and the statutory scheme is coherent and consistent, the inquiry is over. Warshauer v. Solis, 577 F.3d 1330, 1335 (11th Cir. 2009). B. Applicable Law In order to adjust status to that of a lawful permanent resident, an alien must: (1) have been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States; (2) made an application for adjustment of status; (3) be eligible to receive an immigrant visa and be admissible to the United States for permanent residence; and (4) have an immigrant visa immediately available to him at the time the application is filed. 8 U.S.C. 1255(a). This appeal does not concern the adjustment-of-status eligibility requirements set forth in 1255(a), as the district court noted [i]t is undisputed that Plaintiff satisfies the threshold requirements of 1255(a). Instead, the parties' arguments focus on the portion of the statute providing that adjustment of status under 1255 is not available to an alien (other than an immediate relative as defined in section 1151(b) of this title) who has failed (other than through no fault of his own or for technical reasons) to maintain continuously a lawful status since entry into the United States. 8 U.S.C. 1255(c)(2). As noted above, aliens granted TPS receive certain benefitssuch as work authorization and not being subject to removal during the time period in which the status is in effect. 8 U.S.C. 1254a(a). In addition to these benefits, the statute also provides that: [d]uring a period in which an alien is granted [TPS] under this section[,] for purposes of adjustment of status and change of status , the alien shall be considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful status as a nonimmigrant. 8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(4). C. Plaintiff's Grant of TPS Does Not Overcome 1255(c)(2)'s Eligibility Bar for Adjustment of Status Plaintiff argues that he is eligible for adjustment of status because the lawful-status benefit provided to TPS grantees pursuant to 1254a(f)(4) cures any prior ineligibility for failure to maintain continuously a lawful status under 1255(c)(2). As the district court noted, it is undisputed that Plaintiff entered the United States without inspection in 1997 and resided unlawfully prior to his grant of TPS in 2000. The outcome of this case, therefore, turns on whether the lawful-status benefit under 1254a(f)(4) overrides 1255(c)(2)'s bar to adjustment of status if the alien failed to maintain continuously a lawful status since entry into the United States. In other words, does Plaintiff's subsequent receipt of TPS status nullify his prior unlawful status? We conclude that it does not. To answer this question, we need not look further than the plain and unambiguous language of the statute, which establishes that the lawful-status benefit for TPS grantees set forth in 1254a(f)(4) applies only to the time period in which an alien has TPS. Contrary to Plaintiff's contentions, the prefatory phrase during a period in which an alien is granted temporary protective status is a temporal qualifier for the lawful-status benefit under 1254a(f)(4). Indeed, the statute provides: During a period in which an alien is granted temporary protected status under this section (1) the alien shall not be considered to be permanently residing in the United States under color of law; (2) the alien may be deemed ineligible for public assistance by a State ; (3) the alien may travel abroad with the prior consent of the Attorney General; and (4) for purposes of adjustment of status under section 1255 the alien shall be considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful status as a nonimmigrant. 8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(1)-(4). Reading the statute as a whole, it is clear that the prefatory language applies to each of the parallel phrases set forth in 1254a(f). Cf. Parm v. Nat'l Bank of Cal., Nat'l Ass'n, 835 F.3d 1331, 1336 (11th Cir. 2016) (noting that [w]hen the syntax involves something other than a parallel series of nouns or verbs, a prepositive or postpositive modifier normally applies to only the nearest reasonable referent). Because we presume that Congress said what it meant and meant what it said, we conclude that the lawful-status benefit applies only to the period of time in which the alien has TPS, not to any prior period of unlawful status. Silva-Hernandez v. U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Servs., 701 F.3d 356, 362 (11th Cir. 2012) (quotations omitted); see also Warshauer, 577 F.3d at 1335 (explaining that to determine whether a statute is plain and unambiguous, we look to the language itself, the specific context in which the language is used, and the broader context of the statute as a whole.). Plaintiff argues that this interpretation of the interplay between 1254a(f)(4) and 1255(c)(2) renders 1254a(f)(4) meaningless, given our holding in Serrano v. United States Attorney General, 655 F.3d 1260 (11th Cir. 2011). See Legal Envtl. Assistance Found., Inc. v. U.S. E.P.A., 276 F.3d 1253, 1258 (11th Cir. 2001) ([I]t is an elementary principle of statutory construction that, in construing a statute, we must give meaning to all the words in the statute.). In Serrano, we determined that the benefits conferred on TPS grantees under 1254a(f)specifically, that an alien granted TPS is considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful statusdoes not satisfy 1255(a)'s requirement that an alien must be inspected and admitted or paroled in order to adjust status to that of a lawful permanent resident. Serrano, 655 F.3d at 1260. The crux of Plaintiff's argument is that if 1254a(f)(4)'s lawful-status benefit does not permit an alien to establish that he has been inspected and admitted or paroled under 1255(a), then it must enable an alien to overcome 1255(c)(2)'s eligibility bar. If it does not, then according to Plaintiff, the lawful-status benefit would have no purpose within the statute. We are not persuaded. As the Government correctly points out, Plaintiff's argument does not account for the fact that, although 1254a(f)(4) does not benefit Plaintiff, there are situations where the statutory provision would apply. Section 1254a(f)(4) would apply in a situation where an alien has lawful nonimmigrant status in the United States based on, for example, a visitor or student visa, and subsequently receives TPS prior to expiration of that lawful nonimmigrant status. If that same alien later seeks to adjust his status based on his marriage to a lawful permanent resident, he would be considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful status by operation of 1254a(f)(4), regardless of whether he had overstayed his visitor or student visa. See 8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(4). In short, because Plaintiff resided unlawfully in the United States from 1997 until he was granted TPS in 2000, he is ineligible for adjustment of status based on his failure to maintain continuously a lawful status since entry into the United States. See 8 U.S.C. 1255(c)(2). Given that Plaintiff was ineligible for adjustment of status, the Immigration Service's denial of his application was not arbitrary or capricious. Accordingly, the district court did not err by dismissing Plaintiff's complaint for failure to state a claim. AFFIRMED. FOOTNOTES . Although the statute governing TPS refers to the Attorney General as the decisionmaker, the authority to designate countries for inclusion in the TPS program and for adjudicating the eligibility of individual applicants for TPS has been transferred to the Secretary of the Department [of Homeland Security] and the district directors at [the Immigration Service]. Mejia Rodriguez v. U.S. Dep't of Homeland Sec., 562 F.3d 1137, 1140 n.3 (11th Cir. 2009). . Indeed, the Government asserted before the district court that Plaintiff's 2014 parole into the United States satisfied 1255(a)'s requirement that an alien demonstrate that he has been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States. . The 1255(c)(2) eligibility bar does not apply to aliens considered to be immediate relatives under 8 U.S.C. 1151(b) or special immigrants under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(H)-(K). 8 U.S.C. 1255(c)(2). An immediate relative means the children, spouses, and parents of a citizen of the United States. 8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i). Plaintiff does not qualify as an immediate relative based on his marriage to a lawful permanent resident. See id.; see 8 U.S.C. 1153(a)(2) (identifying spouses of lawful permanent residents as a second-preference relative for family-sponsored visas). . Because we conclude that the statute is unambiguous, we need not look at the legislative history to determine whether Congress intended for 1254a(f)(4) to render lawful an alien's period of unlawful status prior to the grant of TPS. See Harris v. Garner, 216 F.3d 970, 976 (11th Cir. 2000) (explaining that we need not consider legislative history where a statute is unambiguous and should not do so in order to undermine the plain meaning of the statutory language). Nor do we address the district court's alternative holding that the Immigration Service's decision is entitled to deference. See Silva-Hernandez, 701 F.3d at 364 n.4 (Because we conclude that the statute is not ambiguous we need not address the parties' arguments regarding the type of deference afforded to the Immigration Service's interpretation of the statute.). PER CURIAM: United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. YINGAI XU, Petitioner, v. JEFFERSON B. SESSIONS III, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL, Respondent. 15-4137 Decided: February 15, 2018 PRESENT: ROSEMARY S. POOLER, REENA RAGGI, PETER W. HALL, Circuit Judges. FOR PETITIONER: Yingai Xu, Monterey Park, C.A. FOR RESPONDENT: Benjamin C. Mizer, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General; Julie M. Iversen, Senior Litigation Counsel; Sergio Sarkany, Attorney, Office of Immigration Litigation, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision, it is hereby ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the petition for review is DISMISSED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. Petitioner Yingai Xu, a native and citizen of China, seeks review of a December 11, 2015, decision of the BIA affirming a June 19, 2014, decision of an Immigration Judge (IJ) denying Xu's application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). In re Yingai Xu, No. A205 033 972 (B.I.A. Dec. 11, 2015), aff'g No. A205 033 972 (Immig. Ct. N.Y. City June 19, 2014). We assume the parties' familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history in this case. We have reviewed the IJ's decision as supplemented and modified by the BIA (i.e., including the BIA's additional corroboration analysis, but excluding the IJ's inconsistency finding regarding Xu's pants). See Xue Hong Yang v. U.S. Dep't of Justice, 426 F.3d 520, 522 (2d Cir. 2005); Yan Chen v. Gonzales, 417 F.3d 268, 271 (2d Cir. 2005). The applicable standards of review are well established. See 8 U.S.C. 1252(b)(4)(B); Xiu Xia Lin v. Mukasey, 534 F.3d 162, 165-66 (2d Cir. 2008). We have liberally construed Xu's pro se brief as raising the strongest arguments it suggests. Triestman v. Fed. Bureau of Prisons, 470 F.3d 471, 474-75 (2d Cir. 2006). I. Asylum An asylum application must be filed within one year of an applicant's arrival in the United States, absent changed or extraordinary circumstances. 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(B), (D). We generally lack jurisdiction to review the denial of asylum as untimely; however, we have jurisdiction to review constitutional claims or questions of law raised upon a petition for review. 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(3), 1252(a)(2)(D). Xu's argument that the agency should have credited her account of her arrival in the United States and her explanation for the lack of any travel documents does not raise a constitutional claim or question of law. Credibility findings are factual and not subject to review in this context. Cf. Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 165. We therefore dismiss Xu's petition as to her asylum claim for lack of jurisdiction. II. Withholding of Removal and CAT Relief The governing REAL ID Act credibility standard provides that the agency may, [c]onsidering the totality of the circumstances, base a credibility finding on an applicant's demeanor, candor, or responsiveness, the plausibility of [her] account, and inconsistencies in her statements and other record evidence without regard to whether those inconsistencies go[ ] to the heart of the applicant's claim. 8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(1)(B)(iii); Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 163-64. We defer to an IJ's credibility determination unless, from the totality of the circumstances, it is plain that no reasonable fact-finder could make such an adverse credibility ruling. Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167. Further, [a] petitioner must do more than offer a plausible explanation for h[er] inconsistent statements to secure relief; [s]he must demonstrate that a reasonable fact-finder would be compelled to credit h[er] testimony. Majidi v. Gonzales, 430 F.3d 77, 80 (2d Cir. 2005) (internal quotation marks omitted). For the reasons that follow, we conclude that substantial evidence supported the agency's determination that Xu was not credible. First, the agency reasonably based the credibility determination on the inconsistency between Xu's testimony and her asylum application regarding how she discovered her pregnancy. See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 163-64, 167. Xu stated in her application that she became sick and vomited after breakfast one day, and then went to a nearby clinic where a doctor confirmed her pregnancy. Xu testified, however, that she did not go to see a doctor. Instead, she testified that she suspected she was pregnant when she missed her period and then confirmed her pregnancy with a home pregnancy test from the pharmacy. When confronted with the discrepancy, Xu explained that she also saw a doctor at the pharmacy. But the IJ was not compelled to accept this explanation because it did not resolve Xu's inconsistent testimony, and it was inconsistent with Xu's prior testimony that there was only a pharmacist at the pharmacy who might have suspected she was pregnant because she bought the home pregnancy test. See Majidi, 430 F.3d at 80. Second, the agency reasonably relied on the implausibility of Xu's testimony about the Korean alias on her asylum application (Kim, Hae Lee). See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 163-64, 167. Xu was asked whether she ever used the last name Kim, and she responded that she did not think so. When asked again, Xu stated that she could not recall. Finally, when asked if Kim was the name on the Korean passport she had used to enter the United States, Xu responded: Yes, I think it's possible. Certified Administrative Record (CAR) at 177-78. The agency reasonably found this testimony implausible because Xu had worked as a Korean language tutor and should have been able to remember the identity she assumed while traveling through various countries in Europe and attempting to enter the United States. See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167. Third, the agency reasonably based the credibility determination on the IJ's observations of Xu's demeanor. See id. at 163-64, 167. [D]emeanor is paradigmatically the sort of evidence that a fact-finder is best positioned to evaluate, Li Zu Guan v. INS, 453 F.3d 129, 140 (2d Cir. 2006), and we therefore give particular deference to credibility determinations that are based on the adjudicator's observation of the applicant's demeanor, Jin Chen v. U.S. Dep't of Justice, 426 F.3d 104, 113 (2d Cir. 2005). Here, the IJ found that Xu gave many hesitant or self-contradictory answers, seemed to be reluctant to make definite statements, had trouble remembering basic facts and details about her case, and often had to be prompted. As one example, the IJ noted that he had to question Xu repeatedly before she identified the documents that she claimed were in her former attorney's possession. This finding is supported by the record, and we therefore give it deference. See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167; Jin Chen, 426 F.3d at 113. Finally, the IJ agency reasonably relied on Xu's lack of corroborating evidence in assessing her credibility. See Biao Yang v. Gonzales, 496 F.3d 268, 273 (2d Cir. 2007) (An applicant's failure to corroborate his or her testimony may bear on credibility, because the absence of corroboration in general makes an applicant unable to rehabilitate testimony that has already been called into question.). The IJ correctly observed that Xu did not submit any corroborating evidence beyond identification documents, and Xu does not claim that the agency erred in finding this evidence insufficient to rehabilitate her credibility. Instead, she contends that the IJ erred by failing to provide notice of her need to submit specific pieces of corroborating evidence. However, Xu's argument conflates corroboration in the adverse credibility context with the denial of a credible claim for failure to submit reasonably available corroborating evidence. See Petitioner's Br. at 14 (citing 8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(1)(B)(ii)); compare Biao Yang, 496 F.3d at 273 (explaining the absence of corroboration in general makes an applicant unable to rehabilitate testimony that has already been called into question) with 8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(1)(B)(ii)(explaining corroboration may not be necessary if the applicant satisfies the trier of fact that the applicant's testimony is credible, among other requirements), 1252(b)(4). Although Xu testified that she had a fine notice and a fine receipt (but did not submit them because her former attorney in Los Angeles had them) and a letter from her parents corroborating her forced abortion (but did not submit it because she did not think it was evidence), the agency did not deny relief because Xu did not submit this evidence; it merely considered the absence of this evidence in assessing Xu's credibility. In any event, the IJ was not obligated to list each document required to establish a successful claim because [a]n alien applying for relief or protection from removal has the burden of proof. 8 U.S.C 1229a(c)(4)(A); cf. Chuilu Liu v. Holder, 575 F.3d 193, 198 (2d Cir. 2009) (While [the Court] ha[s] sometimes remanded a case if the IJ failed to explain his reliance on a lack of corroborating evidence, the alien bears the ultimate burden of introducing such evidence without prompting from the IJ.). Given the agency's foregoing demeanor and inconsistency findings, and its reasonable consideration of Xu's corroborating evidence, the totality of the circumstances supports the adverse credibility determination. See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167. A reasonable adjudicator would not be compelled to conclude otherwise. Id. The credibility finding is dispositive of withholding of removal and CAT relief because both claims are based on the same factual predicate. See Paul v. Gonzales, 444 F.3d 148, 156-57 (2d Cir. 2006). We therefore deny the petition as to withholding of removal and CAT relief. For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is DISMISSED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. As we have completed our review, any stay of removal that the Court previously granted in this petition is VACATED. Any pending request for oral argument in this petition is DENIED in accordance with Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34(a)(2), and Second Circuit Local Rule 34.1(b). FOR THE COURT: Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. ROBERT ROBINSON, Appellant v. SUPERINTENDENT, SCI SOMERSET; THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA; THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF PHILADELPHIA COUNTY No. 15-1147 Decided: February 14, 2018 Before: HARDIMAN and KRAUSE, Circuit Judges, and STENGEL, Chief District Judge.* Cheryl J. Sturm, Esq., (Argued) 387 Ring Road, Chadds Ford, PA 19317, Counsel for Appellant Susan E. Affronti, Esq., Jennifer O. Andress, Esq. (Argued), Max C. Kaufman, Esq., Philadelphia County Office of District Attorney, 3 South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Counsel for Appellees OPINION** Appellant Robert Robinson appeals the District Court's order denying his petition for habeas corpus on his claim that his convictions for both attempted murder and aggravated assault violated his rights under the Fifth Amendment's Double Jeopardy Clause. Because Robinson's double jeopardy claim is procedurally defaulted, we will affirm. I. Factual Background Both of Robinson's convictions at issue in this appeal arise from a violent episode in which Robinson both shot his victim in the stomach and hit the victim over the head with a gun. As reflected in the trial testimony, the incident began when the victim, Kenneth Glenn, went to the home of an acquaintance with the intention of purchasing cocaine. When he arrived, Glenn mistakenly rang the wrong doorbell and was told by a neighbor that the acquaintance was not home. Glenn apologized for the disturbance and returned to his car to wait. At this point, Robinson emerged from the apartment whose doorbell Glenn had accidentally rung and ordered Glenn to get out of the car and give his money to Robinson. When Glenn resisted, Robinson shot him in the stomach. As Glenn tried to crawl back into his car, Robinson shot at him again and then hit Glenn in the head with a gun. After a jury trial, Robinson was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault, among other offenses. Of relevance to this appeal, when giving its instruction on the charge of attempted murder, the trial court explained that, in order to convict, the jury would have to find that Robinson shot the victim. On the charge of aggravated assault, however, the trial court simply instructed that the jury would have to find that Robinson caused serious bodily injury to the victim without specifying that, if Robinson was found guilty of attempted murder, the shooting could not, in addition to serving as the ground for the attempted murder conviction, also constitute the serious bodily injury necessary to support an aggravated assault conviction. App. 346. Robinson received consecutive sentences for all counts totaling twenty-nine and one-half to seventy-two years of incarceration. II. Procedural History Robinson appealed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court arguing, among other things, that his sentences for attempted murder and aggravated assault should have merged under Pennsylvania state law. In making this argument, Robinson relied on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision in Commonwealth v. Anderson, 650 A.2d 20, 23-24 (Pa. 1994), a case in which the Court held that aggravated assault is a lesser-included offense of attempted murder and that, therefore, when convictions for those crimes are based on the same criminal act, the sentences must merge. The Superior Court rejected this argument, concluding the evidence at trial was sufficient to support a conviction for attempted murder based on the shooting and a conviction for aggravated assault based on the beating. Thus, the Superior Court explained, because Robinson's convictions were based on separate criminal acts, Anderson did not apply and there was no legal error in Robinson's receiving consecutive sentences. Robinson then sought the discretionary review of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In his petition for review, Robinson again argued that his sentences for attempted murder and aggravated assault should have merged, but this time did not cite to Anderson, arguing only that the Superior Court erred in analogizing the facts of his case to those of Commonwealth v. Belsar, 676 A.2d 632 (Pa. 1996), a Pennsylvania Supreme Court case addressing when a prolonged violent episode involving both a shooting and a beating should be considered one criminal act versus two. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied Robinson's petition. Robinson then filed a petition for collateral review under Pennsylvania's Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA), raising only claims that are no longer at issue in this appeal. The PCRA Court denied Robinson's petition for relief, and the Superior Court affirmed that dismissal. Having been denied relief in state court, Robinson filed a petition for habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C 2254 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In his habeas petition, Robinson raised, among other claims, a federal double jeopardy claim, arguing that he could not be lawfully convicted of both attempted murder and aggravated assault without a jury verdict justifying the conclusion that the crime of attempted murder was based on the shooting and the aggravated assault was based on the pistol whipping. App. 95. The District Court denied Robinson's petition in full, and this timely appeal followed. III. Jurisdiction and Standard of Review The District Court had jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. 2254, and we have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. 2253. Because the District Court based its decision on the evidence contained in the state court record and did not engage in any independent fact-finding, our review of the District Court's denial of Robinson's petition is plenary. McAleese v. Mazurkiewicz, 1 F.3d 159, 166 (3d Cir. 1993). IV. Analysis The Commonwealth contends that Robinson's double jeopardy claim is procedurally defaulted and, in any event, meritless. We agree on both points, and will therefore affirm. A state inmate shall not be granted a writ of habeas corpus unless the inmate first exhaust[s] the remedies available in the courts of the State. 28 U.S.C. 2254(b)(1). In order to properly exhaust a federal claim, the petitioner must have fairly presented that claim to the state courtsthat is, the petitioner must have present[ed] a federal claim's factual and legal substance to the state courts in a manner that put[ ] [the state courts] on notice that a federal claim [was] being asserted. McCandless v. Vaughn, 172 F.3d 255, 261 (3d Cir. 1999). If the petitioner fails to meet this exhaustion requirement and the state court to which he would be required to present his claims would now deem them procedurally barred, then there is a procedural default for purposes of federal habeas regardless of the decision of the last state court to which the petitioner actually presented his claims. Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 735 n.1 (1991). Although a Pennsylvania inmate is not required to seek the discretionary review of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court before seeking habeas relief, Lambert v. Blackwell, 387 F.3d 210, 233 (3d Cir. 2004), if an inmate does petition for such review, the federal claim at issue must have been fairly presented in that petition, and the fact that a petitioner fairly raised his claim before a lower state court is not sufficient to satisfy the habeas exhaustion requirement, Baldwin v. Reese, 541 U.S. 27, 30-32 (2004). Robinson acknowledges that he never raised a federal double jeopardy claim in any state forum, but contends that, by raising a similar state law merger claim, he satisfied the fair presentation standard. Working in Robinson's favor, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has stated that there is no difference between a double jeopardy analysis and a merger analysis, Anderson, 650 A.2d at 23, and our Court has recently held, in a case where the petitioner specifically cited to Anderson and argued the jury instructions given at his trial allowed for two convictions on the basis of a single criminal act, that the Pennsylvania merger claim raised by the petitioner in that case fairly presented a federal double jeopardy claim to the state court. Wilkerson v. Superintendent Fayette SCI, 871 F.3d 221, 229-31 (3d Cir. 2017), petition for cert. filed (Jan. 18, 2018). There, we concluded this argument, coupled with the petitioner's citation to Anderson and its pronouncement that merger and double jeopardy employ an identical analysis, Anderson, 650 A.2d at 23, so resembled a double jeopardy claim that the petitioner had asserted his claims in terms so particular as to call to mind a specific right protected by the Constitution, and his double jeopardy claim was not procedurally defaulted, Wilkerson, 871 F.3d at 229 (brackets omitted) (quoting McCandless, 172 F.3d at 261). The problem for Robinson, however, is that while he cited to Anderson and made similar arguments in his appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, he did not do so in his petition for review before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Instead, in that petition, Robinson argued that his sentences for aggravated assault and attempted murder should have merged as a matter of state law based only on Belsar, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that addressed when a continuous, single violent incident should be deemed two criminal acts instead of one under state law and that, unlike Anderson, made no reference to a federal double jeopardy analysis. See 676 A.2d at 633-36; cf. Anderson, 650 A.2d at 23-24. Moreover, Robinson did not argue to the state Supreme Court, as he does on federal habeas review, that due to errors in the jury instructions at trial, he was convicted of both crimes based on the single act of shooting of the victim. Rather, Robinson argued only that the shooting and the beating were one act as a matter of state law because, in contrast to Belsar, the evidence at Robinson's trial reflected that the attack was never broken off and then later resumed. App. 197-98; see Belsar, 676 A.2d at 634. This argument as to what evidence is sufficient under state law for a continuous attack to be deemed to involve two separate acts does not call to mind a specific right protected by the Constitution, McCandless, 172 F.3d at 261, and, coupled with only a citation to a state case that made no reference to federal law, was not sufficient to fairly present Robinson's federal claim to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Cf. Wilkerson, 871 F.3d at 229-31. Because Robinson petitioned the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for review, but did not fairly present his double jeopardy claim in that petition, that claim is procedurally defaulted and Robinson is not eligible for habeas relief. Baldwin, 541 U.S. at 30-32. V. Conclusion For the foregoing reasons, we will affirm the judgment of the District Court denying Robinson's petition for habeas corpus. FOOTNOTES . Robinson sought a certificate of appealability on a number of issues, but we granted it only as to whether Robinson's rights under the Double Jeopardy Clause were violated by the imposition of separate punishments for aggravated assault and attempted murder. App. 3. . Even if we could reach the claim that Robinson has raised on federal habeasthat a double jeopardy violation occurred because the charging instrument did not allege and the jury was not required to make a finding of fact that the attempted murder conviction was for the shooting and the aggravated assault was for the pistol whipping, Appellant's Br. 28Wilkerson makes clear that claim would fail on the merits. As we explained there, we may only grant a state inmate habeas relief if the state court's decision denying relief was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, 28 U.S.C. 2254(d)(1), and that standard is not satisfied when the state court rejects a double jeopardy claim based on its conclusion that the jury, given the evidence adduced at trial, could have returned the two convictions based on two separate criminal acts. Wilkerson, 871 F.3d at 235. Such was the case here, for just as in Wilkerson, the state court reviewed the trial record and concluded that the evidence was sufficient for the jury to have convicted Robinson of attempted murder on the basis of the shooting and of aggravated assault on the basis of a different act, i.e., the beating. KRAUSE, Circuit Judge. United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, PlaintiffAppellee, v. Louis W. CARBINS, Jr., DefendantAppellant. No. 16-30998 Decided: February 15, 2018 Before DAVIS, HAYNES, and COSTA, Circuit Judges. Camille Ann Domingue, Kelly Pomes Uebinger, Esq., Assistant U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA, Kaitlin Paulson, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, for PlaintiffAppellee. Christopher Albert Aberle, Mandeville, LA, for DefendantAppellant. Following a jury trial, Louis W. Carbins, Jr., was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371, seven counts of aiding and abetting theft of Government money in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2 and 641, and one count of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2 and 1028A. Carbins challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive two-year prison term. Concluding that the evidence was sufficient to support Carbins' conviction, we AFFIRM. I. The indictment charged that Carbins, along with co-defendant, Laphrida T. Watts, conspired to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by obtaining fraudulent tax refunds to which they were not entitled (Count 1), converted those unlawfully obtained IRS refunds which were issued in the names of various identity victims to their own use and the use of another (Counts 2 through 8), and, during and in relation to their theft of the IRS refunds, knowingly used without lawful authority the names and social security numbers of the various identity victims. (Count 9). Watts ultimately entered into a plea agreement with the Government, pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States (Count 1) and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft (Count 9). She testified for the Government at Carbins' trial. Watts testified that she started a romantic relationship with Carbins in November of 2012. Around this time, Watts was communicating with people on the internet about different types of jobs. Specifically, the people on the internet were discussing a bank drop, which Watts explained was a wire transfer or someone walking in and putting money into your [bank] account. An internet contact by the name of Documentation or Doc asked Watts if she had a bank account in which bank drops could be made. Watts communicated with Doc using an app called ICQ, through instant messaging, or by calling him on a computer line. When Watts informed Doc that she did not have a bank account, Doc asked if she knew anyone who did. During one of Watts' online conversations with Doc, Carbins saw Watts communicating with Doc. At that point, Carbins asked Watts what a bank drop was. Watts explained that a bank drop involved someone wiring money into a bank account. In order for a bank drop to occur, she explained, the account holder would have to give his personal bank account information to the person wiring the money. After hearing Watts' description of a bank drop, Carbins said he wanted to do it. Watts informed Doc that she found someone for the bank drops. Carbins himself then began communicating with Doc over ICQ, instant messaging, and e-mail, as well as on his cellphone. Carbins gave Doc the information regarding an existing bank account he had at Regions Bank. Carbins also opened a second bank account at Regions and additional bank accounts at Bank of America, Teche Federal Bank, MidSouth Bank, Whitney Bank, and Patterson State Bank. After Carbins established the bank accounts, he created online account access and gave Doc the necessary information so that Doc too could access the account information online, as if he were the account holder. Watts testified that two or three days prior to a bank drop being made into one of Carbins' accounts, Doc sent an e-mail showing a breakdown of the amount of money he was to receive from the drop and the amount Carbins was to receive. Doc would always receive 50 percent of the drop. The other 50 percent would be split between Carbins and another person responsible for wiring Doc's percentage to whatever name Doc provided in his e-mail. Watts testified that the names of the individuals Doc instructed them to wire the money to were really crazy and that the addresses were mostly located in Ukraine. In many cases, Carbins and Watts would go to a MoneyGram located inside a WalMart store in order to wire the money to the name indicated in Doc's e-mail. Watts testified that in the beginning of the scheme, she and Carbins did not know the money being deposited into Carbins' bank accounts was IRS money. Watts believed, and told Carbins, that the money was illegal money and was probably coming from somebody that owed [Doc] money for drugs or something else. The evidence admitted at trial included the bank statements from Carbins' various bank accounts. The statements reflected that the first bank drop in the amount of $7,695 hit Carbins' original account at Regions on March 5, 2013. The bank statement described this deposit as follows: US Treasury 312 Tax Ref Gowdy, David &. The bank statement further indicated that, on the same day the deposit entered Carbins' account, withdrawals of $2,499 and $2,415, listed as purchases from WalMart, were made from the account. The second bank drop in the amount of $7,183 entered Carbins' account at Bank of America on March 6, 2013. The bank statement from that account described this deposit as follows: US Treasury 312 Des: Tax Ref ID:Xxxxxxxxx IRS Indn: White, Forrest & Marie Co ID:3111036170 Ppd. The statement further indicated that on March 28, 2013, a withdrawal of $2,502.10, listed as a purchase from WalMart, was made from the account. The third bank drop in the amount of $8,878 hit Carbins' original account at Regions on March 20, 2013. The bank statement from that account described this deposit as follows: US Treasury 312 Tax Ref Edmonds, Micha. The bank statement further indicated that on the same date as the deposit, withdrawals of $2,950 and $1,999, listed as purchases from WalMart, were made from the account. The fourth bank drop in the amount of $7,671 entered Carbins' additional account at Regions on April 11, 2013, and was described in the bank statement as follows: US Treasury 312 Tax Ref Heinen, Dennis. The fifth bank drop in the amount of $174,937 was made into Carbins' account at Patterson State Bank on April 24, 2013, and was described in the bank statement as follows: ACUS TREASURY 312TAX REF. The sixth and final bank drop in the amount of $516,091.45 entered Carbins' account at Teche Federal Bank on July 3, 2013, and was described in the bank statement as follows: US Treasury 312 TAX REF XXXXX2781 IRS. Watts testified that the first time she and Carbins encountered any problems with the bank drops was on April 25, 2013, the day after the fifth bank drop, when a detective called Carbins regarding his account at Patterson State Bank. The detective wanted to see Carbins, and Carbins had no choice but to meet him. Watts testified that when Carbins returned from the meeting, that's when we actually knew the money was really [from the] IRS, because from what we understood, Doc could make it look like it was an IRS check. Rose Cope, a vice president at Patterson State Bank, testified that on April 25, 2013, she became aware of an issue with Carbins' account at the bank. Specifically, the account reflected a tax refund deposit from the IRS of $174,934, but the names listed as the payees on the refund check were Daniel and Laura Bair, not Carbins. Cope subsequently called the IRS fraud department, which instructed her to return the entire deposit to the IRS. At that point, Cope learned from bank records that Carbins had already withdrawn $2,611 from the IRS funds. She then froze the account. Cope testified that next she telephoned Carbins. She instructed him that a deposit was made into his account that did not belong to him and that we were required to return it[,] and that [she] needed him to immediately return the money that had been withdrawn from the account. She informed Carbins that the deposit was an IRS refund check. She requested that Carbins come to the bank later that day to return the money he had withdrawn or she would contact the local police department. Because Carbins never showed up, Cope contacted the Patterson Police Department regarding a fraudulent deposit at the bank. Four days later, Carbins went into the bank and met with Cope. She informed him again that an IRS tax refund had been deposited into his account, that [it] did not belong to him, and that he needed to return the money he had withdrawn on those funds. She further told Carbins that if he did not make arrangements to repay the funds, she would pursue charges against him. Although Carbins did agree to a payment arrangement, only two payments were completed, so that the remaining balance owed to the bank equaled $2,197. Watts testified that after Carbins' encounter with Patterson State Bank in April 2013, a final bank drop was made into Carbins' account at Teche Federal Bank in July 2013. She and Carbins were not aware that a drop was coming. They learned about the drop from an e-mail alert sent by the bank, which message indicated that the deposit amounted to over $500,000. Carbins had a debit card for that account, and he went to an automatic teller machine (ATM) to see if he could withdraw any money out of the account. Although they did not think it was possible, Carbins was able to withdraw money from the account. They also went to Best Buy stores in Lafayette, New Orleans, and a couple of different places to purchase some iPads, MacBooks, and other items from a list that Doc e-mailed to them. After purchasing these electronics, they mailed them to an address in New York, as instructed by Doc. Carbins also bought a diamond ring for Watts, which she stated she subsequently returned to the jewelry store. Watts testified that in October 2013, she and Carbins ended their relationship. Eddie Leblanc, who was the chief risk officer at Teche Federal Bank in July 2013, testified that he was notified by the deposit services department that the bank had received an ACH, which is an electronic transfer type of transaction, [from the IRS] to Mr. Carbins' account in the amount of $516,000 or thereabouts. Leblanc was notified because the name of the recipients on the ACH report, John and Cristi Ludwig, differed from the account holder, Carbins. The report also contained the Ludwigs' social security numbers, which again differed from Carbins' social security number. Leblanc was also informed that just under $20,000 had been withdrawn from the account. Concerned that the funds did not actually belong to Carbins, Leblanc froze the account and contacted the IRS. Leblanc further testified that sometime later, Carbins called him want[ing] the money that was in the account. Leblanc explained to Carbins that the funds that were deposited into his account were not his and gave Carbins the names of two IRS agents who wanted to speak with him. As instructed by the IRS, Leblanc later closed Carbins' account and remitted the remaining funds to the IRS. Victoria O'Brien, an IRS employee, testified that the IRS accepts tax returns in both electronic and paper form. Within 24 hours of receiving a return, IRS personnel verify preliminarily the filer's name, Social Security Account Number (SSAN), and date of birth to determine if the information matches IRS records and if the SSAN is a valid one. If the SSAN is not valid, the tax return is rejected and diverted to another department for further investigation. If the information appears valid, and the return requests a refund, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) then issues a refund by paper check or electronic deposit. If electronic deposit is requested, the Treasury electronically deposits the refund into the bank account provided by the filer on the face of the tax return. The evidence from the IRS showed that between February 26, 2013, and April 10, 2013, 10 fraudulent joint tax returns were electronically filed with the IRS, apparently by Doc or someone acting at his direction, using a free online computer software program called Tax Hawk 201201. Some of the real taxpayers who were the victims of the scheme testified that their last names and SSANs on the returns were correct, but other information, such as the amount of income, amount of exemptions or credits, home addresses, and employers' names, was incorrect. The fraudulent returns reflected that tax refunds in the amount of $7,000 to $9,000 were due to the taxpayers and provided the routing and account numbers of Carbins' various bank accounts for electronic deposits of the refunds. The total refunds requested in the fraudulent tax returns was $81,091, and the total refunds deposited into Carbins' accounts was $722,455.45. The evidence at trial established that Doc or one of his associates filed two tax returns on February 26, 2013. The first tax return was filed in the name of David and Deborah Gowdy and requested that a refund of $7,695 be directly deposited into Carbins' original bank account at Regions. The second tax return was filed in the name of Forrest White and Marie Rzepka and requested that a refund of $7,183 be directly deposited into Carbins' account at Bank of America. On March 11, 2013, a third tax return was filed in the name of Michael and Lisa Edmonds, requesting that a refund of $8,878 be directly deposited into Carbins' original bank account at Regions. On April 3, 2013, a tax return was filed in the name of Dennis and Donna Heinen, requesting a refund of $7,671 to be directly deposited into Carbins' second bank account at Regions. On April 5, 2013, a tax return in the name of John and Cristi Ludwig was filed, requesting a refund of $8,745 to be directly deposited into Carbins' bank account at Teche Federal Bank. On April 10, 2013, the last tax return was filed in the name of Daniel and Laura Bair, requesting that a tax refund be directly deposited into Carbins' bank account at Patterson State Bank. II. As he did below, Carbins challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft under Count 9 of the indictment. Carbins properly preserved his challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence by orally moving for acquittal, first at the close of the Government's case and again at the close of all of the evidence pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29(a). Therefore, our review is de novo. Though de novo, this review is nevertheless highly deferential to the verdict. Under this standard, we must determine whether, viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, a rational jury could have found that the evidence established the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, we are required to draw all reasonable inferences and make all credibility determinations in favor of the verdict. In other words, a defendant seeking reversal on the basis of insufficient evidence swims upstream. The aggravated identity theft statute, 18 U.S.C. 1028A, provides: Whoever, during and in relation to any felony violation enumerated in subsection (c) knowingly transfers, possesses, or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person shall, in addition to the punishment provided for such felony, be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 2 years. The list of offenses enumerated in subsection (c) of the statute includes theft of Government money in violation of 18 U.S.C. 641, the crime for which Carbins was convicted under Counts 2 through 8 of the indictment. The aiding and abetting statute, 18 U.S.C. 2, provides that a person who aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures the commission of a federal offense is punishable as a principal. The aggravated identity theft statute further provides that no term of imprisonment imposed on a person under this section shall run concurrently with any other term of imprisonment imposed on the person under any other provision of law. Thus, the aggravated identity theft statute imposes a mandatory consecutive 2year prison term. To convict Carbins of aggravated identity theft, the Government was required to prove that Carbins (1) knowingly used (2) the means of identification of another person (3) without lawful authority (4) during and in relation to [his commission of theft of Government money under 641]. The term means of identification is defined as any name or number that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific individual. This includes any name, social security number, or date of birth. The Government was required to show that [Carbins] knew that the means of identification at issue belonged to another person. [A] person is liable under 2 for aiding and abetting a crime if (and only if) he (1) takes an affirmative act in furtherance of the offense, (2) with the intent of facilitating the offense's commission. Carbins asserts that the record is devoid of any evidence that he had any idea regarding the manner in which Doc caused the IRS to deposit money into his bank accounts. He contends that the mere discovery that the money was coming from the IRS does not allow a permissible inference that he knew such deposits were the result of Doc's misappropriation of the means of identification of real people. Moreover, Carbins argues that even if the knowledge of the source of the money could be deemed sufficient to impute knowledge of the unauthorized use of another person's means of identification, that knowledge came too late in the criminal activity to permit a finding of guilt based on aiding and abetting. In support of these arguments, Carbins contends that there is no evidence contradicting Watts' testimony that he did not know that the bank drops involved IRS money until after his meeting at Patterson State Bank in late April 2013. However, as the Government contends, Watts also testified that Carbins had online access to his various bank accounts. Watts explained that two or three days prior to a bank drop, Doc sent an e-mail showing a breakdown of the amount of money he and Carbins were to receive from the drop. Consequently, after receiving an e-mail from Doc regarding an impending deposit, Carbins could access his bank account information online to determine when the bank drop hit his account. As detailed above, the bank statements from Carbins' original account at Regions indicated that large withdrawals from Carbins' account occurred the same day the bank drops hit his account. The jury could reasonably infer from these facts that Carbins was accessing his bank account information online. The bank statement describing the first bank drop completed on March 5, 2013, into Carbins' original bank account at Regions provided: US Treasury 312 Tax Ref Gowdy, David &. The bank statement describing the second bank drop into that account completed on March 20, 2013, provided: US Treasury 312 Tax Ref Edmonds, Micha. The only other bank drop occurring in March 2013 went to Carbins' bank account at Bank of America. That bank drop was completed on March 6, 2013, and was described in the bank statement as: US Treasury 312 Des: Tax Ref ID:Xxxxxxxxxx IRS Indn: White, Forrest & Marie Co ID:3111036170 Ppd. A large withdrawal from that account occurred on March 28, 2013. The jury could reasonably infer that when Carbins accessed his bank accounts online, the online descriptions of the deposits were the same as reflected on the paper bank statements admitted at trial. The descriptions specifically provided that the deposits were from the US Treasury, contained the terms Tax Ref, and referred to individual names, Gowdy, David, White, Forrest & Marie, and Edmonds, Micha. The description of the bank drop in Carbins' Bank of America account even contained the acronym IRS. The jury could reasonably infer that these descriptions of the bank drops put Carbins on notice in March 2013, and certainly before the April 2013 tax returns were filed, that the money being deposited into his accounts resulted from IRS tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury to the named individuals. Contrary to Carbins' assertions, the banks' notations regarding the deposits were not cryptic and did not require any decoding in order for Watts and Carbins to be put on notice that the deposits were tax refunds from the IRS. Watts' testimony on its own established that the deposits appeared to them to be IRS funds. Specifically, Watts testified that after Carbins' meeting at Patterson State Bank, that's when [they] actually knew the money was really [from the] IRS, because from what we understood, Doc could make it look like it was an IRS check. As the Government contends, [t]his court has expanded the definition of knowledge to include circumstances where a defendant exhibits deliberate ignorance. This testimony, along with the banks' descriptions of the deposits, established, at minimum, that Carbins was deliberately ignorant regarding the source of the bank drops. Carbins additionally contends, even if he knew, or was deliberately ignorant regarding, the source of the funds, such knowledge does not allow a permissible inference that he knew the deposits were the result of Doc's misappropriation of the means of identification of real people. Our review of Carbins' sufficiency challenge is highly deferential to the verdict, and we are required to draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the verdict. As the Government contends, Carbins' knowledge that the bank drops were IRS tax refunds necessarily supported a reasonable inference that the money had been obtained through the unlawful use of the means of identification of real people. A jury could reasonably infer that the IRS does not issue tax refunds unless the means of identification of real people have been submitted to it along with a request for a refund. Finally, Carbins asserts that even if his knowledge of the source of the money could be deemed sufficient to impute knowledge of the unauthorized use of another person's means of identification, that knowledge came too late under Rosemond v. United States. In that case, the Supreme Court addressed the application of the aiding and abetting statute when the underlying crime of conviction is compound in nature. The Court analyzed a prosecution for aiding and abetting an offense under 18 U.S.C. 924(c), which forbids us[ing] or carr[ying] a firearm when engaged in a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime. It labeled 924(c) a combination crime because it required (1) proof of the use or carriage of a firearm and (2) proof of the commission of a predicate offense (violent crime or drug trafficking). The Court held that when a combination crime is involved, an aiding and abetting conviction requires that the defendant's intent go to the specific and entire crime charged. In a 924(c) case, such intent requires advance knowledge of the firearm or knowledge at a time the accomplice can do something with itmost notably, opt to walk away. As described above, the jury could have reasonably inferred that prior to the filing of the April 2013 tax returns, Carbins knew or was deliberately ignorant regarding the fact that the bank drops were IRS tax refunds. The indictment charged Carbins with only one count of aggravated identity theft, and the district court instructed the jury that it needed to find aggravated identity theft as to only one of the identity victims in order to convict. Therefore, when the April 2013 tax returns were filed, Carbins would have had advance knowledge that the bank drop scheme involved the unauthorized use of the identities of real people and the ability to walk away from the scheme. Carbins' argument that he did not have the necessary intent under Rosemond is thus unavailing. Based on the foregoing, Carbins' conviction for aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft is AFFIRMED. FOOTNOTES . Tax returns were also filed on March 22, 2013, April 3, 2013, April 4, 2013, and April 6, 2013, in the names of various taxpayers requesting that refunds be directly deposited into Carbins' bank accounts. However, for various reasons, those returns did not result in any electronic deposits into Carbins' bank accounts. . Carbins moved for acquittal at the close of the Government's case, and the district court reserved ruling on Carbins' motion as to Count 9 at that time. Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29(b), [i]f the [district court] reserves decision [on a motion for a judgment of acquittal], it must decide the motion on the basis of the evidence at the time the ruling was reserved. Under these circumstances, our appellate review is [also] limited to the evidence presented in the Government's case-in-chief. See United States v. Brown, 459 F.3d 509, 523 (2006) (citation omitted). The Government's argument that our review is not so limited runs contrary to the plain language of Rule 29(b) and our application of the rule in Brown. . See United States v. Mahmood, 820 F.3d 177, 187 (5th Cir. 2016). . United States v. Chapman, 851 F.3d 363, 376 (5th Cir. 2017) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). . Mahmood, 820 F.3d at 187 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). . Id. (citation omitted). . Chapman, 851 F.3d at 376 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). . 18 U.S.C. 1028A(a)(1). . Id. 2(a). . Id. 1028A(b)(2). . See FloresFigueroa v. United States, 556 U.S. 646, 647, 129 S.Ct. 1886, 173 L.Ed.2d 853 (2009). . Mahmood, 820 F.3d at 187 (citations omitted). . 18 U.S.C. 1028(d)(7) (emphasis added). . Id. 1028(d)(7)(A). . FloresFigueroa, 556 U.S. at 657, 129 S.Ct. 1886. . Rosemond v. United States, U.S. , 134 S.Ct. 1240, 1245, 188 L.Ed.2d 248 (2014) (citations omitted). . The withdrawals were described as purchases from WalMart which is consistent with Watts' testimony that they used the MoneyGram inside WalMart stores to wire money, as instructed by Doc, from the bank drops. . The definition of the term means of identification for purposes of the aggravated identity theft statute includes any name that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific individual. 18 U.S.C. 1028(d)(7) (emphasis added). . United States v. Churchwell, 807 F.3d 107, 117 (5th Cir. 2015) (citation omitted). . See id. (Deliberate ignorance requires that a defendant (1) be subjectively aware of a high probability of the existence of illegal conduct; and (2) purposely contrive to avoid learning of the illegal conduct.) (citation omitted). . Chapman, 851 F.3d at 376 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). . Mahmood, 820 F.3d at 187 (citation omitted). . U.S. , 134 S.Ct. 1240, 188 L.Ed.2d 248 (2014). . Id. at 1245 (citation omitted). . Id. at 1245, 1248 (citation omitted). . Id. at 1248 (citations omitted). . Id. at 124950 (footnote omitted). W. EUGENE DAVIS, Circuit Judge: This Blog is a digital journal for two cute pooches, Casey (A White Color Shih Tzu Dog Mix) & Peanut (A Brown Dachshund Dog Mix) who are both two complete opposites who have nothing in common except this blog and same owners. Bad Daddys Burger Bar the Denver-based brand broke ground on its first Tennessee location in Chattanooga in anticipation of an early April grand opening. When the 3,936-square-foot restaurant opens at 1926 Gunbarrel Road, it will be the 28th Bad Daddys system-wide, with other locations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Georgia and Colorado. Im thrilled that we have commenced construction on our awesome new restaurant and cant wait to introduce the people of Chattanooga and all across South East Tennessee to our award-winning, chef-driven burgers, said District Manager Nick Leach. Weve found the perfect location in Chattanooga and we will soon begin hiring a team of 80-90 talented and fun individuals to join our team and help us share our unique culinary passion with the community. Bad Daddys Burger Bar is committed to sourcing local and fresh ingredients whenever possible, supporting nearby businesses with interests in the local culinary marketplace. The Denver-based restaurant offers signature gourmet burgers, such as the Bacon Cheeseburger on Steroids and the Bad Ass Burger. The menu also features giant chopped salads, specialty sides, appetizers and handspun milkshakes. The restaurant offers a full gluten-friendly menu and regional chef specials that incorporate local flavors and ingredients, along with a full bar offering an array of craft microbrew beers from regional breweries. Credit: Gregory HarrisBrothers Osborne are the faces of Frye's new Hometown Pride campaign. The American footwear company celebrates its 155th anniversary this year and aims to highlight local talent through the new campaign, which will include candid images of the country duo. Frye is a company deeply rooted in our country's history. Not to mention the undeniable style and quality, Brothers Osborne say in a statement. The new partnership will include special sweepstakes where fans can win a trip to New York City to meet the band and attend their Mountain High tour with Dierks Bentley. There will also be in-store events, including a first listen of the band's forthcoming new album, Port Saint Joe. Vinyl copies of the album will be sold at a selection of Frye stores beginning on April 20, the day the project arrives. John and TJ Osborne co-wrote every track on Port Saint Joe, and the title is a nod to the small town on the Florida coast where the siblings recorded the project. The Chattanooga Womens Auxiliary will be hosting a benefit concert this Friday, at 7 p.m. at Bayside Baptist Church, 6100 Highway 58, Harrison, Tn. Renowned gospel group, Selah, will be in concert kicking off The Salvation Armys 125th year of serving the Greater Chattanooga area. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at csarmy.org. All are welcomed and encouraged to join in this birthday celebration concert. As noted, The Chattanooga Salvation Army has been serving our community for 125 years! According to an 1893 story in the Chattanooga Times, Salvation Army District Officer J.C. Smith arrived in town on the 16th, and the next day he greeted Chattanoogans with these timely words, "We (come) with peace, charity and goodwill toward everyone, and we trust we shall succeed in doing good." Adjutant Smith's words still ring true today in Chattanooga and around the world where The Salvation Army serves in 128 countries. Our promise to our community is "Doing the Most Good for people in need with donors' contributions of money, time and resources." Without discrimination or cost, The Salvation Army continues to offer social services to provide emergency assistance, spiritual outreach with character-building church programs for all ages, and holiday assistance, like Angel Tree, that bring the joy of Christmas to thousands of individuals and families. For more information, contact Kimberly George at 423-756-1023. Feb. 20 Red Bank Chamber Council Meeting Noon to 1 p.m. Red Bank Community Center: Tom Weathers Dr. $10 Feb. 21 Southside Chamber Council Community Coffee 8 to 9 a.m. The Barn Nursery: 1801 E. 24th St. Feb. 21 Reality Check at Lookout Valley High School 8:30 to 10 a.m. Lookout Valley High School: 350 Lookout High St. Reality Check teaches ninth graders budgeting and the connection between education and income by allowing students to role-play as heads of household on a set budget. To volunteer for this Chattanooga Chamber career readiness program, please contact Cathy Humble at 423.763.4321 or chumble@chattanoogachamber.com. Feb. 21 CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATING & BIDDING: Detailed Assembly Estimating & Bidding for Trade Contractors 8:30 a.m. to Noon INCubator at the Business Development: 100 Cherokee Blvd. Improve your confidence and ability to estimate jobs. Get excited about bidding residential and light commercial projects. Learn how to read and understand construction plans, material take-offs, and how to estimate labor, equipment, material and job costs (framing, drywall, painting, roofing, masonry, labor calculations, and bid markup/overhead calculations). Breakfast included, free and open to all small business owners. Register by contacting mnoel@chattanoogachamber.com or 423.763.4338. Feb. 21 Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber Council Meeting 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. Collegedale City Hall: 4910 Swinyar Dr. Free. Feb. 21 Ribbon Cutting for Synovus 10:45 a.m. Synovus: 5975 Elementary Way, Ste. 119 Feb. 21 Pick the Brain of a Commercial Insurance Agent (Complimentary) 11 a.m. to Noon INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. This Q & A group session will potentially cover insurance coverage required by law, top three policies every business should have, and how proper risk management can reduce insurance cost and protect your company. Speaker: Keith Rocha, The American Insurance Group Register for this free session at clients.tsbdc.org. Feb. 21 Hixson Chamber Council Meeting 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. North River Civic Center: 1009 Executive Dr. Speaker: Christy Gillenwater, CEO, Chattanooga Chamber $10 Feb. 22 Enterprise Gateway Chamber Council Meeting 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. Hospice of Chattanooga: 4411 Oakwood Dr. $10 Feb. 22 Small Business Orientation, Complimentary Morning Seminar 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. This seminar addresses key topics of interest for individuals considering starting a business. Get to know our TSBDC staff as we cover topics such as business entity options and tax registration, the importance of business planning, financing options, and the extensive network of resources through the TSBDC. Participants receive a startup packet. Speaker: TSBDC Staff Register for this free session at clients.tsbdc.org. Feb. 22 Ribbon Cutting for Morrison Heart Center 12:30 p.m. Morrison Heart Center: 6031 Shallowford Rd., Ste. 117 Feb. 21 Facebook Marketing Strategies 3:30 to 5 p.m. INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. You have a Facebook page for your business, now what? Discover Facebook best practices including content strategy tips, increasing website traffic, understanding analytics, and an overview of Facebooks Business Manager, Ad Manager and Power Editor tools. Speaker: Lisa Brown, owner of 3E Social Register for this free session at clients.tsbdc.org. $25 Feb. 22 Southside Chamber Council Community Panel 5 to 7 p.m. Clifton Hills Elementary School: 1815 E. 32nd St. Join our Southside Council for a community panel focused on the Rossville and East Lake areas. Feb. 22 Business After Hours Sponsored by Craft Love 5 to 7 p.m. Craft Love: 748 Overbridge Ln. Business After Hours brings an average of 100 business people together for networking and refreshments. Business After Hours in February is sponsored by Craft Love. Feb. 22 Small Business Orientation, Complimentary Evening Seminar 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. INCubator: 100 Cherokee Blvd. This seminar addresses key topics of interest for individuals considering starting a business. Get to know our TSBDC staff, as we cover topics such as business entity options and tax registration, the importance of business planning, financing options, and the extensive network of resources through the TSBDC. Participants receive a startup packet. Speaker: TSBDC Staff Register for this free session at clients.tsbdc.org. Southern Adventist University presents a vocal recital featuring baritone Jared Hiscock, accompanied by pianist Peter Cooper, DMA, dean of Southerns School of Music. They will perform Franz Schuberts Winterreise on Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Ackerman Auditorium on the universitys campus. Mr. Hiscock, who holds a master of music degree, is an associate member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and is a doctoral candidate in vocal performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music. He has sung professionally with the vocal ensemble Resonance, the Nebraska Organization of Vocal Artists and the Opera Omaha chorus, and has performed in touring productions with Opera for the Young and UNL Opera. For more information, call the School of Music at 423-236-2880. Multiple fundraising events will be taking place in Chattanooga during the month of March. Representatives for six events came to the Chattanooga Beer Board meeting Thursday morning applying to get a special events license for those parties. All were given permits to allow them to serve beer. The Creative Discovery Museum has two events planned. On March 3, AmuseUm will take place at the 321 Chestnut St. museum from7-10 p.m. Denise Karnes told the board that about 500 people are expected, which is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the facility. Tickets will be purchased in advance. A second fundraiser for the Discovery Place, Drink & Discover, will be aimed at creating a relationship with people who do not yet have children, said Ms. Karnes. It will also be held at the museum. Tickets for this event will be sold in advance which assists the organizers in planning for the number and placement of security personnel. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank will be holding Hullabowloo on Saturday, March 17. It will take place from 6-10 p.m. at The Venue, 4119 Cummings Hwy. David McCorkle, CFO of the Food Bank, told the board that, in addition to this being a top fundraiser, it also provides a way to educate the community. It will be catered by Black Tie Affair and will be an over-21 event. The way that guests act will be monitored, said Mr. McCorkle, to determine if transportation home needs to be arranged. Trail Beneath the Trail, a fundraiser for the Lookout Mountain Conservancy, is one of two held each year to support the Intern program in conjunction with Howard High School. Select students are offered full time jobs during summer months and support throughout the year. This event will take place at Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. March 1, from 6-8 p.m. The interns will be at the party to interact with the sponsors and to talk about what they do. This will be the eighth year for Fork & Gavel, which benefits Normal Park Museum Magnet School. Tickets will be sold ahead and drink tickets will be given out when IDs are checked at the door. A cash bar will be available after the drink tickets have been used. The event will be catered by Black Tie Affair and there will be a live auction. The organizers have Uber, Lyft and numbers for taxis programmed into their phones in case security feels that someone should not be driving. Tacos & Trivia will take place on March 3 from 6-10 p.m. at the Chattanooga Public Library, 1001 Broad St., benefiting Autism Behavior Services. This organization offers services to families in Chattanooga Valley and North Georgia that are impacted by autism. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door. Wristbands will be issued after IDs are checked. Because it is a family function, there is the possibility there will be people under the age of 21 there. There will be a cash bar so alcohol will not be free flowing, said Toni Chow. CSCC will host the 14th annual Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss celebration on Saturday, March 3. The event will take place from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in Cleveland States Library, and is sponsored by the Early Childhood Education program and the CSCC Library. The celebration is organized by students in the language and literacy development class. This is our 14th year and we wanted to do something special," stated Suzanne Wood, CSCC associate professor and coordinator of Early Childhood Education. We are asking children and their families to bring in new or gently used books for our new Little Free Library that the Early Childhood Education program will be having a grand opening ceremony for in April. There will be barrels around campus and at the event to collect the donated books. "This years event will honor Seusss The Cat in the Hat book. This book is one of Seusss most famous read aloud tongue twisters, something Seuss was known to include in many of his books. "As with previous events, special guests will include Dr. Seusss most well-known characters, the Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two and the Grinch. Both children and adults are familiar with the uncontrollable and entertaining Cat from Dr. Seusss book, The Cat in the Hat. The Cat is accompanied by the twin mischief-makers, Thing One and Thing Two, and together they bounce from one catastrophic fun-making adventure to another. The Grinch, the title character from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, is a cynical cave-dweller who has a sudden change of heart when he realizes the real meaning of Christmas," organizers said. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss is free to children of all ages; however, all children must be accompanied by an adult. Each child will receive a goody bag and may participate in literacy-related activities assisted by students in Cleveland States language and literacy development class. According to Ms. Wood, the Kiwanis Club of Cleveland has given money to purchase books for the event, and members of the Kiwanis club will be there to give a free hard back Dr. Seuss book to every child that attends. A representative from Dolly Partons Imagination Library will also be on hand. The Imagination Library is a nonprofit organization that promotes early childhood literacy by giving free age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five around the country. Literacy-related activities will be set up both inside and outside the library, and the young participants will be entertained with readings of Dr. Seusss stories, including some readings in Spanish and German. Other activities will include face painting, hat making and music and movement. Refreshments and door prizes will also be a part of the celebration. The Early Childhood Education Program at Cleveland State began in 1999 out of an initiative from the Tennessee Board of Regents requiring that all community colleges in the state have an early childhood program. Students may receive a child development associate designation by completing a four-course option and related credentialing procedures, or may pursue an associate of applied science degree by completing the two-year, 60-credit-hour program. Cleveland State also has transfer agreements with many area colleges that allow students to transfer and complete their degree to teach pre-K through third grade. Those interested in more information about the Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss event or the Early Childhood Education Program should contact Suzanne Wood, program coordinator, at 472-7141, Ext. 282. Cleveland State celebrated the grand opening of its new food pantry, the Cougar Den, on Wednesday afternoon. The goal of the food pantry is to provide assistance to CSCC students in need. Relatives and friends will gather to celebrate the 100th birthday of Hazel Adams on Friday, Feb. 23, at OCharleys on Hixson Pike. Ms. Adams was born to Lillian Love Jones and Ivory Jones, Sr. in Kensington, Ga. on Feb. 23, 1918. She was the eldest of 10 children born to this union. Mrs. Adams was baptized at a young age and attended Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. She exhibits her devout religious faith as a current member of Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Ms. Adams married and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from 1940 until 1968. She moved to Chattanooga in 1968 where she continues to reside. As Ms. Adams approaches her eleventh decade, she is still an active and productive member of society, participating in various civic and community events, as her health permits. She attends the senior citizen program at Avondale Community Center. Ms. Adams provided outstanding dedication and service to the city of Chattanooga, working at the Orange Grove Center for 27 years, Siskin Hospital for two years, and as a foster grandparent for over 30 years, until her retirement at age 90. The Chattanooga Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America will dedicate a memorial at the Chattanooga National Cemetery on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. The Chattanooga Chapter of MOAA will join other veteran organizations who have placed a memorial along the Circle of Honor in the Chattanooga National Cemetery. President and CEO of MOAA, Lt Gen Dana Atkins, USAF (retired), will be the featured speaker. The master of ceremonies will be Channel 9s Josh Roe, a Marine veteran. The dedication will be at the northwest side of the Circle of Honor in the center of the cemetery. This is very near the grave of Desmond Doss, one of Chattanoogas Medal of Honor recipients. All veterans and patriots are invited and encouraged to attend. MOAA is the nation's largest and most influential association of military officers. It is an independent, nonprofit, politically nonpartisan organization. With more than 370,000 members from every branch of U.S. Armed Forces - including active duty, National Guard and Reserve, retired and former officers, and their families - it speaks for a strong national defense and representing the interests of military officers at every stage of their careers. The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors welcomed four new members at its first meeting of the year today at TVAs Chattanooga Office Complex. TVA President and CEO Bill Johnson welcomed new directors Kenneth Allen, A.D. Frazier, Skip Thompson and Jeff Smith, noting they were joining TVA at a time of considerable change within the utility industry. Even as change occurs and our industry evolves, TVAs historic mission of service endures, said Mr. Johnson. And in 2018, we continue to see improvement in how we deliver on our mission of low-cost, highly reliable energy, responsible environmental stewardship and promoting job growth and investment in the Valley. Preceding the meeting, board members and TVA leadership listened to members of the public who shared their opinions and concerns on these and other topics. And to ensure that stakeholders with diverse points-of-view continue to provide input on TVAs policies and direction, the Board voted during their meeting to re-authorize the Federal Advisory Committee Act charters of two long-standing advisory councils: the Regional Resource Stewardship Council and the Regional Energy Resource Council. Past recommendations from the FACA council members have influenced TVAs continued investment in a cleaner, more diverse generation and transmission system, which directly impacted financial performance in the first three months of FY18. Fuel and purchased power costs were down 14 percent, contributing to increased net income even when effective electric rates remain two percent below 2013 levels, and residential and overall rates are lower than those paid by 70 percent Americans served by the top 100 utilities. Our continued focus on effectively running our business and managing our debt according to our long-term financial plan is the best way we can ensure that our rates remain among the lowest in the country, said John Thomas, chief financial officer. Mr. Johnson noted that the average retail power rate in the Tennessee Valley has moved from 37 to 29 in the U.S. over the last five years, even while investing billions of dollars to modernize facilities and improve environmental quality. The average Valley homeowner pays 16.7 percent less per kilowatt-hour than the national average more than two full cents per kWh. Additional Q1 FY18 achievements highlighted to the board include: Reduced operating and maintenance expenses approximately eight percent from Q1 FY17. Supplied 54 percent of the Valleys energy needs from carbon-free sources. Completed installation of emissions controls at Gallatin and Shawnee Fossil Plants, and retired the Johnsonville Fossil Plant after 66 years of service. Partnered with state and local agencies to draw 20,600 new or retained jobs and $5 billion in capital investment not counting the recent 4,000 jobs, $1.6 billion Toyota-Mazda announcement at a TVA-certified megasite near Huntsville, Alabama. During the meeting, the board also acted to: Greg Goza, a veteran transmission and power supply engineer, was honored as the Tennessee Valley Authoritys Ike Zeringue Engineer of the Year during the TVA board of directors meeting Friday in Chattanooga. Mr. Goza, a 44-year TVA employee, serves as the primary interface between TVAs Transmission Planning Department and Economic Development staff, helping ensure these teams can attract jobs and investment into the Tennessee Valley. TVA is honored to recognize Greg Goza as the 2018 Ike Zeringue Engineer of the Year, said TVA President and CEO Bill Johnson. Each year, we have the pleasure of recognizing an individual who exemplifies excellence in the engineering field and a steadfast commitment to TVAs mission of service. Greg has made significant contributions to lift up our communities by bringing new jobs into the region, which supports TVAs mission of improving life in the Valley. Over the past three years, Mr. Goza has diligently coordinated 77 industrial inquiries involving more than 370 site requests. His work has helped land five large companies, representing 2,400 jobs and $1.48 billion in investments, in addition to two proposed Google data centers with an additional $1.2 billion investment. Greg has distinguished himself as a leader who tirelessly helps create job opportunities for our friends and neighbors, said Bob Dalrymple, TVA senior vice president, Transmission & Power Supply. He has committed his professional endeavors to help make the Valley a great place to live, work and raise your family. The award is TVAs highest honor for an engineer and named for O.J. Ike Zeringue, a former TVA president and chief operating officer, and chief nuclear officer. Mr. Goza is also a finalist for the Federal Engineer of the Year Award, which will be presented Feb. 23 in Washington, D.C. A graduate of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with a bachelors of science degree in engineering, electrical concentration and a masters of science in engineering, Mr. Goza is a senior program manager for TVAs Industrial Development, Transmission Planning and Asset Management group within the Transmission & Power Supply organization and is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee. Tennessees 2018-19 hunting and fishing licenses are now on sale as of Sunday, Feb. 18. Licenses are available at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regional offices, license agents, or on the TWRA website, www.gooutdoorstennessee.com , and at the TWRA On the Go App. The 2018-19 licenses are valid through February 2019. License sales provide the primary funding for the TWRA. The 2017-18 licenses expire Feb. 28. Resident licenses may be purchased by persons who possess a valid Tennessee drivers license; persons who have lived in Tennessee for 90 consecutive days with the intent of making Tennessee their permanent home (but do not hold a drivers license in another state); military personnel on active duty in this state and their immediate families, who reside with them, regardless of resident status; students who are enrolled in a Tennessee school, college, or university for at least six months. A Social Security number is required to purchase a Tennessee hunting or fishing license. Through the internet, charges are $4.25 for licenses mailed and $3 for self-print or emailed. In case of a lost license, duplicate licenses can be obtained from any TWRA license agent for an $8 fee. Also, valid duplicate licenses can be printed online at no cost by selecting the reprint my licenses button on the customer information screen. Resident and non-resident guide licenses will only be available by application as of Feb. 18. Replacements will only be available by application as well. For the second license year, customers have the option to purchase a hard-copy collectors card for any annual license. The size of a credit card, the license features recreated paintings by famed Tennessee artist Ralph McDonald. Customers may choose between his renditions of a buck or largemouth bass. Specific license information is on the back of the card. Bass Pro Shops is celebrating the return of fishing season and inviting customers to trade in used gear to be donated to local charities in exchange for big savings. The 2018 Spring Fishing Classic is a free celebration taking place Feb. 16 March 4 at Bass Pro Shops in Chattanooga. Customers who donate used rods and reels (in working order) can receive trade-in savings of up to $200. The used fishing equipment will be donated to local nonprofit organizations. Bass Pro Shops has donated nearly 290,000 products to youth-focused nonprofit organizations as part of the companys mission to inspire everyone to enjoy, love and conserve the great outdoors. The Classic also includes free fishing seminars for all skill levels, activities for women and children and free giveaways. Visitors will also see a variety of special offers to upgrade their gear before they hit the water. The annual Spring Fishing Classica free event that reaches more than seven million people each yearprovides great opportunities for families to get ready for fishing season and creating lifelong memories together on the water, said Bass Pro Shops communications manager Katie Mitchell. We encourage all anglers to participate in our rod and reel trade-in program which has collected and donated about 290,000 products to local organizations that teach young people to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors. Free Seminars and Family Events The 2018 Spring Fishing Classic again offers opportunities to learn from the pros during Bassmaster University fishing seminars hosted by some of the greatest anglers in the sport. Womens Fishing Workshops are also available with introductory fishing information and helpful tips on Saturday, March 3 at 1:30 p.m. The first 25 seminar attendees of each advertised local pro seminar and the Womens Fishing Workshop will receive a Bass Pro Shops protective dry box. Next Generation Weekend offers free activities focused on teaching kids the basics of fishing. Kids activities are available from noon to 5 p.m. on March 3 and 4 Free activities include casting challenges, a fishing workshop, fun craft, and a photo download. Special Offers A number of special offers are available during the Spring Fishing Classic: Customers using a Bass Pro Shops credit card to purchase new gear throughout the Spring Fishing Classic can receive up to $100 via instant rebate. Attendees can also enter for a chance to win a fishing trip with Garmin professional angler Jason Christie. The winner will receive a one-day fishing trip, a Garmin echoMAP Plus Fishfinder, a $500 Bass Pro Shops gift card, travel and accommodationsa total retail value of $4,999. Register at the stores or online at www.basspro.com/classicsweeps. Enter for a chance to receive a Bass Pro Shops gift card valued up to $2,400 with the purchase of select boat models from Tracker Marine. For trade-in program details, event times and information on qualifying offers, visit www.basspro.com/classic. A research project at UTC has been named one of the 50 best in the country. The Underground Infrastructure Sensing project, headed by UTCs Dr. Dalei Wu in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was chosen by Smart Cities Connect Media and Research for the award. The project is a collaboration with Dr. Dryer Huston at the University of Vermont. We are thrilled to know that our project was recognized by this award, Dr. Wu says. Success with this research will enable cities to manage, maintain and grow their underground infrastructure in manners that improve service, sustainability and resilience, while reducing costs, energy consumption and wasted resources. CARTA, Chattanoogas mass transit system, also is a Smart Cities award winner for a separate project that involved solar-assisted charging for electric vehicles. In the UTC/UV project, equipment such as radar and magnetic sensors search underground to document the location and condition of water and sewer pipes, electrical conduits, fiber optic lines and other infrastructure. The data is fed into high-speed computers at the SimCenter and turned it into spreadsheets, graphics and other easy-to-use documents. Documentation for underground infrastructure can be out of date or inaccurate, depending on the city, so data gathered by the sensing project can be used by city engineers, planners and maintenance supervisors, as well as construction companies, to locate pipes, conduits and other utilities before digging begins, reducing the danger of damaging critical equipment. The CARTA project was done in collaboration with Green Commuter Chattanooga, which supplies electric vehicles to rent. The project utilized the creation of about 20 electric-vehicle charging pods across the city that use solar power as part of their energy-storing technology. A fleet of 20 all-electric cars also were provided as a public car-share system. The project was integrated with CARTA, the citys Electric Shuttle, bicycle lanes and public parking and, in the end, logged more than 55,000 vehicle miles using clean energy and reducing emission reductions. David Wade, president and CEO of EPB, which owns the fiber-optic network critical to both projects, says UTCs research capabilities and is one of several efforts in which UTC professors are leading research efforts that engage local officials and our communitys outstanding infrastructure assets in pioneering new Smart City technologies. Cooperation among UTC, EPB and other organizations in Chattanooga is setting the stage for even more growth in the citys technology sector, says Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Working together we can continue to position our community as a test-bed for next generation technologies, she says. Voice of the People I find it hard to believe that the majority of Town employees will put their self-interest over the GREATER GOOD which is, the viability of the Town of Chesterton by not getting vaccinated. Our town tried to save money by self-insuring itself. We could be... Guest Commentary Local coalition aspires to achieve smokefree air for all More than 1 in 5 Indiana adults smoke cigarettes (21.5%), one of the highest rates in the nation, while the number of youths using vaping products remains a concern for anti-smoking advocates. Secondhand smoke is estimated... Voice of the People Well so much for the Tribune allowing only letters focusing on local issues. Tuesdays letter giving Biden a pass on his totally irrational screw-up of the Afghanistan withdrawal, ends if under the circumstances if they could do better. The answer is absolutely. The... Voice of the People Recently four members of Porter County Board of Zoning Appeals approved to give an Iowa company special exceptions and variances to build a THIRD gas station at U.S. 6 and Indiana 149, on the northwest corner adjacent to Liberty Township. In this growing age of... Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday extended congratulations to Cyril Ramaphosa on the latter's election as South African president. Chinese President Xi Jinping [File photo: Xinhua] In his congratulatory message, Xi called Ramaphosa an old friend of the Chinese people who has made important contributions to the development of bilateral relations. "I attach great importance to developing the China-South Africa relationship," Xi said, adding that he stands ready to work with Ramaphosa to lift their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to higher levels. The Chinese leader also suggested that the two sides support each other in hosting later this year the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Johannesburg Summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which also groups Brazil, Russia and India. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-South Africa diplomatic relations. The two countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2010. Ramaphosa took office as the fifth president of South Africa on Thursday, replacing Jacob Zuma, who announced his immediate resignation late Wednesday. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn offered to resign on Thursday in what he says is an effort to advance reforms aimed at easing the country's political unrest. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn addresses the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, at U.N. headquarters. [Photo: AP/Craig Ruttle] Speaking on state television, Desalegn said he has submitted his letter of resignation as both prime minister and chairman of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition. The prime minister said he is stepping down "to be part of the solution and for the success of the reforms and the solutions we have put in place." The proposed reforms, which he did not specify, come at a time of unrest "where many lives have been lost, people have been displaced and property damaged, and there are efforts to harm investments," Hailemariam said. Both the EPRDF and his party, the Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement, have accepted his resignation, and he hoped parliament would accept it, Hailemariam added. Desalegn, 52, took over the position of prime minister soon after the death of late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in August 2012. As chairman of EPRDF, Desalegn won praises for his technocratic expertise, though he has struggled to rise politically above the shadow of Meles, who ruled the east African country for 21 years. In recent months, internal political wrangling between four coalition partners of EPRDF, Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), South Ethiopia People's Democratic Movement and Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO) has cast fears over the stability of the nation of about 100 million people. Ethiopia has also been reeling from deadly protests since 2016, especially in the two most populous regional states of Amhara and Oromia, over alleged political and economic marginalization. It's not immediately clear who will replace Desalegn, but there is speculation that the OPDO, which rules Oromia, the most populous regional state, is angling to have its candidate take over the post. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Friday strongly condemned the massacre of innocent persons in northwest Birane village of Zamfara State. In a statement made available to Xinhua, the Nigerian leader sympathized with families of victims of the heinous and inhuman attacks on defenseless citizens which left many injured. He directed the country's minister of defense, Mansur Dan Ali to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and report back. The president also ordered security agencies to immediately mobilize and deploy their members to the vulnerable areas of the state, and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to face the full wrath of the law. Buhari assured the Zamfara State government, victims of the mayhem and residents in the state, that the federal government will continue do all it takes to support security agencies to secure lives and property, not only in the affected state but all parts of the country. He however restated his administration's determination to put an end to the spate of senseless spilling of innocent blood in parts of the country, and calls for restraint to allow the nation's security apparatus to stem the undesirable trend. Eye witnesses said 36 people were killed and others injured by gunmen in Birane Village on Wednesday. However, the police said 18 persons died in the attack, which appears to be a reprisal against the villagers for intercepting a suspected cattle rustler. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 14) Philippine Airlines (PAL) has asked the government for permission to impose a fuel surcharge on its tickets to offset the sharp increase in oil prices in recent years, its top official said. PAL President Jaime Bautista told reporters on Tuesday it filed a petition with the Civil Aeronautics Board in December to levy the surcharge, though he declined to state the amount. "The price of fuel has gone up compared with 2016, but fares have stayed the same, if not gotten even lower. Of course that would mean additional costs for PAL," Bautista said. Fuel is one of the largest operating expenses of an airline and prices have gone up steadily since January 2016. Back then, a barrel of Dubai crude cost about $26 (around 1,350). The price has more than doubled to $66 (around 3,400) a barrel today. In 2017 alone, Bautista estimated that PAL spent $200 million (around 10.4 billion) more on fuel than the year prior. "That's the reason why we wanted to ask government to allow us to collect a fuel surcharge," he said. Aviation authorities last allowed domestic and international carriers to collect a fuel surcharge in 2011 when oil prices breached the $100 (around 5,200) mark per barrel. The surcharge was suspended in 2015 when fuel prices started dropping. According to Bautista, the CAB has already held several hearings on PAL's current petition, but there are no deadlines for the decision to come out. "We are hoping it will be within the year," he said. The PAL chief also assured travellers the surcharge would not create a significant increase in airfare. "The surcharge is not really by much since we cannot price ourselves out of the market where fares are still low," Bautista said. "But a small fuel surcharge will help us financially." Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) Five years. Thats how long Jerry a 42-year-old farmer, has had Chad, a 37-year-old teacher, as his Valentine. They will be each others Romeo again this year, but the thing is, Jerry can spend the so-called day for lovers with another man, and so can Chad. Or they can spend the night of Feb. 14 with another man, as long as they do it together and as long as, Jerry stressed, they practice safe sex. Pat, an artist, does not even care what her partner, an expatriate, will be doing on Valentines day, or whom hes going to celebrate it with. The same applies on any other day, really he can see whomever he wants, as long as she can too. The 31-year-old Filipina has been, in fact, dating someone else for months now. But Pat maintains its not a cause of tension between them. Theres no drama to be had there. Because theyre both informal relationships. I dont entertain the other one when Im with the other one, she says. The liberty to date other people but with the application of rules in certain areas, especially when it comes to intimacy, are some of the options that constitute open relationships. There are variations to this setup, but the core element remains to be that having sexual and romantic ties with other people outside of the relationship is done only when theres consensual agreement between the couple in the main relationship. Elisabeth Sheff, an academic expert on polyamory and author of When Someone You Love is Polyamorous: Understanding Poly People and Relationships, said that in open relationships, secondary relationships with any number of people take the backseat and regardless of the specific parameters, the primary couple always remains a priority. Its not the conventional kind of commitment that Filipinos may admit to practicing, given the conservative culture in the country and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on Filipinos. But its happening. And as Jerry and Pats experiences show, it can actually work. Open relationships help build trust Couples married or unmarried can try engaging in an open relationship, but this differs from polygamy in the sense that its not about having multiple marriages, nor is it wholly similar to polyamory, where, as Sheff explained, one can have multiple relationships simultaneously with the consent of all those involved. One thing that an open relationship is definitely not though is cheating. On the contrary, experts say open relationships can help strengthen trust among couples. Paradoxically, an open relationship sows trust between the couple. Since they openly date others, they are more inclined to agree (explicitly and implicitly) to engage in full disclosure, says Liezl Rillera-Astudillo, a former UP Baguio professor who has done research on psychosocial principles and relationships. In comparison, being in monogamous relationships which strictly prohibit relationships (both sexual and romantic) with others can suffer from a breakdown of trust once the people in it start having affairs. If the 2015 leaked data from Ashley Madison, a site which enables adultery, could be any indicator, it shows that Filipino men can have the propensity to break their vows of monogamy. The number is no joke, as men from various parts of the Philippines make up 70 to 95 percent of the users in the said site. Latest data from the Philippine Commission on Women also revealed that 36 percent of married men have extramarital affairs, while two percent of married women also cheat. If cheating happens in marriages, so does it also affect exclusive relationships may this be among heterosexual or same-sex couples. Jade, a 25-year-old customer service manager in Dubai, went for an open relationship in 2014, after her partner from a previous relationship cheated on her. She set so many restrictions for me, but in the end, shes the one who ended up cheating. Hence, in her succeeding relationship, she made sure that it was an open one: they could go see other people and do what that they wanted. Jade would willingly listen to her partner talk about the dates that she had with other girls. She never felt bad, nor entertained thoughts that her partner did not really love her during those times. Aside from preventing cheating, one thing that open relationships can do is also kill the boredom that could beset long-term relationships. Several studies have proven that one of the major reasons for the breakups and even the dissolution of marriages is boredom, Astudillo says. So, perhaps, the dating experience with others makes someone in a romantic relationship explore and engage in different activities, and in the process would want to eventually go back to his or her official partner to address needs for stability (as relationship dialectics explain, there will always be opposing forces in a relationship. Too much of something can turn out to be bad enough). Therefore, dating around can serve as a homeostatic factor. Comes at a cost Open relationships do have a downside, though. Prof. Jokin de Irala, a professor from the University de Navarra and a researcher on sexuality, said that dating people aside from ones partner carries the risk of contracting sexually-transmitted diseases and having unintended pregnancies. He added that competition between the partners in the primary and secondary relationships could heighten insecurity, instead of providing stability. Those who argue against open relationships mention reasons such as the presence of guilt, jealousy, and other kind of competition, such as a competition between both partners to have other partners, pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases that can never be totally prevented albeit condom use, problems with the management of time, and the possibility that your partner may leave you, or in other words, a greater sense of insecurity with a relationship that one might specially cherish, he says in an email interview. Not about labels De Irala, however, emphasized that the strength of relationships may they be open or not ultimately depends on how people define love. But again, the bottom line is, what is your concept of love really like? he raises. Its also about the people in the relationship per se, not the labels or the arrangement. If youre in an open or exclusive relationship, if your partner is an asshole, the exclusivity doesnt matter, Pat says. Its the person who defines the relationship. Not society or trends, but the two of you who decide how to go about the relationship. *Names of the interviewees have been changed to protect their privacy This story has been updated to include a statement from Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy was not detained, charged, or deported, his spokesperson said on Friday. Israelito Torreon confirmed Quiboloy arrived in the country 6:35 p.m. Thursday. The self-proclaimed 'Appointed Son of God' was held at the airport in Honolulu, Hawaii on Tuesday after customs authorities uncovered $350,000 (P18 million) and gun parts in his private jet bound for Manila. "There is no way that it can be legally probable for him to arrive right away if he was charged, detained, or if a deportation proceeding was made against him," Torreon told CNN Philippines. "The fact is [Quiboloy] is already in the Philippines, and that speaks volumes of his innocence of any insinuation that he committed a crime or that he was charged in the U.S," he added. He also denied personal knowledge of the money or gun parts seized from Quiboloy's private plane, adding the issue is "being handled by American counterparts." According to a report from Hawaii News Now, a certain Felina Salinas was arrested and charged with attempted bulk cash smuggling. Salinas was one of six people on the Cessna Citation Sovereign, along with Quiboloy. Salinas said the cash was hers, although she initially declared only $40,000. She posted bail for $25,000 and is scheduled for a court appearance on February 27. Quiboloy reportedly returned on a commercial flight after federal authorities moved to seize the $15-million private jet. Torreon said the religious leader was not aware about the hidden cash. "His response was he had no knowledge about it. He was even surprised. The U.S. authorities believed him," he said. Quiboloy is founder and leader of a Davao-based group, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which claims to have six million followers worldwide. Torreon said he would like to assure Quiboloy's followers that the pastor was all right and his schedule will proceed as planned. "He will be in Ynares Stadium in Antipolo (Rizal) on Sunday. Thereafter, he will be in a prayer rally in Baguio, in Cebu City, and other parts of the country," said Torreon. 'Nothing to do with Duterte' While Torreon confirmed Salinas was a member of the church, he said the rest of the details are "immaterial and irrelevant because that happened under U.S. jurisdiction." "I do hope you understand that [Quiboloy] is not a public officer... There is no sense linking him with the presidency," said Torreon. "This issue is not connected with the good President... Therefore there is no sense going into the details, as to the money and the gun parts." The pastor is known to be close friends with President Rodrigo Duterte, having campaigned for him in the 2016 elections. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the two did not talk after the reported detention of Quiboloy. When asked about Duterte's reaction, Roque said, "Wala naman po, kasi ang alam naman niya eh talagang kayang alagaan ang sarili niya ni Pastor Quiboloy." [Translation: There was none, because he knows Pastor Quiboloy can take care of himself.] He added Filipinos around the world who run into problems are given assistance and protection from consular officials. CNN Philippines senior correspondent and anchor Ruth Cabal contributed to this report. CNN Philippines senior correspondent and anchor Ruth Cabal contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) The government's new tax reform law has resulted in the impending massive layoff at the softdrink giant Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines Inc., local unions said Friday. At a press conference, they revealed the company will be laying off 606 employees on March 2. Coca-Cola supposedly told workers it was due to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which increased tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Alfredo Maranon, President of the Federation and Cooperation of Cola, Beverage and Allied Industry Unions, condemned the move. "Ang gusto po ng kumpanya namin ay magbabawas ng tao. Yung trabaho ng mga tao na ito na binawas ay simpleng ililipat po sa mga third party providers... sa madaling sabi ay outsourcing," said Maranon. [Translation: Our company wants to cut on the number of people. Their jobs will be transferred to third party providers. It's outsourcing.] The company on February 7 announced there would be a layoff due to an "organizational structure assessment," but it did not state how many would be affected. "The restructuring has been a very difficult decision. It was carried out only after an exhaustive and conscientious assessment of the evolving regulatory environment, our operational efficiency, and consequent performance in the market," it said in a statement. Related: Coca-Cola PH laying off workers due to restructuring Maranon questioned whether the company was really reeling from the impact of the TRAIN law, as it supposedly claimed. "Kung ano 'yung dinadagdag na tax ay 'yun din prinice increase ng Coca-Cola," said Maranon. "Ibig sabihin ipinasa lang po sa mga consumer." [Whatever they added in tax, that was also the price increase by Coca-Cola. It means they just passed it on to the consumer.] The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) also condemned alleged union busting and collective bargaining agreement (CBA) violations. Workers alleged some of those affected by the layoff are officers of unions meant to do the negotiations. They also said CBA violations occurred when employees were not properly notified or consulted about the situation. During a meeting with management in October, employees were supposedly not informed that the restructuring could result in a massive layoff. Ronald Dela Cruz, Vice President of the TUCP, said Coca-Cola has the option to cut cost and compete in the market by using locally sourced sweetener, which is cheaper compared to the high fructose corn syrup. "Coca-Cola can compete if they will use domestic sugar," said Dela Cruz. In a statement Friday, the beverage company said it respects the voice of the union workers. "We have the utmost respect for our employees, and we have strived for fairness in executing every facet of our reorganization," Coca-Cola said. "Rest assured that (we) strictly adhered to all legally mandated processes in restructuring the company." CNN Philippines correspondent Cecille Lardizabal contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) Joanna Demafelis, a 29-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW), returns to the Philippines on Friday morning. Her family said when they last talked in 2016, Joanna had made plans to come home this year her first time back since she left to work in Kuwait four years ago. But instead of welcoming her at the airport, Joanna's family awaits her lifeless body, which authorities say was beaten so severely that it broke her bones and caused internal bleeding. READ: OFW found dead in freezer in Kuwait suffered grave physical abuse - PH envoy Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III identified the body found inside a freezer in an apartment in Kuwait as that of Joanna, where it may have been kept for over a year. Authorities said it bore torture marks and showed signs she was strangled to death. READ: Body of Filipina found in freezer in Kuwait The incident caused outrage in the Philippines, prompting the government to bring home distressed OFWs from Kuwait and to impose a deployment ban to the Gulf state. READ: DOLE orders total ban on deployment of OFWs to Kuwait OFWs last pegged at 2.2 million according to the Philippine Statistics Authority are considered "modern-day heroes" because they send back money to help not only their families, but also the national economy. In 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recorded $28 billion (around 1.46 trillion) in cash remittances from OFWs. These remittances constituted more than 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product, according to the BSP's 2016 report. As such, OFWs involved in high-profile incidents always make big news. Here are five other cases that made the headlines: Forced to confess Flor Contemplacion, a 42-year-old maid working in Singapore, was sentenced to death for killing fellow OFW Delia Maga and Nicholas Huang, the 4-year old son of Maga's employer, in 1991. Although Flor had originally admitted to committing the murders, she later retracted, saying that she confessed under duress. Despite this and negotiations between Singapore and the Philippines, Flor was hanged on March 17, 1995. The execution triggered national outrage against Singapore and caused a breakdown in relations between the two countries. In the Philippines, the fallout from Flor's execution led to the resignations of Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Romulo and Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor. 100 lashes instead of bullets A teenage Sarah Balabagan who faked her age so that she could work abroad faced being executed by a firing squad in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after an Islamic court found her guilty of murder in 1995. The year before, the then-14 year old stabbed her employer to death 34 times, alleging that he had tried to rape her and that she had been the subject of his unwanted sexual advances. With the help of then-Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Roy Seneres, who died in February 2016, her sentence was later reduced to one-year imprisonment, 100 lashes of a cane and the payment of $40,000 (around 2 million in today's exchange rate) in blood money. READ: Roy Seneres dies of cardiac arrest Sarah returned to the Philippines in 1996 to a hero's welcome. She later migrated to Las Vegas in the USA. Never returned home Unlike Sarah, Joselito Zapanta never got to return to his family in the Philippines. Four days after Christmas Day in 2015, he was executed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 35-year-old construction worker was sentenced to death in April 2010 for killing Sudanese national Imam Ibrahim in 2009. Despite Joselito's family raising at least 20 million in blood money by December 2015, Ibrahim's family refused to execute an Affidavit of Forgiveness that would have removed the father of two from death row. Then-Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Charles Jose told CNN Philippines in December 2015 that the body of Joselito, a Muslim convert, would not be repatriated to the Philippines. READ: OFW Joselito Zapanta executed in Saudi Arabia "Well, unfortunately the body will not be repatriated back to the Philippines, because according to practice and law in Saudi Arabia, those who have been executed, will not be allowed to be repatriated," he said. It is also customary to immediately bury the bodies of deceased Muslims. A miraculous reprieve On April 29, 2015, Mary Jane Veloso was set to be executed by firing squad with eight other convicts in Indonesia, a country also known for its tough stance against illegal drugs. READ: Execution to push through even after Widodo, workers meet Mary Jane was apprehended in an Indonesian airport on April 29, 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. She claimed she was tricked into carrying the illegal drugs. She was sentenced to death in October that year. But shortly before the scheduled execution, the Indonesian government granted Mary Jane a reprieve after her alleged illegal recruiter, Maria Kristina Sergio, surrendered the day before. READ: Veloso's execution suspended In February 2017, the Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court allowed prosecutors to take Mary Jane's testimony from Yogyakarta prison where she remains detained in their human trafficking case against Sergio and Julius Lacanilao. However, the Court of Appeals in January 2018 overturned the RTC decision, saying that Sergio and Lacanilao have the right to face their accuser face-to-face. RELATED: Mary Jane Veloso to Duterte: Help me to testify in CA case vs. recruiters 5 years jail over execution Jennifer Dalquez, a single mother of two, likewise escaped death row after an appellate court in the UAE acquitted her for murder in June 2017. READ: OFW Jennifer Dalquez escapes death row, gets 5 years for theft Dalquez flew to the UAE in December 2011 to work as a domestic helper in Abu Dhabi. In May 2015, a lower court in the UAE sentenced her to death for stabbing her employer, a police officer, in the lungs. Dalquez said her employer tried to rape her and then attacked her with a knife. "Nitong huli, doon ko na po siya nasaksak... Hindi ko po sinasadya iyon... Alang-alang sa buhay ko na makalabas nang buhay sa bahay niya, dinepensahan ko lang po ang sarili ko," Dalquez said in an audio clip by OFW group Migrante. [Translation: That was when I stabbed him. It was an accident. I defended myself to escape alive.] Dalquez, however, is still serving a five-year prison sentence for stealing a cellphone. CNN Philippines Senior Researcher Ella Hermonio contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez threatened to cancel the franchise of airline company Cebu Pacific if it did not transfer some flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 to Clark International Airport in Pampanga province, north of Manila. Alvarez lashed out at the carrier for delaying the airport's decongestion. "Ang iniisip lang nila, profit. Paano naman 'yung welfare ng (sic) riding public? Hindi nila iniisip 'yun, ang iniintindi lang niya, profit. Ang kapal ng mukhaat the end of the year ipa-publish pa kung ilang bilyon ang kinita. At the expense of the public's safety, comfort and convenience," Alvarez told reporters in Dumaguete in Negros Oriental province, south of Manila. [Translation: All they think about is profit. How about the welfare of the riding public? They don't think about it, they're just concerned with profit. He's got some nerve, at the end of the year they'll publish their earnings. At the expense of the public's safety, comfort and convenience.] Congress has the authority to issue and revoke a franchise. The NAIA system hosted almost 109,000 international flights and almost 150,000 domestic flights in its four airports in 2017. NAIA Terminal 3 had the largest number of domestic flights at more than 42,000 arrivals and around 43,000 departures. During the hearing of the House Committee on Transportation on Tuesday, Alvarez pointed out that Philippines is the only country where "mixed use" airports or airports which can take both domestic and international flights are allowed. "Hindi pwede ngayon 'yan. Kung ano 'yung tama, 'yun ang gawin natin. So kung domestic 'yan, domestic 'yan. Ngayon kung kulang, so be it. Ilipat mo sa Clark 'yung ibang flights," Alvarez said. [Translation: That shouldn't be the case now. Let's do what's right. If it's a domestic airport, it's domestic. If there are less flights, so be it. Transfer the other flights to Clark.] On Wednesday, Alvarez said the Manila International Airport Authority should decongest NAIA within 45 days. But Cebu Pacific President Lance Gokongwei said the airline would encounter issues with tickets sold to customers a year in advance. "Respectfully sir, given the way we sell tickets one year in advance and also the time it requires to move all our people and (do) the ground preparations, I think these drastic steps may take over a year of planning," Gokongwei said. Alvarez said the given time period was more than enough. "Ang tagal na nila diyan, ilang taon na sila diyan. Forty-five days is more than enough. Alam mo, computer na lahat ngayon," he added. [Translation: They've been there for so long. 45 days is more than enough. Everything is computerized now.] Alvarez maintained the airline's problem is not the government's concern. "Ang problema ng gobyerno, pangalagaan 'yung safety, comfort and convenience of the riding public. Magkaiba tayo ng obligasyon sa taumbayan. Sila, ang obligasyon nila sa sarili nila ay profit, kita," he said. [Translation: Government's concern is to ensure the safety, comfort, and convenience of the riding public. We have different obligations to the public. Their obligations for themselves are profit.] In 2016, NAIA was the fifth worst airport in the world, according to the travel website www.sleepinginairports.com. The same website ranked the airport as the worst airport to have a layover in 2017. CNN Philippines' digital producer Chad de Guzman and Dumaguete-based journalist Roy Bustillo contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) Joanna Demafelis' family burst into tears and broke down upon seeing the wooden casket that contained the domestic worker's body in Manila on Friday. Her remains arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 past 10 a.m. from Kuwait. Joanna's sister, Jessica, had to be pulled away as she tightly hugged the casket. The body was found inside the freezer of her employer in Kuwait. The family's defeaning wails almost kept them from speaking out about the injustice done to their sister. When they gained composure, Joanna's brother, Joejet, said they want justice. Aside from her family, authorities, including Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, were on hand. Cayetano said the government is hoping the case of Demafelis will be the "rallying point" of cases of abused Filipino workers abroad. "Yung kanyang death its very tragic but will also be a rallying point for all agencies to be more aggressive abroad," he said. [Translation: Her death is very tragic, but it will also be a rallying point for all agencies to be more aggressive abroad.] Cayetano added President Rodrigo Duterte ordered authorities to do everything to protect OFWs. Demafelis was beaten several times before she died according to initial autopsy findings, Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa said Thursday. "Nabanggit ng forensic doctor na Kuwaiti na ang sanhi ng kanyang pagkamatay ay broken ribs, internal bleeding, at contusions at trauma sa kaniyang katawan, kabilang ang pelvis at kidneys," Villa said in a Viber video call from Kuwait with CNN Philippines. [Translation: The Kuwaiti forensic doctor said she died due to broken ribs, internal bleeding, contusions and trauma in her body, including her pelvis and kidneys.] Villa said the forensic doctor revealed the 29-year-old domestic worker was continuously maltreated. "Ang pambubugbog sa kanya ay hindi raw nangyari ng isang beses lamang. Continous daw ang pagmaltrato sa kanya, ayon sa kanilang findings," he said. [Translation: The beatings didn't only happen once. She was continuously maltreated, according to the findings.] Authorities said Demafelis' body may have been kept inside the freezer since November 2016, when her employers left Kuwait. Her body was found after a Kuwaiti court ordered authorities to open the apartment because the Lebanese employer, Nader Essam Assaf, was wanted for cases related to falsified checks. The Philippine envoy said Demafelis' employers reported to Kuwaiti Immigration in 2016 that she had left their apartment. 'Yun siguro ay kanilang ginawa para pagtakpan ang kanilang ginawang krimen," he said. [Translation: Maybe that's what they did to conceal their crime.] Her remains will be airlifted from Manila to Iloilo early Saturday morning, where the wake and burial will happen. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) The Philippines' relationship with Kuwait is "rocky" following the severe physical abuse done to a Filipino domestic worker that led to her death, the Foreign Affairs Secretary said on Friday. "We're going through a rocky period sa ating relationship but I think there's gonna be firm commitments and resolutions," Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said as he welcomed the remains of slain OFW Joanna Demafelis in Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday morning. Cayetano said he spoke with the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Philippines to discuss the case of slain OFW Joanna Demafelis and the welfare of Filipinos in Kuwait. "I spoke to the Kuwaiti Ambassador yesterday and they said gagawin nila ang lahat to bring the accused to justice. 'Yung kanyang death its very tragic but will also be a rallying point for all agencies to be more aggressive abroad in helping our OFWs to be protected," he said. Cayetano said the Kuwaiti government and Kuwaitis are "outraged" over the death of the 29-year-old domestic worker. The secretary refused to give updates on the case, particularly on the whereabouts of Demafelis' Lebanese and Syrian employers. But he said Kuwait vowed to do its best to resolve the case. "Totoo din naman ang sinasabi ng Kuwait na it's not the majority, it's somewhere around 3 to 5 percent ang may problema sa Kuwait. But remember, people are not statistics. Each and every life matters," he said. On the Philipppine government's part, an investigation is underway on the alleged failure of Filipino welfare officers in Kuwait to act on the complaint of the Demafelis family. Cayetano warned heads will roll. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has already ordered the removal of overseas worker welfare officer Maria Sarah Concepcion for her oversight in Demafelis' case. The government will extend all the help to Joanna's family, including cash assistance and even scholarship for her child. Cayetano said they are now working on a memorandum of understanding with the Kuwaiti government to protect the rights of OFWs. Speaking to CNN Philippines Friday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said a technical working group would be created and leave for Kuwait by the end of the month to meet with counterparts so the MOU could be drafted. Bello said, "Dito po magkakaroon ng dagdag sa provision that will ensure the protection and better treatment of our OFWs." [Translation: Additional provisions would be made to ensure the protection and better treatment of th OFWs.] The most challenging provisions, Bello said, would be to have either the OFWs or Philippine Labor attache hold on to workers' passports, and more reasonable working hours. He added, so far, Kuwait is showing positive response to the proposed agreement, which he said must be a firm commitment and not remain as an empty promise. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) The Philippines and China will aggressively pursue the joint exploration for oil and gas reserves in disputed waters of the South China Sea, the Foreign Affairs chief said. The government wants to finalize a legal framework for the joint exploration by the middle of the year, paving the way for critical projects like the Reed Bank soon after. "I can tell you we are pursuing it aggressively because we need it," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a press briefing on Friday. "To give you a more reasonable timeframe, [we will have a framework] in the next three months. The President wants it, the Chinese agreed to it, and it's beneficial to the country." Cayetano said both countries came to an agreement during their bilateral meeting on the South China Sea earlier this week. The Philippines and China will now separately work on their legal provisions of the exploration, before coming together to create a unified framework. Foreign Affairs, Energy and Defense officials will draft the framework for the Philippines, with Cayetano quick to assure it would "follow the Constitution and withstand scrutiny from the Supreme Court." There is historical precedent for the joint oil and gas exploration, Cayetano argued, pointing to the joint seismic study undertaken by Vietnam, China and the Philippines in the South China Sea in 2004. The legality of the deal, though, is still in question at the Supreme Court to this day. The territorial dispute between the Philippines and China has put on hold attempts at oil exploration, particularly in the Reed Bank. Manny Pangilinan's PXP Energy Corp. holds the rights to drill in that area, but the government issued a moratorium back in 2014 to make way for international arbitration. Cayetano said, "Once we have the legal framework [for the joint exploration], the Reed Bank project will move swiftly." "I did promise the Energy Secretary that we would speed things up. Of course, our energy security relies on this." The government is eyeing Reed Bank as a possible replacement for Malampaya, whose natural gas deposits are expected to run out by 2024. Malampaya, located off the shores of Palawan, accounts for 20% of the country's power supply. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) Authorities are not letting up on the call for better treatment of overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait. In a media briefing Friday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the government has put forward a list of demands for Kuwait to provide greater protection for all Filipino workers. For one, Kuwait needs to address complaints overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are being underpaid, transferred to other employers and even other countries. The government also wants Kuwait to extend its amnesty program for undocumented workers by another three months. The amnesty is set to expire by February 22. Cayetano said unless Kuwait can commit to reforms, President Rodrigo Duterte will not visit the Arab country for negotiations. Cayetano was also among the officials who was in attendance as the body of slain OFW Joanna Demafelis arrived in Manila today. RELATED: Cayetano: 'Rocky' relationship with Kuwait following OFW slay Speaking to media, he said the country wants 24-hour updates and full access to police findings on the slain domestic worker. Authorities will not leave any stone unturned in Demafelis' death. Cayetano said they are now working on a memorandum of understanding with the Kuwaiti government to protect the rights of OFWs. (CNN) Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned unexpectedly on Thursday, after years of upheaval in the troubled east African nation. It was not yet clear who would replace Hailemariam, who has been in power since 2012. He also quit as chairman of the ruling coalition Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The unexpected move comes against the backdrop of violent anti-government protests and a nationwide state of emergency that started in October 2016. "Unrest and political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many," Hailemariam said in a short televised address. I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy." Hundreds of people died during protests that centered in the country's Oromia and Amhara regions in 2015 and 2016. The demonstrations were sparked by a government-backed urban development plan for the capital Addis Ababa, which took over Oromo farmland. The Oromos, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, have been marginalized for decades. Hailemariam declared the state of emergency the first since the ruling party came into power 25 years prior to quell the escalating violence. "We want to put an end to the damage that is being carried out against infrastructure projects, health centers, administration and justice buildings," Hailemariam said at the time, according to local media reports. But, more than a year on, there are still bouts of unrest in the country. Young men brandishing sticks and rocks blocked roads and businesses remained shut in Addis Ababa and Oromia earlier this week during a three day-strike, Agence-France Presse reported. Hailemariam, 52, said he would stay on in a caretaker capacity until the EPRDF and the Parliament named a new prime minister, according to Reuters. CNN's Lindsay Isaac contributed to this report. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Ethiopian prime minister resigns after years of turmoil." Highfive's Funding Up to $77 Million Highfive has announced it has raised $32 million in Series C funding. This additional money brings the companys total funding to $77.4 million. This round of funding was led by Dimension Data, an $8 billion international technology integrator and managed services subsidiary of the NTT Group. Highfive said it plans to use the new funding to scale its marketing and sales reams while expanding business. Joe Manuele, Group Executive Vice President of Customer Experience and Collaboration at Dimension Data and member of Highfive's board said, Dimension Datas footprint of collaboration clients across the globe gives us a unique view of the evolution of the market. We recognize a huge opportunity to grow the video conferencing addressable market by leveraging innovative cloud based solutions. Highfives annual recurring revenue (ARR) has grown by over 100 percent, speeding up its product development. The companys continuous product updates have brought customer service standards to the ultimate high; over 140,000 meetings each month at approximately 16 million minutes. Companies helping to expand Highfive include Paperless Post, The Hustle, Bankrate and The Atlantic, who join existing customers like Warby Parker, Harry's, Expensify, and the Girl Scouts of Northern California. "People are tired of conferencing systems that require downloads, pin codes, or excess cables. Highfive is the only solution that eliminates those frustrations for people who just want to have a meeting, said Shan Sinha, Co-Founder and CEO of Highfive. Our growth reflects the continued need for video conferencing thats easy-to-use and deployable across every meeting room. With Dimension Datas 30 years of industry experience, we see the companys investment as validation for what weve built at Highfive, and our vision for how we can make companies work better together. Edited by Ken Briodagh Page Content The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, met yesterday with the French Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau. During the meeting President Lambertz set out the vision and purpose of the Committee's " Reflecting on Europe " initiative - an EU-wide consultation which includes numerous citizens' dialogues led by its members. President Lambertz welcomed the willingness of the French authorities to initiate their own public consultations on the future of Europe in an effort to strengthen the link between Europeans and the EU. President Lambertz explained that the CoR "Reflecting on Europe" initiative involved a large consultation process, primarily in the form of citizens' dialogues held at local level and led by the Committee's members in their home constituencies. This process, which also involves MEPs and the European Commission, aims to allow citizens to share their aspirations and concerns on the future Europe. It also responds to a request by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, who asked the Committee to formally share its recommendations on the future of Europe. Since the launch of the campaign in March 2016, the European Committee of the Regions has held over 140 citizens debates in most Member States, with 100 additional citizens dialogues planned before the 2019 European elections. The Committee's President welcomed the intention of France to also now launch participatory debates throughout Europe and then subsequently reinforce the link between Europeans and their Union. Following the recent publication by the European Commission on possible scenarios for the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), President Lambertz also stressed the need to support cohesion policy. In line with various statements made by the European Council and the European Commission on the positive impact cohesion policy has had on competitiveness and convergence on the continent, the Committee is calling for a cohesion policy that continues to be 34.2% of the MFF and the EU budget to be 1.3 % of Gross National Income, a position also advocated by the European Parliament. all European regions and therefore all French regions, including middle-income regions identified in the European Commission's In view of the upcoming informal European Council on 23 February, the President presented the #CohesionAlliance , launched by the Committee and six of the main European associations of regions and cities (AER, AEBR, CALRE, CEMR, CPMR and Eurocities) which, he added, included signatories from a majority of the French regions. He stressed the need to preserve the continent's main investment and solidarity policy. Cohesion policy, he emphasised, should apply toEuropean regions and therefore all French regions, including middle-income regions identified in the European Commission's Seventh Cohesion Report which were facing particular challenges. pressecdr@cor.europa.eu Treading lightly on Tanna We go on a new ecotourism adventure tour in North Tanna WinstonCouncil MemberJoined:Jan 31, 2018Messages:199Likes Received:22will not be investigating. Why should the FBI investigate themselves for doing nothing, the FBI let 17 innocent people in Florida die because they needed their doughnuts and coffee.Nikolas Cruz said that and I quote "I am going to be a professional ------ -------" and this was reported and as said no one at the FBI has the ability to investigate. Cruz used his real name spelled correctly, had just bought an AR-15 3 days after being expelled and this was reported to authorities by those who saw the words, the FBI knew and chose to let this happen by their neglect. Well Federal Bunch of Imbeciles, thanks for helping make America great again by letting children die and for letting Hillary commit espionage. We need more fine upstanding losers like you.Each family should get 1 billion dollars, from the FBI budget. The indictment alleges that the defendants and co-conspirators, through their personas, tried to encourage minority groups not to vote in the 2016 election or to vote for third party candidates. Click to expand... In addition, the defendants allegedly promoted allegations of "voter fraud" in the Democratic Party beginning in the summer of 2016, through their personas on social media and political advertisements. Click to expand... Rosenstein noted that there is no allegation in the indictment that Americans had any knowledge of the operation. Click to expand... "There is no allegation in the indictment on the outcome of the election," he also stressed. Click to expand... The individuals and entities are associated with the Russia-based Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm in St. Petersburg that was found last year to have purchased $100,000 in political advertisements on Facebook running up to the election. The social media platform told Congress that the ads, designed to exploit political and social divisions in the United States, potentially reached 126 million American users. Click to expand... Twitter has also uncovered some 3,800 fake accounts and 50,000 bots tied to the shadowy Russian operation. Click to expand... Right in the article posted in the OP! Don't you read?Any BLM activists...or as Robert Mueller calls them:"Black Identity Extremists! who were in any way connected to these groups alleged to have cast aspersions on the chosen Democratic candidate and urged third party voting, can be lumped in and prosecuted if Mueller decides he needs to cast his CONSPIRACY net wide enough, and collect Americans working with foreign agents!In today's upside down world, the so called "liberals" now are allied with the Deep State forces that have secret courts and create secret indictments....in a so called democracy!Is Rosenstein even aware that over a thousand disgruntled Berniecrats chipped in on a class action lawsuit in Florida last year? It was dismissed by the court/not because it didn't have grounding evidence, BUT because the judge declared that the Bernie fans mostly knew in advance that the primary process was rigged against them to begin with!Is Rosenstein also aware that...it wasn't just in the GOP south where voters were removed from the polls, but an estimated 200,000 were crossed off right in NYC! No doubt in the Brooklyn and Bronx districts that were polling high for Bernie. And fwiw, it wasn't even necessary to win...but because the DNC/Clinton Campaign demanded a clear victory in New York to try to end the Sanders campaign.....but, why not blame it all on Russian trolls in St, Petersburg and pretend the US system is a democracy? .......and there I go placing myself at risk as a possible foreign agent 'trying to weaken American values' etc.!All he's saying is:So, what is the purpose of Mueller's bullshit? And I mean besides being a distraction from America's undemocratic duopoly system, or scare up more interest in spending even more money on weapons of war. There is already evidence out there that the #Russiagate thing started right after Dismal Hillary's failure to win by her campaign staffers: https://fair.org/home/hypocrisy-of-russia-did-it-stories-is-hard-to-stomach/ Same recycled bullshit as last year! That pencil-neck- Zuckerberg wants us all to believe that a mere 100 thou worth of ads on his platform gets 126 million viewers that's more than a thousand viewers for every dollar spent....show the cyber evidence for this,cause it sure as hell is easy to see how Zuck profits from a rush of idiots buying Facebook ads. Any mention here about how half of those ads were purchased after the Election, and many featured the usual clickbait crap like the cat and dog photos to draw more clicks.I didn't keep track of them, but just because I started following a number of Bernie and Green Party twitter accounts two years ago, I ended up with a bunch of I'mwithher accounts also that sure seemed repetitive and vanished after the election was over....any connection to David Brock? Russians aren't the only social media manipulators out there...just sayin! And the rest is drivel, so I'm not going to bother with Mueller's warmed over pile of shit!BUT, before I forget, let's not forget that America interferes in more nations' elections, governments and business operations than any other nation on Earth. If there's a real left still in America, they should be aware of this! Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com Oh, and if you see me driving my red 2010 Mustang GT convertible, please wave. Hi, I am a retired newspaperman. I wrote 3 books on Trump and the media . I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 43 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. 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105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden. "The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer Generation A 13 your chance to be the change President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev "uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN Joint statement Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Covid-19: 163 new cases in Armenia Armenia: Remarks by Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi at the press point with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan The United States Welcomes Azerbaijans Release of Armenian Detainees and Armenias Actions to Facilitate Demining Google Ad The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia International aviation: Council greenlights signing of major agreements with four countries With UCOMs level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Netflix, Duolingo and Zoom Armenia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the early parliamentary elections Armenias Parliamentary Elections PRESS STATEMENT COVID19:77 new cases Armenias early parliamentary elections were competitive and well run, but polarized and marred by aggressive rhetoric, international observers say International election observers to Armenias early parliamentary elections held press conference Drop Charges Against Rights Defender Sashik Sultanyan The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia The European Union in Armenia calls all parties to contribute to a peaceful Election Day to celebrate democracy 22 ventilators to Armenia PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Armenia UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers Ucom employees received recognition for their services to the homeland Karen Vardanyan has allocated 105 million AMD to rescue the Yerevan Botanical Garden. "The Power of One Dram" to overcome childhood cancer Google Ad Generation A 13 your chance to be the change President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev "uDays" special offer at Ucom: discounts for all smartphones and accessories for 2 days only For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road Call on the international community for an adequate response against azerbaijani aggresssion Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan UCOMS LEVEL UP 1700 REGIONAL TARIFF PLAN USERS TO RECEIVE MORE THAN THOSE IN YEREVAN Joint statement Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Covid-19: 163 new cases in Armenia Armenia: Remarks by Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi at the press point with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan The United States Welcomes Azerbaijans Release of Armenian Detainees and Armenias Actions to Facilitate Demining Google Ad The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia International aviation: Council greenlights signing of major agreements with four countries With UCOMs level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Netflix, Duolingo and Zoom Armenia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the early parliamentary elections Armenias Parliamentary Elections PRESS STATEMENT COVID19:77 new cases Armenias early parliamentary elections were competitive and well run, but polarized and marred by aggressive rhetoric, international observers say International election observers to Armenias early parliamentary elections held press conference Drop Charges Against Rights Defender Sashik Sultanyan The Coronavirus-Related Situation in Armenia The European Union in Armenia calls all parties to contribute to a peaceful Election Day to celebrate democracy 22 ventilators to Armenia PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Armenia Armenia Parliament rejects Yelk's project (video) The National Assembly of Armenia on Friday rejected, with a vote of 38 against and 35 for, the bill which the opposition Yelk (Way Out) Faction has introduced, and with respect to making amendments and additions to the new Tax Code of the country. According to the grounds for this law proposal, due to the new Tax Code that entered into force on January 1, the increase in the tax rates on energy resources has resulted in a rise in the prices of these sources and essential goods in Armenia. This draft law was proposing to return to these energy resources excise tax rates prior to January 1, and to reduce employees income tax rates. According to the Republicans, the budget revenues would be reduced by approximately 32 billion drams. Addressing the Friday prayers in Hyderabad, southern India, President Rouhani said that not paying due attention to the Islamic teachings is considered the main reason behind Muslims' problems in some regions. (AhlulBayt News Agency) - Visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday stressed the significance of forging unity among Muslims to tackle enemies and the Zionist regime of Israel. Addressing the Friday prayers in Hyderabad, southern India, President Rouhani said that not paying due attention to the Islamic teachings is considered the main reason behind Muslims' problems in some regions. He also conveyed Iranian nation's greetings to Indian people, adding that attending the Friday prayers is vital for forging unity among Muslims. President Rouhani arrived in Hyderabad on Thursday to meet with the senior Indian officials and sign documents on Iran-India trade and commerce cooperation. The visit is taking place at the official invitation of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited Iran last year. President Rouhani is accompanied by the Iranian Ministers of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh, Road and Urban Development Mohammad Akhundi, and Industry Mohammad Shariatmadari. A large delegation from Iranian private sector businessmen and tradesmen are also in India as part of the President Rouhani's delegation. /257 PRNewsfoto/Live Nation EntertainmentIt hasn't even started yet, but Justin Timberlake's upcoming Man of the Woods tour could be one of this year's top-grossing treks. Arthur Fogel, president of global touring for Live Nation, which is promoting the tour, tells Variety, "Weve got 50 shows on sale in North America and 16 in Europe, and were over 700,000 tickets [sold] and $100 million gross." He adds, "Its pretty staggering. Were into our third shows in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Toronto; Were into double [shows] in probably a dozen markets. Its huge. Justin's Man of the Woods album and its first two singles, "Filthy" and "Supplies," got mixed reviews, but experts tell Variety that has no bearing on fans' desire to go see him perform -- even at $150 per ticket. And here are a few more reasons why Justin's tour should be successful: --An executive at Justin's record company tells Variety that the album's third single, "Say Something," is shaping up to be a "mega hit." --Variety also points out that Justin's audience now includes multiple generations, since he's been around since the late 1990s with 'N SYNC, and as a solo artist since 2002. --Justin's been omnipresent on the radio, with "a top 10 hit or two every other year," as Variety puts it. Plus, one of his biggest career hits, "Can't Stop the Feeling!" -- which earned him a bunch of new, much younger fans -- just came out in 2016. --It's been three long years since Justin's last big tour wrapped up, and it was one of the highest-grossing tours of the decade. The Man of the Woods tour kicks off March 13 in Toronto. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg (Photo: MV) The Ambassador shared his thoughts during an interview with the Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper on the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) 2018. Reporter: Could you please share with us your top priorities for your term of office in Vietnam? Ambassador Pereric Hogberg: Being Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam is an honour and an engaging and straight forward job because the Swedish-Vietnamese relationship is so strong and long. As you know, in 1969, Vietnam and Sweden established diplomatic ties. Sweden provided about USD4 billion of ODA aid to Vietnam. When I was assigned this mission in your country, I received very clear instructions from the Swedish Government about what I have to do. Firstly, I will continue to maintain and nourish the relationship in the changing and modern world to make sure in 2018 the two governments and two peoples understand each other. I will do my best to make sure the Vietnamese government see and understand the government, society and economy of Sweden today, and I will try my best with my embassy to maintain political dialogue and friendship with Vietnam. Secondly, I will also try to help Swedish businesses operate successfully and effectively in Vietnam. Their presence will contribute to increasing two-way trade and creating more jobs for the Vietnamese economy. Thirdly, the Swedish Embassy will continue to keep track of happenings on the East Sea, in ASEAN, Southeast Asia, Myanmar, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnams relationship with China, Russia, and the US. Im very impressed with Vietnam wanting to be a more active player in the UN and other international organizations. With engagement also comes responsibility. Thus, I try to find areas in which the two countries can cooperate and talk with each other regarding global challenges or mutual concerns. For example, they can be climate changes issues, the multilateral trade system working in WTO, and how to facilitate and develop the multilateral system. Sweden is now a non-permanent member of UN Security Council and we play a very significant role in reforming and making the UN a better organization. Lastly, I try to spread much information about Sweden. Sometimes, I feel that the image of Sweden is not really updated. I want to show Vietnamese people how Sweden is innovative, and how the country constantly tops the list of indicators and becomes a successful modern society in the world. Reporter: 2017 witnessed many significant events in Vietnam - Sweden cooperative relations. How do you assess the results and impacts of leaders visits of the two countries to the relations? Ambassador Pereric Hogberg: 2017 was a very interesting and important year. In early April, we had Chairwoman of National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngans visit to Stockholm Sweden at the invitation of Speaker of the Swedish Parliament (Riskdag) Urban Ahlin. Since the visit by NA Chairman Nong Duc Manh in 1993, this is the latest travel by a Vietnamese National Assembly chairperson to my country. It is of significance, aiming to consolidate and promote the traditional friendship and cooperation between two countries in specific fields, including legislative experience sharing and information exchange. In late August, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha and representatives of Vietnamese universities visited Sweden to seek cooperation opportunities. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Bnh Minh during her visit to Vietnam. (Photo: VNA) Meanwhile, in November, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom visited Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh. The visit was a strong and clear manifestation of the cooperative relations between the two countries. During the important visit, the two sides discussed and shared views on various issues, not least developments in the two respective countries. They agreed to intensify the on-going partnerships in several sectors such as in education-training, science, health and environment. They also shared mechanisms that could help promote UN multilateral cooperation as well as speed up the role of the UN Security Council. Ms. Wallstrom visited and had discussion about the feminist diplomacy that Sweden is pursuing with hundreds of students of Foreign Trade University. Reporter: Vietnam is seeing the second investment wave from Sweden. Which fields are Swedish companies interested in investing in the country? Ambassador Pereric Hogberg: It is very interesting to call it the second investment wave from Sweden. But I think it is true. The fact that Swedish companies have operated in Vietnam for a long time, especially for production and consumer markets, is clear evidence. Volvo Cars opened two 4S centers in Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi. They were equipped with the most cutting-edge machines, equipment and technologies provided by the car makers and suppliers. Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has opened the second store in Hanoi after the first one in Ho Chi Minh city. Tetra Pak, the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company, has built a new packaging material factory in Binh Duong with major investment of more than USD110 million, creating about 200 new jobs. IKEA has continued to expand operation and is today creating more than 110,000 jobs in Vietnam. Other companies that are very successful in doing business in the country are ABB, Electrolux, and SKF. Tourism is one of the key areas which is paid much attention from Swedish companies. Last year, some 44,000 Swedish citizens visited Vietnam, much higher than 37,000 arrivals in 2016. We have seen two charter flights a week from Stockholm to Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang province. Finally, I see interesting development coming from Swedish investment funds. I know, at least 5 Swedish investment funds acting in Vietnamese market or in stock. They are buying shares from Vietnamese consumer companies. So I think, the fields which Swedish companies are interested in investing in Vietnam could be manufacturing of high productivity and high technical goods such as Tetra Pak, ABB, and Electrolux; retail and consumer market for Swedish products of high-quality and long-life circle band; management-style investment; and tourism. Reporter: On the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, what would you like to say to the Vietnamese people? Ambassador Pereric Hogberg: I hope all Vietnamese people will have a nice, enjoyable and restful Tet. I do stress that the Swedish government and people are committed to and trusted friends of Vietnam. Reporter: Thank you so much! Wish you good health and continue to be successful in your position! It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover Photo taken on Feb. 14, 2018 from Weehawken of New Jersey, the United States, shows the fireworks over Manhattan of New York City celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year. (Xinhua/Li Rui) NEW YORK, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Spectacular fireworks lit up the night sky over the Hudson River in New York City on Wednesday as part of the celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on Friday. The fireworks display, themed "Happy Spring Festival", was held near Pier 84 over the Hudson River, close to the Chinese consulate general in New York. In mostly red and gold, the two major auspicious traditional Chinese colors, the display created images representing Chinese cultural elements, like the dog, one of the 12 traditional zodiac signs, and the Chinese knot. Prior to the display, Zhang Qiyue, Chinese consul general in New York, hosted a celebratory gala for 300-odd local celebrities and officials. Designed and organized by China's Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the display was executed by Fireworks by Grucci, a New York-based fireworks company. "It (was) fantastic, especially on Valentine's Day," Scott C. Cooper, director of business development at Fireworks by Grucci, told Xinhua. He said Grucci was excited to work with CAFA to stage the event, which is already a must-see for New Yorkers and international visitors to the city during the Lunar New Year. The two sides initiated the cooperation in 2014. Aside from the fireworks show, the week-long Lunar New Year celebrations in the U.S. city also include a performance by the New York Philharmonic, the lighting of the Empire State Building, and the annual Lunar New Year Parade and Festival in Chinatown. The headline event of this eight-day-long festival is a special "Students Day" on Friday at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. New York City became the largest urban school district in the country to recognize the holiday for its public school children in 2016. 3 1 [ Editor: zyq ] Chinese artists perform acrobatics during a lighting ceremony at the Cairo Tower in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 15, 2018. The Cairo Tower is lit in red to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) CAIRO, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Cairo Tower, an outstanding landmark in the Arab capital, was lit up Thursday in red to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. The Spring Festival Celebration, inaugurated by the Chinese Ambassador to Cairo Song Aiguo and Egypt's Minister of Tourism Rania al-Mashat, was co-organized by the Chinese Culture Center in cooperation with the Egyptian Tourism Authority. Ambassador Song Aiguo told the crowds at the celebration that he was very pleased to see the landmark of Cairo celebrating the Chinese New Year, which reflects the strength of ties between the two peoples and countries. "It is a great honor and pleasure for me and my Chinese compatriots in Egypt to have Cairo Tower illuminated in red on this New Year's Eve," the ambassador said. For her part, minister al-Mashat said today's celebrations prove that the Egyptian-Chinese relationships are very strong and deeply rooted. She added that celebrating the New Year at Cairo Tower is very special for Egypt, expressing willingness and hope for even stronger and broader partnership. The celebration featured Chinese cultural and folkloric performances in the presence of distinguished figures of the Chinese and Egyptian sides, along with public figures and celebrities. After upgrading the relations between the two countries to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" in 2014, cultural exchange has been at its peak as artists, cultural and musical delegations have exchanged visits. Through such activities, Egypt and China want to boost friendly ties and enhance mutual understanding and future development between the peoples of the two nations, whose relations have deep roots back in history. 5 1 [ Editor: zyq ] PM: project of high-speed trains going Boryspil airport to be completed by late 2018 The Ukrainian government seeks to finish the implementation of a project on the high-speed train communication with the Boryspil international airport (Kyiv) in December 2018, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman wrote on his Twitter page on Friday. "It will be possible to get to the airport or to the city in 35 minutes. The price of the ticket is UAH 80-120," he wrote. The construction of a railway communication between Kyiv city and the airport should begin no later than June 1, the prime minister said. According to the project of Ukrzaliznytsia, which was supported by the Cabinet of Ministers, the train line is planned to be laid from the Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky station through the Vydubychi station to terminal D of the Boryspil airport, according to the government's website. "In fact, only 4 km of the road is needed to be completed," the press service of the government said. "Now there is a real technical solution. We are starting to implement it. All procedural moments need to be resolved before June 1," the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, quoting Groysman as saying. The project will be coordinated by deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Kistion. According to the report, 11 PESA 620m trains with 91 seats, two PESA 630m trains with 192 seats, which will transport at least 2.67 million passengers per year, are planned to be used on the line. In turn, acting Board Chairman of PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia Yevhen Kravtsov said on his Facebook page that the required amount of investment in the project is UAH 600-800 million. In particular, UAH 450 million is required for the construction of an overpass; UAH 100 million for tracks, platforms, reconstruction of the contact network; UAH 70 million for the construction of box depots and another UAH 100 million for the technical restoration of rail buses. At the slides of the presentation presented by Kravtsov it is indicated that the project will greatly relieve the road infrastructure, reducing Kyiv's road burden by 1,000 car and 30 bus trips per day. As reported, Ukraine has the unrealized national project "Air Express" of railway passenger communication between Kyiv and Boryspil International Airport, construction of other infrastructure objects in Kyiv region, which is aimed at ensuring the development of transport infrastructure, strengthening the competitive positions of Ukrainian air carriers, increasing the investment and tourist attractiveness of the country. To implement it, in 2011, a $372.3 million government secured credit agreement was signed with the Export-Import Bank of China. The CCEC was designated as the general contractor for performing turnkey construction works. Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk and representatives of a technical mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have discussed the reform of the State Fiscal Service (SFS), the Finance Ministry has reported on Twitter. "The mission's representatives agreed that operational changes within the structure are important, but the focus should be placed on institutional changes with the reorganization of the service and the involvement of new persons," the ministry said. In addition, the IMF's technical mission met with members of the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) to discuss the strategy of monetary policy and currency regulation, macro-financial stability, the balance of fiscal and monetary policies. After the meeting, Head of the NBU Council Bohdan Danylyshyn on his Facebook page stressed the importance of continuing cooperation with the IMF, which is the guarantor of confidence in Ukraine from global financial institutions. "Ukraine has fulfilled a significant part of its commitments. Taking into account the current economic situation and political conditions, commitments must be fulfilled as part of the current program or mechanisms for their phased implementation must be proposed. I would like to hope for the successful implementation of the current program of cooperation with the IMF," he said. The IMF's technical mission, led by Ron van Rooden, worked in Ukraine on February 12-16 to discuss practical issues related to the continuation of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). First and foremost, the issue concerns the adoption of the law on the Anti-Corruption Court and amendments to other laws for its launch, the fulfillment by the government of these promises to bring gas prices to the market level, keep the necessary level of fiscal discipline and macro stability. PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) after blocking the receipt of raw materials from the territory temporarily uncontrolled by Ukraine has started purchases in the Russian Federation. Girish Sardana, the head of the company's supply department, said in an interview with the Metalurg edition that basically the problems in 2017 concerned the supply of raw materials. According to him, "in connection with the introduction of a ban on the purchase of raw materials in the ATO zone and high prices for coal and coke in the international market, we were forced to reorient to the Russian market." "However, due to the sanctions imposed on certain transport companies, we faced a shortage of wagons needed for the delivery of raw materials from Russia. In spite of all the difficulties, the deliveries did not stop. Another problem was a lack of a sufficient number of wagons and locomotives on the part of Ukrzaliznytsia, which resulted in failures in the supply of limestone from the western part of Ukraine and, as a consequence, a decrease in the amount of supply of this raw material to the enterprise," the top manager stated. At the same time, he noted the company worked at full capacity, which helped achieve a record level of steel production (equivalent) of 7 million tonnes. Ukrainian citizen Zakhtei sentenced to 6.5 years in Crimea for preparing acts of sabotage The Supreme Court of Crimea on Friday found Ukrainian citizen Andriy Zakhtei guilty of preparing acts of sabotage on the peninsula in 2016 and sentenced him to six- and-a-half years in a high-security penal colony, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courtroom. Zakhtei "is sentenced to 6.5 years in a high-security penal colony," Judge Sergei Pogrebnyak said. The court counted the more than 1.5 years that the Ukrainian has already been in custody towards his term. Zakhtei, 42, was tried in accordance with special procedures and behind closed doors. Journalists were only present when the sentence was read. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that it had averted attempts by groups of saboteurs and terrorists to break through from Ukraine to Crimea on August 7-8, 2016. A Russian military serviceman and an FSB official were killed and several Ukrainians, including Zakhtei, were detained. Three kilograms of explosives and grenades were found in a spare wheel in Zakhtei's car, according to the FSB. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry denied that the people detained in Crimea were Ukrainian agents. Zakhtei's relatives said he was an ordinary taxi driver working on the peninsula. At first the Ukrainian said through his lawyers that he was tortured with electric shocks to force him to say he was guilty. In summer 2017, he made a deal with the investigators and refused the services of hired lawyers. The court found the Ukrainian guilty of "preparing for sabotage by an organized group or leading to grave consequences," "illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, or possession of explosive substances or explosive devices by an organized group," "acquisition or sale of official documents and state awards," and "deliberate use of a forged document." Zakhtei, a native of Lviv region of Ukraine, had lived in Saki, Crimea for the past few years. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has congratulated Lithuania on the 100th anniversary of the restoration of statehood. "The Republic of Lithuania is a real friend and partner of Ukraine. I sincerely congratulate our friends on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of statehood. Today I will have the opportunity to personally congratulate Dalia Grybauskaite and wish the Lithuanian people prosperity, well-being and peace," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page on Friday. "Happy birthday, Lithuania!" the president of Ukraine added in Lithuanian. As reported, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will pay a working visit to Lithuania on February 16 to take part in celebrations on the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state. The visit will be held at the invitation of President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite. Presidents from other European countries, as well as heads of EU institutions are also expected to take part in the events. Kyiv working in Normandy format and with U.S. on Donbas conflict Klimkin Ukraine is working in parallel in the Normandy format and with the United States for achieving peace in Donbas, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said. "I talk with U.S. Special Representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker sometimes two or three times a day. I've also spoken with Department of State Secretary Rex Tillerson several times recently about what we can do, what pressure we can apply, et cetera," Klimkin said in Munich on Friday. Klimkin said two projects are underway to bring peace to Donbas, the American project and the Normandy format. He added it is not important who will sit down at the negotiating table, stressing that achieving concrete results are paramount. Klimkin said France is supporting Ukraine's position and said he hoped Germany's new coalition government would as well. The Ukrainian army has moved forward in the Novo-Oleksandrivka area in the west of Luhansk region, Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, Alexander Hug, said. The OSCE SMM has evidence that the Ukrainian army has moved forward in that area, Hug said at a press briefing in Luhansk region on Friday. In addition, observers saw 15 weapons deployed in violation of the disengagement line, including nine in the areas controlled by Kyiv and six in the areas held by the unrecognized republics, he said. The active use of forbidden weapons resumed in Luhansk region on Wednesday, Hug said. Over 3,000 violations were observed on that day, he added. In fact, February 14 saw the most incidents involving such weapons since March 2017, Hug said. Several shots were fired near SMM monitors in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) on February 9, he said. There have been several instances of attacks on drones this week, Hug said. Ukrainian media reported earlier that the Ukrainian army took over the village of Novo-Oleksandrivka in the Popasna district of Luhansk region on January 31. The Donbas contact line established by the second Minsk deal runs northwest and west of the village. Novo-Oleksandrivka had a population of 124 before the conflict. Fewer than 20 people live there now. There is neither gas nor electricity in the village. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deputy (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) Mustafa Nayyem has said he discussed with U.S. Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker the issue of deploying a United Nations peacekeeping mission to eastern Ukraine. According to Nayyem, a report on regulating the situation has been prepared by the U.S. Hudson Institute think tank and UN expert Richard Gowen from Columbia University. "Volker is now one of the most informed persons about details for introducing peacekeepers to Donbas We talked and there is something I can divulge On the eve of the Munich conference the Rasmussen Global published a report from the Hudson Institute about the feasibility of deploying a UN peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. What was written in the report turned out surprisingly to be close the reality of what is being discussed," Nayyem said on his Facebook page on Friday after speaking with Volker. According to Nayyem the envisioned peacekeeping mission will be 30,000 strong, including 5,000 for active observation of the 409-kilometer long border between Ukraine and Russia, as well as a 4,000 strong military police contingent. "Deployment of the mission will take place in several stages. There could be three stages the start of the mission and ensuring conditions for its deployment (two months), deployment and establishing control of the Ukraine-Russia border (two months and longer) and the start of building infrastructure in order to hold local elections (up to six months)," Nayyem said. Normandy Four foreign ministers to meet late on Friday or on Saturday Klimkin The meeting of foreign ministers of the Normandy Four countries will be held on Friday evening or on Saturday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told journalists in Munich. "This is due to the logistical problems from the German side. German Foreign Minister [Sigmar Gabriel] will arrive in Munich only late at night. I'm ready to meet at any time," Klimkin said. At present, consultations are under way, he said. According to Klimkin, France will be represented at the meeting by the political director of their Foreign Ministry. On Thursday, February 22, at 12.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference entitled "Evidence of Russia's Involvement in Armed Conflict in Donbas and Attacks on Civilians Handed to The Hague", where a report with evidence of artillery attacks and signs of war crimes documented over the past two years will be presented. The participants include researcher of NGO "Truth Hounds" Roman Avramenko; Member of the Board of NGO "Truth Hounds" Svitlana Valko; Associate Professor of the Institute of International Relations of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University Ph.D. (Law) Anton Korynevych (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation. More information by phone: (063) 206 4876, e-mail: illiaskyr@gmail.com (Ilya Skyrtach). Hoan Kiem Lake was among the 31 venues for firework shows on New Year's Eve in Hanoi. Local people were excited with the spectacular displays of fireworks. (Photo: NDO/Duy Linh) Fireworks dazzled Lao Cai city in the northern Lao Cai province. People in the southernmost province of Ca Mau greeted the Year of the Dog with glittering fireworks. Firework shows lit up the sky in Thu Dau Mot city of Binh Duong province. The first-ever firework displays at Nguyen Van Troi Bridge, a venue closely attached with the glorious history of Da Nang city. Glittering fireworks lit up the sky over Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat city, Lam Dong province. The streets temporarily stopped moving in the moment of transition from the old to the new year. Ho Chi Minh City is colourful on the New Year's Eve with high-altitude firework shows. High-altitude firework shows in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam always gives prominence to the strategic and economic significance of APEC 2017. The country worked on the summits theme focusing on how to create new momentum for APEC economies to rise above the sluggish global economy. The working schedule of President Tran Dai Quang, President of the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting was chock full of flights between Hanoi and Da Nang, the host city of the event. In addition to chairing the conference and sessions, the Vietnamese State leaders also hosted a number of bilateral meetings with leaders of APEC economies. Despite their extremely busy schedule, the host country organised all of the related events in a very methodical and effective manner whileensuring everything remained on schedule. So far, Vietnam has not received any complaints from the guests but only their grateful compliments. The delegations were extremely satisfied with the results of APEC, offering thanks for the thoughtful reception and professional organisation of the host country. The leaders of APEC economies highly appreciated Vietnam for its role in inspiring a shared future for peace, stability, and the prosperity of Asia-Pacific. They also affirmed the role of APECin engaging in global economic governance. This is the second time in ten years that the entire leadership of APEC member economies, including leaders of the worlds leading economies, such as the US, China, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Australia have attended the Economic Leaders Week. In addition, there were more than 11,000 delegates, businesses, and journalists from home and abroad present. Nearly 100 bilateral meetings among APEC leaders took place on the occasion, showing the rising status of the Asia-Pacific region on the political and economic world map as well as their strong commitment for the APEC cooperation process. It also affirmed Vietnams strategic position in the region as well as the special attention and sentiment that APEC member economies and leaders themselves attribute to the host country. The position and wisdom of Vietnam was reflected in the theme, priorities, ideas, initiatives, and mannerof presiding over conferences and dialogues in a flexible and creative way in order to overcome all differences and create consensus to not only maintain the momentum of cooperation and linkage within APEC, but also contribute to the strategic vision of the Forum in the coming decades. In particular, Vietnam has actively contributed to the formation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, thereby contributing to the promotion of regional economic integration. Eight important documents were adopted at the APEC Leaders Week, most notably the Da Nang Declaration, affirming their determination in Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future. The Da Nang Declaration promotes free and open trade and investment and supports multilateral trade reaffirming APECs key role as a dynamic growth driver that initiates economic connectivity initiatives and is a leading economic cooperation mechanism in the region. The Pacific Ocean may be vast, but such distances do not diminish our will or commitment for cooperation toward a better future of the whole region,as President Tran Dai Quang put it at the Gala Dinner in celebration of APEC 2017 Leaders Meeting. According to Vietnams initiative, there was an informal dialogue between the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). APEC and ASEAN are both successful regional integration mechanisms, leading the way in promoting regional economic growth and linkages. APEC has affirmed its role as the regions leading economic cooperation forum. Meanwhile, ASEAN has contributed significantly to the transformationof Southeast Asia from an area of confrontation to dialogue, from suspicion to cooperation, from division to solidarity and association, culminating in the formation of the ASEAN Community. Leaders of APEC and ASEAN welcomed Vietnams initiative to host the APEC AND ASEAN Leaders Informal Dialogue and considered it a strongtestament of the will and determination of their respective members in reinforcing a comprehensively integrated and inter-connected Asia-Pacific for peace, stability, dynamism, and prosperity. The APEC Year 2017 and the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting have been successful in all aspects. For the past three years, the preparationsweremethodicallyand synchronously implemented, under the leadership and direction of the Party, the State, and the participation of the whole political system and people. President Tran Dai Quang has always put high demands on the APEC 2017 National Committee as well as on sub-committees, ministries, branches, and localities in order to deploy all activities in a professional manner and avoid even the smallest errors. Prior to the 25th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, Da Nang and the central provinces suffered from the severe effects of Typhoon Doksuri. Many places were flooded, many auxiliary works and landscape decorations were damaged. The citys streets filled with rubbish due to wind ravaged trees. President Tran Dai Quang was very touched when he witnessed a lot of people, officers, and soldiers in Da Nang, work through terrible weather as they urgently cleaned and decorated the city to give it back the image of a beautiful and peaceful destination in the eyes of international guests. During the event, despite travel difficulties and regular stops to give way to convoys, there were always warm smiles in the faces of Da Nang people. President Tran Dai Quang said that this is the symbol of the power of the people - an important factor that helped the nation to stand up and develop even in the toughest times. With the determination of the business community and member economies, APEC can reach higher and go further, bringing about greater prosperity for the people in the region and fully realising the prediction that the 21st century is the Asia-Pacific Century. The house, located within the President Ho Chi Minh relic site, was named to commemorate the year of its construction, 1967, and is where the late president worked and eventually passed away. In commemoration of the beloved Uncle Ho, Politburo member Hai gave a briefing on the significant results that Hanois Party organisation, authorities, and people have achieved over the past year, pledging their unceasing efforts to build a more prosperous capital city, thereby contributing to the common development of the country. Politburo member Hoang Trung Hai (centre) and Hanoi leaders visit House No. 67 in the Presidential Palace complex. Talking with the relic sites officials and staff, Hai praised and thanked them for their contributions to preserving Uncle Hos artifacts, helping international friends to learn more about the life of President Ho Chi Minh and his noble revolutionary career, whilst promoting the study and following of Uncle Hos exemplary life among officials, soldiers, and people nationwide. Later the same day, Hanoi leaders made an offering of incense at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long relic site in commemoration of the predecessors sacrifices to enlightening and safeguarding the country and Thang Long-Hanoi. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech to a festival reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2018. Xi Jinping, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, extended Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese people Wednesday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, Feb. 15 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese people with references to hard work and family values on Wednesday have struck a chord with overseas Chinese. This year's Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Feb. 16. Addressing a festival reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, Xi extended his greetings to all Chinese on the mainland, as well as in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and abroad. In his speech, Xi encouraged the Chinese people to continue their hard work in a "new era" following the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in October 2017. He also praised the multiple achievements made by the Chinese people in the past year, and called on them to uphold traditional family values at this time of the year in which family reunion carries great significance. LIVING WITH ENDEAVORS Liu Hao, a senior member of the Chinese Association of Brazil, said one part of Xi's speech where the president said "happiness can only be earned by filling one's life with endeavors" had inspired him. "I was deeply touched by that," Liu said. "For us living abroad, only by carrying forward the spirit of hard work can we earn a life in a foreign land." Echoing Xi's call to focus on realizing people's aspirations for a better life, Zhang Guoquan, head of the Federation of Associations of the Chinese Community in Rome, said it is high time that people like him strive for the realization of a better life for overseas Chinese, contribute to China's reform and opening-up, and facilitate the development of China-Italy economic and trade relations. "By contributing to the Italian economy, we improve our own lives as well," Zhang said, adding that hard work will indeed lay the foundation for a happy life. Qi Zihan, a businessman who has been working and living in Qatar for 17 years, said that the overseas Chinese's struggle for personal perfection has always been closely linked to the homeland's economic development, and that a smooth career path for an overseas Chinese is underpinned by the prosperity of the homeland. "The Chinese economy has been developing by leaps and bounds ... Overseas Chinese nowadays are feeling a greater sense of pride and witnessing a surge in business opportunities," Qi said. SHARING THE CHINESE DREAM Ever since he became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012, Xi has made realizing the Chinese Dream, which he further interpreted as "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," a priority of the CPC. In his speech on Wednesday, Xi also urged the people to integrate their personal and family dreams with the Chinese Dream. "We should pool the wisdom and strength of more than 1.3 billion Chinese people in more than 400 million households to strive for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation," he said. Inspired by Xi's remarks, Liu Hongyou, president of the federation of the Chinese community in Japan, told Xinhua: "While enriching and improving ourselves, we overseas Chinese should also make our share of contribution to the development of the homeland." Liu had just arrived in his hometown of Nanjing in eastern China from Japan, where he is based. "China has developed so fast since its reform and opening-up 40 years ago. It has sailed into the ocean of community of shared future for mankind, just like President Xi has stressed," Liu said. Li Li, president of a cultural society organized by Chinese people living in Britain, said she was moved by Xi's visit to families in the mountainous Daliangshan region in southwest China on Monday. After listening to Xi's "affectionate wishes and inspirational words" on Wednesday, she said she was excited and proud of China's achievements and growing global influence since the 18th CPC National Congress. "We overseas Chinese will continue to carry forward the love for our homeland and contribute to the great cause of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," she said. RELATED READING: Chinese leaders extend Spring Festival greetings President Xi Jinping, on behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council, extended Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese people Wednesday. Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech to a festival reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, greeting all Chinese on the mainland, in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and abroad. The Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, is regarded as the most important traditional festival for those of Chinese origin, characterized by family gatherings, feasts and performances. It falls on Feb. 16 this year. The reception was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. Other senior leaders, including Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Zhang Gaoli, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng, also greeted the present 2,000 people. BEIJING, Feb. 15 -- Decades ago, China was basically a self-sufficient country, and the products on its marketplace were largely dull and limited. But the reform and opening up initiated in 1978 has dramatically changed the country's economic landscape, bringing in a wealth of overseas goods and services, not to mention creating one of the largest drivers of global economic growth -- Chinese consumers. As one of the top markets for automobiles, clothes and video games, China keeps marching forward in a dash to purchase consumer products, services and culture. BUYING FROM GLOBE As a tradition, Chinese people usually make special purchases to celebrate Chinese New Year, which falls this Friday, with shopping lists containing anything from beef and nuts to firecrackers and poetic couplets. Wang Yang's shopping is not so traditional this year. German beer, French steaks and seafood from Northern Europe were a small fraction of his 500 U.S. dollars of purchases in a mall for imported goods only, at a land port in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province. "I don't even have to leave the city to buy all this food. It is fast and convenient. Our family dinner will be made of ingredients from all over the world this year," Wang said. More and more exotic foreign delicacies are finding their way to Chinese tables like Wang's, with fresh farm produce and any number of specialties arriving from thousands of miles away. From 2011 until now, about 7,000 cargo trains have traveled on 61 lines linking to 36 European cities such as Hamburg and Madrid with 38 Chinese cities, including Xi'an and Yiwu. The number of trains back to China tripled annually over the past four years due to the growing appetite of Chinese consumers who are increasingly "going global." The busy China-Europe freight trains mirror the power of China's many deep-pocketed consumers, who exert their influence through purchases, catering and travelling. As a steady economy has boosted personal incomes, people are willing to spend more on foreign products in pursuit of better quality and experience. "As the market keeps growing, Chinese consumers need more options, which has created opportunities for many European countries," said Slawomir Majman, chairman of the World Union of Agricultural Association, citing a 40 percent increase in Greece's exports to China over the years. Greece, of course, is just one of many countries that has seen such a boost. Booming e-commerce has fanned a spending boom. Chinese consumers no longer need to take long-distance flights or go to luxury malls to shop, with many choosing to simply make their purchases with a few clicks of a mouse. China's e-commerce imports rocketed by 116.4 percent to 56.59 billion yuan (8.76 billion U.S. dollars) last year, outpacing the around 40-percent growth in exports. "China will make more efforts to cut tariffs on products including cars," senior Chinese official Liu He said at the World Economic Forum in January. Import taxes on 187 products were slashed last year, with the average rate down from 17.3 percent to 7.7 percent. ECONOMIC ENGINE China has the largest middle-class in the world, with a population of 300 million, and it is growing fast, accounting for 30 percent of the world's total. The government predicts the group, which has ever stronger and more sophisticated consumers demands, will play a significant role in propping up the economy. The celebration of Chinese New Year is seeing new modes of spending as more families favor organic food, shop online, dine outside, and entertain themselves. A recent report said about 6.5 million overseas trips will be made by Chinese during the holiday. Online travel service provider Ctrip said people have booked outbound tours to over 700 cities in 68 countries and regions on its platform, with destinations as far afield as Antarctica. "The key term for this year's holiday will be 'consumption upgrade,' with higher-quality products and services gaining popularity," said Wang Bingnan, vice minister of commerce. Wang Yang said that back in the 1990s his father always took him to farmer's markets only to buy local meat and chicken ahead of holidays. "But now it is a fashion to shop overseas and shop online," he said. "This is a very important trend that will prompt marked changes in the growth pattern and quality of the economy," said Mao Shengyong, spokesperson of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). A major aspect of such changes is an economy less reliant on investment that analysts believe has become less effective and can easily cause structural imbalances. Consumption is now a key economic driver and contributed 58.8 percent to the domestic gross product growth in 2017, according to the NBS. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company said in a report that China's consumer confidence hit its highest in 10 years, partly due to the tech-savvy younger generation born in the age of the Internet. The power of consumption will likely continue due to improve people's incomes. Morgan Stanley expects China to gain high-income status as early as 2025. RURAL POTENTIAL There is also huge consumption potential in less-prosperous rural areas, which are narrowing the gap with cities, as the country moves to revitalize its rural regions. In 2017, retail sales of consumer products in rural areas surged 11.8 percent to 5.2 trillion yuan, outpacing the 10 percent rate in urban areas, according to the NBS. Online sales topped 1.24 trillion yuan, up 39.1-percent year on year. The growth was attributed to policies to boost the incomes of farmers. In 2017, per capita disposable income of rural residents increased 7.3 percent, faster than both urban growth and GDP expansion. In a key report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the strategy of rural revitalization was proposed as a "historic task" essential for accomplishing China's modernization goals and building a moderately prosperous society. E-commerce is helping the process, with more and more of the rural population going online for business and shopping. "Internet commerce has restructured production and logistics in rural areas, which has also helped farmers raise incomes, particularly in the country's west," said Mao Risheng, a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. According to a report by the e-commerce giant Alibaba, there are 2,118 Taobao villages, referring to villages where over 10 percent of households are involved in online selling, with total annual transactions of more than 10 million yuan. It is expected that the number of Taobao village will hit over 5,500 in 2020, bringing more than 3 million jobs to the countryside. Retail sales in rural areas will remain robust this year, with a 12 percent growth pace, 1 or 2 percentage points faster than in the cities, according to a report by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 15 -- Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, was elected Thursday by the National Assembly to be the nation's new president. The election came after former president Jacob Zuma announced his resignation on Wednesday night. Ramaphosa also becomes the fifth democratic president of the Republic of South Africa. "I would like to thank all members of this Assembly for the honour you have bestowed on me to serve my people. This is truly a humbling experience," Ramaphosa said when addressing the house after the election. He pledged to "execute that task with humility and dignity". The election of the president will make way for the State of the Nation Address to be delivered on Friday. The South Africa speaker of parliament, Baleka Mbete commended former president Jacob Zuma for his work, and wished him and his family well in "his future endeavours". She also thanked the people of South Africa "for their patience." "Cyril Ramaphosa, I wish you all the best, but I will see you in 2019 on the ballot boxes," said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the opposition party, Democratic Alliance. China on Thursday expressed firm opposition to the visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a disputed area, urging the Indian side not to take action that could complicate the boundary issue. "China's position on the China-India boundary question is consistent and clear-cut," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang in response to reports that Modi visited the so-called Arunachal Pradesh Thursday. "The Chinese government has never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh and is firmly opposed to the Indian leader's visit to the disputed area," Geng said. "We will lodge stern representations with the Indian side," he said. The spokesperson said that China and India had reached important consensus on properly managing disputes, and the two sides were working to resolve the territorial disputes through negotiation and consultation. "The Chinese side urges the Indian side to honor its commitment and abide by the relevant consensus, and refrain from taking any action that may complicate the boundary question," Geng said. He urged India to cherish the hard-won momentum of improvements in bilateral relations and create enabling conditions for the boundary talks and the development of bilateral relations. The so-called Arunachal Pradesh was established largely on three areas in China's Tibet -- Monyul, Loyul and Lower Tsayul -- which are currently under illegal occupation by India. These three areas, located between the illegal "McMahon Line" and the traditional customary boundary between China and India, have always been Chinese territory. In 1914, British colonialists secretly instigated the illegal "McMahon Line" in an attempt to incorporate it into India at the above-mentioned three areas of Chinese territory. None of the successive Chinese governments have ever recognized the line. In February 1987, Indian authorities declared the founding of so-called Arunachal Pradesh. This year, a number of watch brands they tend to be the same ones pay tribute to the Chinese zodiac with watches dedicated to the animal of the year. They are generally given a metiers dart treatment, and are often produced in limited series featuring the number 8 a favourite number of the Chinese. 2018 is the Year of the Dog, the eleventh sign in the Chinese zodiac. Being born under the Sign of the Dog myself, and having two real-life examples at home, I was the obvious choice among the WorldTempus editorial team to draft this article, in which dogs feature almost more than watches. The most obedient Metiers dArt La legende du zodiaque chinois annee du chien Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantins dog, with its determined stare and alert posture, embodies loyalty and obedience. Hand-engraved to produce a highly realistic effect, the animal occupies the centre of the blue or bronze grand feu enamel dial decorated with foliage carved in relief to create an illusion of depth. The 40 mm Metiers dArt La Legende du Zodiaque Chinois Annee du Chien comes in red gold or platinum. It is fitted with the automatic manufacture movement 2460 G4, which displays dragging hours and minutes, days of the week and a jumping date, in four windows arranged around the dial. The most loyal Classico Dog Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardins Husky, striking a similar pose to Vacheron Constantins hound, looks more like a family pet, with his attentive gaze and fluffy coat, against the backdrop of a Chinese landscape. The dial is in grand feu and champleve enamel. This Classico Dog 40 mm in rose gold, produced in a limited series of 88, houses the COSC-certified automatic UN-815 movement.C. The most sophisticated Petite Heure Minute Chien Jaquet Droz Jaquet Droz has chosen the Pekinese, a lap dog which enjoyed almost sacred status in Chinas imperial court, to represent the eleventh sign of the Chinese zodiac. The four Petite Heure Minute Chien and Petite Heure Minute Relief Chien timepieces are each produced in a limited run of 28. The first two rely upon miniature painting to create a naturalistic representation of the animal against a floral background, while the other two focus on relief engraving, and use semi-precious stones including cuprite and onyx, as well as mother-of-pearl. On the back, the oscillating weight of the Jaquet Droz 2653 calibre is decorated with another dog. The most devoted Chronofighter Vintage Nose Art Ltd Kelly Graham The white dog on the Chronofighter Vintage Nose Art Ltd Kelly by Graham, Kellys devoted companion, is somewhat sidelined by the pin-up dressed in a traditional Chinese dress, who casually ignores the begging canine. Its position between 3 and 4 oclock is deliberate these are the two lucky numbers (along with 9) of those born under the Sign of the Dog. The cutest Classique 7145 Chow-Chow Breguet Breguet has chosen the most iconic Chinese breed for its Classique 7145 Chow-Chow, which features the favourite hunting dog of the emperors. The cuddly chow-chow, with its blue tongue, is engraved by Breguets artisans to one side of the delicate guilloche gold dial. The 40 mm white gold watch, just 8 of which will be produced, encloses the ultra-thin automatic Calibre 502.3, numbered and bearing the Breguet signature. The most colourful L.U.C XP Urishi Year of the Dog Chopard The Akita posing in the centre of the extra-flat L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dog by Chopard actually comes from Japan, as does urushi, the traditional lacquer technique used on the dial, which is made in Japan. The lacquer contains minuscule iridescent flecks, which lend a luminosity to the exquisitely delicate relief painting, bringing out the minutest details of the dogs coat and the surrounding flowers. This 88-piece limited edition in rose gold is driven by the automatic L.U.C 96.17-L movement with twin barrels and an off-centre micro-rotor, providing a power reserve of 65 hours. The most floral Luminor 1950 Sealand 3 Days Automatic Acciaio 44mm Officine Panerai Panerais dog might come as a surprise to anyone not familiar with the previous 9 pieces produced by the Italian watchmaker as a tribute to the Chinese horoscope. Here, realism is discarded in favour of Chinese symbolism, represented by cherry blossom. The polished steel cover protecting the dial of the Luminor 1950 Sealand 3 Days Automatic Acciaio 44 mm is hand-engraved using the ancient technique of sparsello, which involves carving channels into the base material, which are then filled with gold wire. This model, also in a run of 88, is driven by the automatic P.9000 movement, manufactured entirely in-house by Panerai. The most discreet Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel Blancpain You have to look quite hard to find the dog on the dial of Blancpains Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel in white gold, in a limited run of 50. It has been banished to the small window at 12 oclock, which displays the zodiac sign of the current year. As its name suggests, in addition to hours, minutes and the Gregorian calendar we use in the West, this timepiece also supplies the main indications of the Chinese lunar-solar calendar, in which each month begins with the new moon. The automatic 3638 movement requires no fewer than 464 components to drive the various displays and manage the irregular calendar cycles. Another dog is pictured on the white gold rotor. To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry. Disclaimer Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. Political observers are busy asking themselves why no opposition party opted to field a candidate in next months presidential election. When preparations for the presidential poll began in November commentators were optimistic the more established parties like the Wafd and Tagammu would field candidates but their hopes were quickly dashed after the majority of political parties backed the re-election of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. The situation was compounded when Anwar Al-Sadat and Khaled Ali announced they were withdrawing their candidacy bids. Now President Al-Sisi faces a single challenger, Moussa Mustafa Moussa, head of the Ghad Party though it is clear, political analyst Hala Mustafa told Al-Ahram Weekly, that Moussa has no interest in competing against Al-Sisi but joined the race at the last minute to prevent the election from being portrayed as a referendum. Mustafa argues the failure of political parties to put forward candidates necessitates changes to the political parties law to allow the formation of strong parties with distinctive platforms and allow political parties with similar platforms to merge into stronger partisan entities capable of fielding high-profile candidates in the 2022 presidential election. Her hope is that in the future two strong parties will emerge, capable of fielding credible figures in presidential elections. The real problem was that no political parties have shown interest in fielding candidates, said Makram Mohamed Ahmed, an Al-Ahram political analyst and head of the Higher Council for Media Regulation (HCMR), says parties may have preferred not to field a candidate because they believed the result of the polls are a foregone conclusion. While political parties prepared well for parliamentary elections in 2015 they were not serious about contesting the upcoming presidential poll and remained silent about their presidential election intentions,he said. Ahmed argued that though the 25 January Revolution in 2011opened the door wide for political participation, the vast majority of political parties there are now 104 of them exist only on paper. Political parties do not have prominent figures who could achieve victory in a presidential election, Ashraf Rashad, head of the Future of Homeland Party, told the Weekly. Most parties are new. They lack the experience, financial resources and grass roots presence to contest the presidential poll. According to Rashad political parties which successfully contested parliamentary seats decided early on they would not field candidates in the 2018 presidential election out of respect for President Al-Sisi and his achievements over four years in office. Instead of fielding candidates we agreed that we should pave the way for President Al-Sisi to complete implementing his programme during another four-year term. There must be a review of the laws regulating the performance of political parties, says analyst Amr Hashem Rabie. Legislation should be amended so political parties require a minimum of 5,000 members before they can be registered rather than the 1,000 currently specified. And they need to formulate credible political platforms. Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat, leader of the Reform and Development Party, counters that many opposition figures wanted to run but had little faith state authorities would remain neutral during the poll. The political environment in Egypt is hostile to political parties and the government has made no concrete steps towards strengthening a multi-party system, says Al-Sadat. He added he withdrew his own candidacy bid after being barred from meeting with MPs in an attempt to solicit recommendations. Al-Sadat recommends a national dialogue be held between President Al-Sisi and opposition parties to identify the steps necessary to create a flourishing political life. This is important for the future of the country and for ensuring that there will be a peaceful rotation of power in Egypt, he says. Political analyst Abdel-Moneim Said argued in a recent column that the problem with most opposition parties is that they suffer from what he terms political autism. Like children who suffer from autism they live in a world of their own. Instead of actively participating in political life, their attitude is one of boycott. According to Said, rather than holding a dialogue with political parties in his first term President Al-Sisi had focused on helping young people enter political life. The president knows young people are the countrys future leaders. They are the ones who must be groomed to occupy leading positions in the coming years. In his first four-year term President Al-Sisi also gave priority to addressing economic and security concerns and that this might have negatively affected political life. But in the next four years, argues Said, there will have to be some form of dialogue with political parties to pave the way for a competitive presidential election in 2022. * This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Nabil Fahmi, Egypts first post-30 June foreign minister, defined Cairos immediate foreign policy objectives as portraying a correct and proper image of Egypt to the international community, restoring Egypts role in the Arab world, Africa and the Mediterranean region and outlining a comprehensive vision for the future of the countrys foreign relations. Since then Egypt has worked to build a broad and balanced base for its regional and international relations. It has managed to improve ties with states like Russia and China, create a more balanced relation with the US and establish good ties with European, Arab and African states. Cairo has made genuine efforts to resolve pressing crises in Syria and Libya, has continued to promote the Palestinian cause and held numerous meetings in an attempt to find a solution to the problems posed by Ethiopias Renaissance Dam. Relations with Russia have undergone major improvement in the last four years, beginningshortly after the 30 June Revolution when Fahmi travelled to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The meeting paved the way for several official visits between Presidents Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Vladimir Putin and wide military cooperation. Relations had cooled by the end of 2015 following the downing of a Russian airliner over Sinai in October of that year. Last year saw attempts from both sides to improve ties. These efforts were crowned by Putins visit to Cairo in December during which a preliminary agreement to construct the Dabaa nuclear power plant was signed. A protocol to resume Moscow-Cairo flights beginning this month has also been signed, and Cairo and Moscow have agreed to hold further meetings in April to discuss the resumption of flights from Russia to Egypts Red Sea resorts. Russia was one of Egypts most important tourist markets before direct flights were cancelled following the Russian airliner crash. Relations with Washington have been something of a roller-coaster tide during the last four years. US Secretary of State Rex Tillersons visit to Cairo this week the first leg of a Middle East tour is likely to ease the tensions caused by the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The visit seeks to strengthen the countries shared commitment to fighting terrorism though issues that have clouded relations since July 2013 still present an obstacle to further improvement. US officials continue to receive representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Washington and last August the US suspended a portion of the $1.3 billion annual military aid Washington provides Cairo citing human rights concerns. Last year began with a thaw in Egyptian-American relations as Donald Trump entered the White House and President Al-Sisi was the first world leader to congratulate Trump on his election win. Al-Sisi visited the US in May and held what Trump described as very, very important talks. The two leaders met again on the sidelines of the 72nd UN General Assembly in September. Relations with the EU have improved. In 2017 the first round of dialogue between Egypt and the EU on migration was initiated. In July both parties agreed the EU-Egypt partnership priorities for 2017-2020, establishing the basis for further cooperation over economic reform, good governance, the rule of law and human rights, migration and security. The EU has also granted Egypt 60 million to help deal with the pressures of hosting immigrants and refugees. President Al-Sisi visited Germany last year, and Italy and France in 2015. Full diplomatic relations with Rome resumed in September last year after being derailed when the body of Giulio Regeni, an Italian researcher and student in Cairo, was found in February 2016 in Cairo bearing marks of sustained torture. Following the discovery Rome withdrew its ambassador to Egypt. Italy is among Egypts most important tourism markets, the fifth largest foreign investor in Egypt and its second largest partner in terms of trade volume. Egypt has taken serious steps to enhance relations with Greece and Cyprus with five tripartite summits being held in the last two years. President Al-Sisi has hailed this tripartite cooperation as a model for the conduct of successful international relations. Egypt has played a leading role within various international organisations since 2014. It is chair of the Group of 77 and China this year and held the presidency of the African Union Peace and Security Council during January 2018. It holds a seat on the African Unions Peace and Security Council and in 2017 concluded a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Al-Sisi has said repeatedly that Gulf security is indivisible from Egypts own national security, one reason why Cairo has been keen to maintain strong ties with Gulf states. Last week Al-Sisi visited Oman and the UAE in an attempt to further improve ties. Relations with Qatar, however, soured following Mohamed Morsis removal and have deteriorated further since. Together with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, Egypt cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar in June last year because of its support for terrorist groups. The severing of relations included withdrawing ambassadors and imposing trade and travel bans. More than six months have passed without a sign of compromise from either side. In conflict-hit Syria, Cairo has attempted to protect the war-torn states national institutions and territorial integrity by promoting a political solution. Cairo has similarly promoted dialogue in Libya, calling for the implementation of the Skhirat agreement signed in December 2015 which calls on Libyas rival governments in Tobruk and Tripoli to establish a national unity administration. Egypt has been keen to improve relations with African states on both the bilateral and multilateral levels. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri has paid several visits to African countries and diplomatic efforts to resolve differences with Ethiopia over the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have been vigorously pursued. After meeting with the Sudanese president and the Ethiopian prime minister on the sidelines of the 30th AU Summit in Addis Ababa last month President Al-Sisi said there is no crisis [over the dam] between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia the interests of our three states are one. A tripartite meeting is likely to be held next month in Khartoum though the 17 tripartite meetings held over the last two years have failed to produce any agreement. Late last year Ethiopia said 62 per cent of the construction of the dam has been completedand announced it would begin filling the dams reservoir by the middle of this year. Yet impact studies on the dam have yet to be finished and there is no agreement on pivotal issues, including the timetable for filling the reservoir and the dams operating protocols. *This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: It is difficult to implement European standards of human rights in a country of 90 million people that is fighting terrorism, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said during a press conference with then French president Francois Hollande held in Cairo in April 2017. Al-Sisi added that he had assured Hollande that Egypt considers human rights a top priority, adding that he was asking our European friends to consider our broader vision regarding human rights issues which includes the right to education, health and housing. Egypt has faced mounting criticism over its human rights record since the 30 June uprising. International human rights organisations and local human rights observers and NGOs have condemned the governments record while the regime has defended itself by stressing that while it respects freedoms and human rights it must give priority to stability and security. A report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in September denounced the widespread and systematic use of torture by Egyptian security forces. A month later, during a visit to France, Al-Sisi denied he had allowed security forces to use torture, telling a Paris news conference we do not practise torture and... we must be wary of all information published by rights organisations. During a meeting with the head of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) Mohamed Fayek last year Al-Sisi said Egypt will continue its efforts to maintain human rights and basic freedoms while confronting terrorism and protecting national security. Since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi in 2013 Egypt has been fighting an Islamist insurgency led by the Islamic States branch in North Sinai, formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed. Though Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis is at the forefront of militant groups launching attacks against security targets smaller militant groups most notably Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawra have emerged during the last couple of years, carrying out terrorist attacks in Cairo and provincial governorates. Human rights advocates and observers believe the last four years have seen a serious deterioration in human rights. We will witness an escalation in violence if things do not change, warns veteran political activist and member of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) George Ishak. In the last year a number of news websites have been blocked. Some sites are affiliated to newspapers, including Daily News Egypt for which Al-Sisi wrote two articles in 2014 and 2015, Al-Badil, Al-Borsa and Al-Masryoon. The list also includes Mada Masr and Masr Alarabia, HuffPost Arabi, Al-Horreya Post, Cairo Portal and Al-Gornal. Article 70 of the 2014 Constitution states that freedom of the press, printing and paper, visual, audio and electronic publication is guaranteed. Article 71 reads: It is prohibited to censor, confiscate, suspend or shut down Egyptian newspapers and media outlets. But Egypts 59-year-old emergency law, which Al-Sisi invoked on 11 April following twin church bombings by the extremist group Islamic State, allows the authorities to censor publications. Pro-Al-Sisi commentators argue constitutional articles guaranteeing press and media freedoms can only be applied after the state establishes a media and press system that conforms with the constitution which it is in the process of doing. It will be the job of newly formed regulatory authorities the Higher Council for Media Regulation (HCMR), the National Media Organisation (NMO) and the National Press Organisation (NPO) to uphold the independence of the media, they say. In addition to blocking news websites, critics of the regime say dissenting political and public figures are prevented from appearing in the media. They warn that polarisation has reached unprecedented levels and anyone who differs with the regime is immediately labelled a traitor by a media that had been cowed into compliance. When Al-Sisi declared a state of emergency in 2017 Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube would fall under state of emergency censorship provisions. Hundreds of complaints of torture in police custody and detention centres have been documented by NGOs which receive reports on police abuse, including cases of death in detention. Defenders of the regime argue that Al-Sisi has pledged to hold accountable any policeman guilty of violations after a series of deaths in police custody sparked a major public outcry. They claim the last four years have seen a positive development as more police officers are summoned for investigation and referred to trial. A Cairo criminal court has set 15 February as the opening day of the trial of two policemen charged with beating 21-year-old Mohamed Afroto Abdel-Hakim Mahmoud to death in police custody in Moqattam, Cairo, last month. Magdi Makeen, a 50-year-old Coptic fish vendor, was allegedly tortured to death inside Al-Amiriya Police Station shortly after being arrested on 13 November 2016. Family members say his body showed unmistakable signs of beating and lynching. In December of the same year Makeens lawyer said the autopsy report issued by the Forensic Authority concluded that torture was the cause of Makeens death. Public prosecutors subsequently ordered the questioning of a police officer and nine low-ranking policemen over the incident. Human rights observers also warn the right of peaceful assembly has been undermined by the protest law which they say is unconstitutional. Since the law, which requires all demonstrations to be first approved by the Ministry of Interior, was issued after hundreds of demonstrators had received harsh prison sentences for taking part in protests. Pro-regime voices counter by noting that some protesters have been released following presidential pardons. A Detained Youth Committee was formed in October 2016 following a directive from Al-Sisi to examine cases of young Egyptians detained since the 25 January Revolution. The committee says it will soon complete a fourth list of detainees recommended for a pardon. In June 2017 Al-Sisi pardoned 502 prisoners. In March of the same year 203 prisoners were pardoned and in November 2016, 82 prisoners were released. *This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Three takfiris were killed by the Egyptian armed forces in northern and central Sinai on Friday, the army said in a statement. Military spokesman Tamer El-Rifai said forces also arrested 224 wanted criminal elements, destroyed 10 4x4 vehicles and 68 weapons caches, and detonated 28 IEDs planted in the field of operations on Friday. El-Rifais statement about the seventh day of Operation Sinai 2018, the militarys new counter-terrorism operation, is the eighth military communique on the operation since it began last week. The operation involves land, naval and air operations. The term takfiri refers to Sunni Muslims who accuse other Muslims of being infidels, often as a justification for using violence against them. Land, sea and air forces have carried out security patrols to combat attempts to smuggle arms or infiltrate through southern and western borders, El-Rifai added. Forces involved in the operation have also destroyed nine farms used to grow illegal narcotics and seized large amounts of drugs and communication facilities, he said. On Thursday, Egypt's military said that security forces had killed 53 takfiris since the operation was launched. Short link: The Egyptian Meteorological Authority said that cold weather is expected in the north-west, while moderate weather is expected in Cairo and other parts of northern Egypt. The EMA warned of low visibility levels due to fog in Cairo, the Nile Delta and Suez Canal cities. Expected weather temperatures on Friday: Cairo: 20-11 Celsius Alexandria: 17-9 Nile Delta: 20-11 North Sinai: 20-8 South Sinai: 23-17 Upper Egypt: 23-11 ' Short link: Cairo International Airport authorities received a memo on Friday from Russian national carrier Aeroflot on the postponement of a planned resumption of Russian flights to the airport for a week due to technical reasons, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. According to a protocol signed in Moscow between Egyptian Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy and Russian Transportation Minister Maxim Sokolov in December, direct flights between Moscow and Cairo, which were suspended by Russian authorities in 2015, were set to resume in early February, before the date was pushed to the middle of the month and now to late February. "Aeroflot is currently waiting on security approvals and necessary permits to resume flights to Cairo from Russian authorities," read the memo, Al-Ahram reported. Another round of talks between Egyptian and Russian officials is planned to take place in April to discuss the resumption of charter flights from Russia to the Red Sea resort cities of Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. Moscow grounded all commercial passenger flights to Egypt in late 2015 over security concerns after a Russian Airbus A321 crashed in Sinai shortly after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh. All 224 people on board were killed in the crash. Egypt has since boosted security procedures at many of its airports in response to Russian requests. Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the resumption of commercial air traffic between Russia and Cairo. Russians travelers make up the largest single tourist group in Egypt, contributing to about a fifth of foreign vacationers in the country as of 2015, according to official data. Short link: Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. "The foreign minister affirmed Egypt's support for the United Nations' efforts to address escalating unrests in the region and to push peace efforts forward, especially in Syria and Libya," the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on its official Facebook page. The UN chief encouraged Egypt's efforts to aid the UN's mission in Syria by using its contact with all involved parties to press on flexible talks within the framework the of the UN envoy Stephane De Mistura. Shoukry and Guterres also discussed the situation in Lebanon in light of rising tension in the region, as well as challenges facing the Palestinian file, including the urgent necessity to provide funding to overcome the United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA's budget deficit. The foreign minister demonstrated Egypt's vision and stance on the Palestinian file during the current international situation and ways to facilitate international efforts to revive the peace process. Shoukry and Gutierres exchanged visions on ways to unify international efforts to confront the escalating threat of terrorism and countering extremist ideas. Shoukry also reviewed Egypt's vision on assisting the work of the group of 77, a coalition of economic developing nations at the UN, chaired by Egypt in 2018. The foreign minister reaffirmed Egypt's support for the UN efforts to settle international disputes and rebuilding institutional capacities of countries experiencing conflicts. Short link: Ethiopia announced a state of emergency on Friday after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday announced his intention to step down amid a political crisis in the Horn of Africa country. The ruling EPRDF coalition's council met on Friday and decided to impose emergency rule, the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said. The announcement did not say how long the rule would be in place. The council "came to the conclusion that imposing emergency rule would be vital to safeguarding the constitutional order of our country", it said. Further details are expected to be given by the defence minister on Saturday morning. An opposition leader said earlier on Friday the ruling coalition had lost its authority and all parties must help map the country's future. Mulatu Gemechu, deputy secretary of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, said Ethiopia needed a completely new political system after years of unrest. "Ethiopians now need a government that respects their rights, not one that keeps beating and killing them," he told Reuters. Rights advocates have frequently criticised Ethiopia's government for mass arrests and long jail terms handed to political opponents and journalists. But more than 6,000 political prisoners have been freed since January as the government has struggled to placate discontent. The prime minister's resignation followed a wave of strikes and demonstrations successfully demanding the release of more opposition leaders. Short link: Looking closely at the situation in Syria, it is safe to deduce that Israel is seeking political and military intervention. It is also logical to assume that it is willing to take risks and challenge the current status quo. This conclusion follows from observing the pattern of Israeli military operations in Syria since July 2017, Israels diplomatic agenda during the past few months, and the political and military content of Israels strategic methods. INTENSIFIED DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN: Irans expanding influence in Syria has turned into a priority on Israels foreign policy agenda. The subject topped the latest talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on 23 August and during the 15 October visit of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu to Israel. Israel has also attempted to drive the attention of the US administration to the potential threats of Irans increasing power in Syria. A delegation comprising security officials from Mossad and Israels Military Intelligence was in Washington 18 August to meet with their US counterparts to discuss the subject. On 16 July, the case was the focus of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, and with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in September when she met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. ALTERNATIVE MILITARY PATTERN: The first Israeli military action after the July ceasefire differed from the usual operations conducted during the past few years of Syrias civil war. According to media reports, an Israeli air strike hit a research and/or production facility close to Messyaf in Hama on 7 September. The establishment was affiliated to a Syrian scientific research centre conducting studies on developing strategic and modern weapons. The exact mission of the facility remains somehow vague but many reports indicate it produces missiles for the Syrian army and Hizbullah. Other reports, nonetheless, said it produced chemical weapons. Regardless the target of the Israeli air strike, the operation is unorthodox, at least diplomatically. For four years, before the ceasefire, Israels air strikes hit random targets. Now it is aiming at tactical targets, which means that Israel is adamant to cripple Syria and Hizbullahs strategic abilities. More importantly, however, is Israels willingness to escalate its military operations despite possible risks on the part of Iran, Syria and Hizbullah, or even severing ties altogether with Russia. It is interesting to note that the air strike against the Syrian facility took place during the biggest Israeli military exercises in the past 20 years. The timing of the air strike indicates Israel is upping its readiness against any retaliation. The air strike also appears to be an attempt to send a message of discontent to Russia, since the destroyed facility was in the vicinity of a strong Russian military presence less than 80 kilometres from Khmeimim Airbase run by the Russian Air Force. Israel was telling Russia that it would not stand handtied as Moscow ignored efforts by Syria and Hizbullah to expand their military might. This also explains the 16 October Israeli downing of a Syrian anti-aircraft jet in retaliation to a missile fired on Israels Air Force jets a recurrent incident Israel usually ignored in the past during Shoygus visit to Israel. SHIFTING STRATEGIC METHODS: Israel has changed its political and military tactics in the latest year to redefine the nature of the challenges it is facing to the north. It is currently seeking to remove the defining line between Irans power in Lebanon, through Hizbullah, and its influence in Syria. Israel prefers to deal with the two scenarios in one theatre. No longer are there different rules of engagement, rather one northern front comprising Syria, Lebanon, Hizbullah, and Bashar Al-Assad regime together with its allies. Observing Israels shifting strategic methods and the change in Irans agenda makes it possible to construe Tel Avivs next escalating move. It is highly possible, in this sense, that any confrontation between Israel and Lebanon will stretch to Syria, and vice versa. POLITICAL SCENARIOS: Development on the ground indicates Israel will follow one of two political scenarios, each reflecting a different strategic method. The first scenario is an Israeli contingency plan that may risk an unintentional escalation. Increasing Iranian influence in Syria, coupled with the US and Russias inaction towards minimising Tehrans role may lead Israels decision-makers to initiate a pre-emptive political or military strike to this end the air strike on Messyaf being a case in point. Tel Aviv will impose a new set of red lines regarding Irans position in Syria and its efforts to increase the strategic abilities of its allies. The red lines may be imposed on Irans deployment of sophisticated weaponry on Syrian ground; rebuilding Syrias and Hizbullahs capabilities to produce weapons of mass destruction; and deploying Iranian and Iranian-backed forces in naval and air bases. Israels contingency plan will require a concoction of diplomatic and military procedures more of the latter in fact. This scenario may end up putting Israel in direct confrontation with Syria and Iran since its pre-emptive strikes will like hit Tehrans allies in Syria, such as Hizbullah, and their strategic infrastructure before they retaliate. On the longer term, this contingency plan will result in shattering the relationship between Tel Aviv and Moscow and may drive the latter to unchain Syrias willingness to retaliate. On the regional level, Israels activities on the Syrian front may confuse ongoing efforts to impose stability on Syria. The second scenario sees Israels accepting an unofficial military presence for Iran in Syria. It will be conditional, of course, and on terms agreed upon with Russia and the international community. Unconfirmed reports tell of Russian efforts to reach an agreed-upon, bilateral formula that guarantees Iranian-backed military presence in Syria that at the same time calms Israels fears that Syria may turn into a platform for Iranian aggression. If these reports are to be trusted, they indicate that Moscow aspires to protect Al-Assads regime through preventing a war between Tel Aviv and Damascus, although at this point it is difficult to assess how committed Russia is to Israels demands, the latters willingness to delegate Russia to negotiate its interests, or its readiness to concord with Russias viewpoint. A number of conflicting factors should be carefully calculated. Parties in the ongoing battle are either working towards a ceasefire to prevent an all-out war, or are accelerating a confrontation. On the one hand, some believe that the existence of a strong negotiator such as Russia in this conflict minimises the risk of confrontation between Israel and the Iranian-backed camp, which if it happens will destroy Russias efforts to restore the strength of the Syrian regime. On the other hand, Israels continuing air strikes against strategic targets will result in inevitable escalation. Syria and Iran will hit back and Russia will not intervene to stop this retaliation. A scenario similar to the dynamics that led up to the 2006 Lebanon War will loom fast. Both Israel and Iran are strong regional players on the Syrian field. Their interests are conflicting, but the two will unyieldingly go to great lengths to achieve them. Regretfully, the two countries are pursuing their aspirations in Syria in the absence of a security system that regulates their moves. Consequently, a simple miscalculation by either party will result in escalation, even if unintentional. *This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told a US envoy on Friday that Lebanon rejects current proposals over the disputed marine borders with Israel, state media said. US diplomats have been mediating between Lebanon and Israel over tensions including an Israeli border wall and Lebanon's decision to begin exploring for offshore energy near a disputed patch of water, officials said. Acting Assistant US Secretary of State David Satterfield also met Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Friday. "What is proposed is unacceptable," Lebanon's NNA cited Berri as saying in a meeting with Satterfield. This was an apparent reference to a maritime demarcation line proposed by US diplomat Frederic Hof in 2012. The line would give Lebanon around two thirds and Israel around one third of a disputed triangular area of sea of around 860 sq km (330 square miles). A source in Berri's camp said Satterfield came with "a new plan ... after the American side became convinced" that Lebanon would not accept the Hof line. It is unclear exactly what the new US suggestion to Lebanon regarding the disputed waters involves. Berri insisted during the meeting with Satterfield that the maritime border should be drawn up through a tripartite committee that stemmed from a 1996 ceasefire, NNA said. He said he wanted to see a similar process as produced the UN-demarcated Blue Line border between the two countries, which marks Israel's military withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Short link: A British delegation including representatives of 50 companies concluded its five-day visit to Egypt on Thursday after meetings and talks with Egyptian officials, the British embassy said in a statement. The release described the British trade delegation as the largest to visit Egypt in the last two decades. Headed by British trade envoy to Egypt Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the delegation met leading Egyptian officials and businessmen in Cairo and Alexandria to discuss business opportunities in sectors like transportation, health, manufacturing, energy and education. Donaldson also met with Minister of Investment Sahr Nasr, Minister of Health Ahmed Rady, Minister of Trade Tarek Qabil, Minister of Education Tarek Shawky and Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar. "The visit comes at time when the UK is further deepening economic ties with Egypt," said the statement, highlighting a EGP 1.7 billion British investment in BenBan solar project, and a joint-venture industrial complex for high quality medical supplies. The statement also highlighted BP's announcement earlier this week that their Atoll Phase One project, involving almost $1 billion of investment, started production seven months ahead of schedule. The delegation included the 33 companies from Scottish Development International and six from the Energy Industries Council, whose companies focus on the oil and gas industry. It also includes 14 companies from the transport and health care sector, and four companies focused on opportunities in the education sector. Short link: On Saturday 10 February, Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem attended the 44th Film Association Festival presided over by Mahmoud Abdel-Samea. The event, which took place at the Renaissance Cinema in Downtown Cairo, was attended by a number of accomplished filmmakers and cinema icons including Ezzat El-Alayli. Under the slogan Towards EgyptianEgyptian Cinema, the event started its closing ceremony with Abdel-Samea expressing great appreciation for the minister of culture for standing by the association, which was founded in 1960. Abdel-Dayem and El-Alayli were cordially invited on stage to honour nine Filmography figures: researcher and critic Mahmoud Ali, writer and critic Iris Nazmy, former dean of the Higher Institute of Cinema Shawky Ali, director Mohamed Nabil, Palestinian director Ghaleb Shaath, musician and composer Omar Khairat, as well as actors Gamil Ratib, Farouk El-Fishawy and Libliba. The winners were granted shields of honour and certificates of appreciation Among the shields of honour winners were Yasser El-Naggar for best visual effects and Hesham Nazih for best music score for the film Al-Aslyeen (The Originals). Mohamed Hammad, who made Akhdar Yabis (Withered Green), won best script and the Exceptional Jury Award. Ali the Goat and Ibrahim, by Sherif El-Bindary, won the Samy Al-Salamony innovation and creativity award. Salwa Mohamed Ali won best actress in a supporting role and Amr Farouk received a cinematography certificate of appreciation for the same film. Sherine Reda won best actress in a leading role and Ahmed Dash received a performance certificate of recognition for their roles in the film Photocopy. Maged El-Kedwany won acting awards for his performances in Al-Aslyeen (The Originals) and Sheikh Jackson. Ahmed Malek won best actor in a supporting role for his performance in Sheikh Jackson. Al-Kenz (The Treasure) won six awards, including best picture and best director (Sherif Arafa). The best costumes award went to Malak Zoul Foqar, best decor went to Onsi Abu-Sief, best cinematography went to Ayman Aboul Makarem and best actor in a leading role to Mohamed Saad. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: Out of all the art forms, ballet holds a special place in my heart. I remember my parents taking me to a variety of symphonic, opera and theatre performances. As a child I played with makeup and props backstage; I enjoyed plays and concerts in the audience and I could go to the extent of attending the same theatre play dozens of times, eventually memorising all the lines. At other times I was less interested or even slept on my fathers lap through the concert. But the ballet always fascinated me, keeping my eyes wide open, and I would dream about it after I returned home. As much as all performing arts have their own charm, in classical ballet I find a unique kind of magic. The magic unveils with the raising of the curtain, puts a spell on the audience and keeps it breathless until the last bar is played by the orchestra and the last tutu skirt disappears behind the falling curtain. Just like every magic trick, there is a moment when something very ordinary is transformed into something extraordinary. A large team of amazing artists the choreographer, the dancers, the composer, the orchestra, the conductor, the scenographer, the costume designer, the technicians, etc make this magic possible. This kind of magic came to the Cairo Opera House with the Italian company Balletto del Sud which between 6 and 8 February performed The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet in two acts directed and choreographed by the troupes founder and one of the best known Italian choreographers Fredy Franzutti. Founded in 1995, in Lecce, a historic city in the south of Italy, the company's repertoire boasts over 30 ballets, including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sheherazade, The Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, and The Four Seasons. The company stages 80 evening ballets annually, many of which travel across Italy and internationally. The original version of The Sleeping Beauty to Tchaikovskys music is choreographed by Marius Petipa (1890). It is based on the timeless story "La Belle au bois dormant" (The Sleeping Beauty) by the French writer Charles Perrault (1628 -1703). The story by Perrault is in turn inspired by the fable Sun, Moon, and Talia. The latter was written down by Giambattista Basile (1575-1621), an Italian poet who collected and documented folk tales from the Italys south. In his version of the ballet, Franzutti brings in many details from Basiles version of the fairy tale, including setting the story back in the southern Italy. Equally, Aurora is a lovely Mediterranean girl whose terrible destiny is predicted by the wicked fairy Carabosse, in fact an old and scary sorceress. A kiss of love from Ernesto, the prince-anthropologist and a bit of magic from Lilys Gypsy awaken the girl from her century-long sleep. Nuria Salado Fuste as Aurora captured the filigree finesse of the heroine, while Tsetso Ivanov as Ernesto interwove the strong masculinity with the characters amiable and noble nature. But this is not all. Playing further with Basile and Perraut, Franzutti adds his own unique character to the story, whereby and here comes the spoiler the sorceress is forgiven, invited to the wedding and becomes the one to catch the bouquet tossed by Aurora. The fairy Carabosse being performed by a man in disguise (Andrea Sirianni), a character originally created by the choreographer for the English dancer, choreographer and mime Lindsay Kemp, is an only seemingly simple but unique and effective idea, a move that opened the door to new interpretations of the meanings hidden in the iconic fairy tale. In fact Kemp (born 1938) and his dream dance, a form rich in inspiration braiding many dance forms, have influenced numerous choreographers and their works. On the other hand, Franzuttis Sleeping Beauty also includes many small choreographic puns. They all add a special flavour to the great dish, just enough to put a warm smile on the viewers faces without falling into the trap of needless exaggeration. On the thematic level, fun, love and joy add a lot of warmth to the story and on leaving the hall, the audiences hearts are filled with compassion and hope, both being intense realisations to be experienced by the spectators. Equally interesting is the development of Roberto (Carlos Montalvan), Auroras father, and Silvia (Beatrice Batolomei), the mother. We witness their transformation from their days of youth and infatuation with one another, the pregnancy, their care for Aurora as a small girl and fun with the child enjoyed by her father, then the parents maturity and finally their old age. Again, the human emotions are all there, evolving with time, facing and against all odds of the dramaturgy, captured in movement. Since its premiere in Lecce in 2000, Italy, the ballet has garnered dozens of thrilling reviews from critics and admiration from the audience in Italy and internationally. This not without reason. The enjoyable dramaturgy, the captivating setting and lively characterisation of the protagonists and of the supporting characters, each being very distinctive, are all ingredients of a success potion. This is topped with beautiful solos by the dancers, pas de deux and, particularly well drawn by Francesco Palma, the group scenes including those depicting the festivities. Franzuttis work is cutting-edge without being forceful or presumptuous. Enveloped in a classical jacket, it welcomes time in its unfolding, bringing with it the newer trends in dance, from ballroom to modern, the 1970s formats, a spoon of rocknroll and a touch of acrobatics. At the same time, while respecting the core aesthetics of the classical ballet, Franzuttis sense of creativity and well-balanced humour is apparent in major dramaturgical lines as well as the details. The gentle playfulness reminded me of another classical performance that came to Egypt back in early 2010, with the Solisti Veneti Orchestra, a first-rate, small Italian ensemble specialising in music from the Baroque and early Classical periods. Though completely different in the material presented, the Solisti Veneti added a few twists to the otherwise well-known compositions, enjoying the music and projecting new emotions onto the audience. As no matter how classical the material is, how many centuries stand between us and the composer, or how old the fairy tale is conceived, the creativity allows the artists to extract a new spirit and new meanings from the material at hand, just as Solisti Veneti did with their classical repertoire, or Franzutti with The Sleeping Beauty. This formula keeps art alive. In brief, for almost three hours, a duration that is hardly acceptable by todays standards, especially in Egypt, we witnessed art in its purest form. The Sleeping Beauty is living proof that if the performance is rich in vision and execution, even the most bored or disgruntled will be captivated by it. This is the magic of ballet and art in general. If we were to ask for anything in this ballet it would be a live orchestra, since unfortunately in Egypt, Franzuttis Sleeping Beauty was performed to recorded music. Ballet is not only about the tutu skirts, every girls dream; it is not only the perfectly executed pirouettes or tours en lair, the jetes or the entrechats, but it is the whole atmosphere in which those and many other movements serve to tell a story in the most artistic, creative, aesthetic and as such, breathtaking way. It is also the scenography which in The Sleeping Beauty recreated the palace or nature, and when supported by good lighting allowed the characters to appear on stage or fused them into disappearance behind the transparent curtain. This is the story of The Sleeping Beauty and its magic, as performed by the Balletto del Sud, probably one of the most memorable ballet performances presented to Egyptian audiences in the past years. Even without my inherent love of ballet, Franzuttis Sleeping Beauty, the story and its execution would make me want to attend it time and time again, to savour its beauty ad infinitum, just as I used to as a young child. Time to dream of The Sleeping Beauty now... This article was first published in Al Ahram Weekly For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn suddenly resigned on Thursday in what he described as a bid to smooth reforms, following years of violent unrest that threatened the ruling party's hold on Africa's second most populous nation. The prime minister leads the nation under Ethiopia's political system and Hailemariam's decision to quit underscores the depth of division within the ruling coalition over how fast to pursue political openness. It was not clear who would replace Hailemariam, who also resigned as chairman of the ruling coalition that contains four parties representing Ethiopia's ethnic groups and has governed the country since it defeated a military regime in 1991. "Unrest and a political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many," Hailemariam said in a televised speech. "I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy." Hundreds of people died in Ethiopia's two most populous regions - Oromiya and Amhara - in 2015 and 2016. Opposition to an urban development plan for the capital Addis Ababa sparked public demonstrations against political restrictions, land grabbing and human rights abuses. "Much of the public anger stems from the fact that the Tigryan ethnic group, representing 6 percent of the population, control key business interests, hold senior level positions in government and the military, and own significant land at the expense of other ethnic groups," wrote Ahmed Salim, vice president at Teneo global advisory firm in a briefing note. Some foreign-owned firms were attacked in the violence, which dented investor confidence in East Africa's largest and fastest growing economy and sparked divisions in the ruling coalition on how best to end the unrest. Hailemariam, a 52-year-old former university dean, said he would stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity until the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the country's parliament named a new premier. The ruling coalition has accepted his resignation, state-affiliated outlets said. It was not immediately clear when a new premier was to be announced. The party is scheduled to hold a congress next month. There is pressure for a member of the Oromo ethnic group to get the post, said a source close to a ruling party member and an analyst familiar with the region. Currently the foreign minister is the most senior Oromo in government. VIOLENCE, THEN REFORMS Hailemariam's resignation follows a reshuffle in ruling party that began in November and sidelined a number of senior members, including the widow of the former prime minister. Since January, the government has speeded up reforms, releasing more than 6,000 of political prisoners. Most of the released prisoners, which included high level opposition figures and journalists, were detained for alleged involvement in the mass protests. The prime minister had pushed for even more prisoner releases, said a regional analyst familiar with Ethiopian politics. He asked not to be named in order not to jeopardise his relationship with the government. "He (the Prime Minister) wanted more prisoners released - I think he wanted to empty the jails of all political prisoners. Remember he also ordered the closure of this notorious prison in Addis. This was a PM who wanted some major changes but sadly didn't get all that he wanted," the analyst said. However, the resignation did not necessarily mean reforms would stop, the analyst said. "I don't think the resignation is a sign that the hard-liners have won. They will probably continue on the path of reform, albeit not to the scale and speed that people want. They realise that there is no option," he said. But former opposition lawmaker Girma Seifu warned that breaking the coalition's stranglehold on power would take more than the resignation of one man. Since 2015, when Seifu lost his post, the coalition has controlled every seat in Ethiopia's 547-strong parliament. "This (resignation) is not something to cheer about. In my opinion, the whole parliament had to be disbanded and a transitional phase enacted," he said. "Whoever replaces him (Hailemariam) has to have in mind a transition. Otherwise it will only be a false start." Short link: KABUL, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least four militants of terrorist groups were killed following airstrikes in two eastern Afghan provinces on Friday, said the command of special forces. "Three members of al-Qaida network were killed as a result of an airstrike launched by Afghan Special Operations Forces in Chapa Dara District, Kunar province. One bunker of the terrorist network was also destroyed," Operational Coordination Group Afghanistan (MoD-OCGA) said in a statement. In neighboring Nangarhar province, a militant of the Islamic State (IS) group was killed after an air raid in Achin district, according to the statement. The sorties occurred at around midday and details on identities of the killed militants were not immediately available, but the statement noted that "more information will be shared with the media as appropriate." The Afghan security forces, alongside U.S. and NATO-led coalition forces, have increased ground and air offensives against militants in the last few months as the militants keep attacking government interests across the country. Source: todayonline.com BEIJING China has for the first time named a senior air force officer to head a military theatre command, signalling the air forces growing strategic importance in the Peoples Liberation Army. General Yi Xiaoguang, a versatile pilot and former deputy chief of general staff of the now defunct General Staff Department, will take over the Central Theatre Command, according to a news website operated by a district government in Beijing. The Central Theatre Command is responsible for safeguarding the Chinese capital and providing support to the four other war zones. Gen. Yi was transferred to the command in October but the websites report on Thursday (Feb 15) is the first official confirmation of his title. Gen. Yi attended a seminar on the integration of civilian and military technology as the head of the command last week, the report said. His appointment is seen as an attempt to give the air force and navy a bigger presence at the top of the army-dominated military as it undergoes a massive modernisation programme to ensure troops are combat-ready, better trained and integrated. His appointment is seen as an attempt to give the air force and navy a bigger presence at the top of the army-dominated military as it undergoes a massive modernisation programme to ensure troops are combat-ready, better trained and integrated. We can expect more appointments like Yis in the future. Maybe we can see more people rising from the navy or even the rocket force. Gen. Yi, born in 1958, joined the air force at 15 and is the son and grandson of military veterans of the war of resistance against Japan and the Chinese civil war. He has flown a range of aircraft, including MiG-15, J-6, J-7, Su-27 and Su-30 jets, and has authored a number of books on stealth aircraft and armed helicopters. He has also frequently represented the Chinese military abroad. He was part of a delegation that visited the United States in May 2014, and he took part in the first joint military exercises between China and Russia in 2005. He was also the senior officer in charge of the first military exercises between China and Malaysia in 2015. The militarys deployment has risen as Beijing has become more assertive in defending its territorial claims. Last year, H-6K bombers took off from an airbase in Shaanxi province before flying over the Miyako Strait and Bashi Channel choke points in the first island chain. Shaanxi is part of the Central Theatre Command. A Beijing-based military observer said the head of the Central Theatre Command had become a more important position as greater stress had been put on joint operations between forces. The position is a stepping stone for Yi to a more senior post in the military, the source said. India records 27,176 fresh cases of COVID-19, 284 deaths With the fresh cases, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,33,16,755, while the death toll has climbed to 4,43,497, according to the data updated at 8 am. (Newser) Wanted gang leader Thomaz Viera Gomez has been dubbed Brazil's very own Robin Hood, thanks to his alleged involvement in what may be one of the most unconventional kidnappings ever, reports Newsweek. That's because the two men Gomez, or "2N," is accused of kidnapping on Jan. 27 are nurses who were ordered to vaccinate residents of one of Rio de Janeiro's slums. According to TV station Telesur, Gomez and his cronies stole syringes and yellow fever vaccines from a vaccination center before forcing the two nurses to leave with them. They then took them to the Salgueiro favela, or slum, where they were instructed to administer vaccinations over two hours. The nurses were then returned to their place of work. story continues below Brazil faced an outbreak of yellow fever, spread by infected mosquitoes, last year. And though government officials said it was over by September, more than half of 53 deaths from yellow fever since July occurred last month, per Tech Times. The nurses told local media the kidnappers weren't aggressive and had only the poor residents of Salgueiro in mind because they didn't have access to vaccination centers. Former environment minister Carlos Minc went as far as to describe his latest act as a "public service," per Telesur. In another incident lending to his Robin Hood persona, Gomez is said to have caused a riot last March after throwing bunches of cash to locals in Salgueiro. (Read more Brazil stories.) (Newser) A former California inmate wrongly imprisoned for nearly 40 years says it was the "worst nightmare" and that even nearly $2 million in state compensation granted on Thursday can't make up for his lost time. The California Victims Compensation Board granted 70-year-old Craig Richard Coley $140 for each of the 13,991 days he spent in prison before he was pardoned by Gov. Jerry Brown before Thanksgiving, per the AP. Coley spent 39 years behind bars after he was wrongly convicted of killing his former girlfriend, 24-year-old Rhonda Wicht of Simi Valley, and her 4-year-old son in 1978. Simi Valley's police chief and Ventura County's district attorney asked Brown to pardon him because forensic tests showed Coley's DNA was not on the victim's bedsheet, which did contain DNA from an unknown man. story continues below Coley had an alibi for the time of the slayings and investigators later disproved testimony from an eyewitness who placed him at the scene. "It's probably the worst nightmare I can ever think of," Coley said of his false imprisonment at age 31. His parents died while he was in prison after mortgaging their home to pay his legal bills and he missed out on marrying or rearing children. "It's going to make my life comfortable for the rest of my life," Coley said after the board approved his claim for $1,958,740. "How much would you say would be the right amount of money to pay for 40 years they take of your life? ... You can't put a price on your freedom." Coley, who spent three tours in Vietnam aboard an aircraft carrier, said he now plans to help homeless veterans. (Read more false imprisonment stories.) (Newser) New details are emerging in the case of a kidnapped 4-year-old girl who was found safe on Wednesday, one day after being taken. Police say the girl's mother was attacked in her home on Tuesday and apparently tied up before police found her while making a welfare check, according to an affidavit filed in the case. Heidi Todd's mother had dropped off two other children at school Tuesday morning, returned to her home on Johns Island, South Carolina, and was attacked by a man who had a knife, FBI Special Agent Matt Rhue said in papers filed in US District Court in Charleston. "The attacker then physically assaulted (the woman) causing facial fractures and brain bleeding, among other significant injuries," Rhue wrote in the affidavit, per the AP. She remains hospitalized. Police haven't said whether the attack was random or if the suspect knew the family. story continues below Rhue said officers went to the home at 5:30pm after school officials told police no one had picked up the two children who had been dropped off that morning. The mother met officers at the door, and they said she had significant facial trauma and markings suggesting she had been tied up. The mother told officers that she had told Heidi to run and hide when the man attacked her, according to Rhue. Rick Oliver, the police chief in Riverside, Alabama, said a railroad crew called him after finding a vehicle parked well into the woods Wednesday afternoon near a railroad track in the city on Interstate 20 east of Birmingham, Alabama. Oliver said 37-year-old Thomas Lawton Evans Jr. and the girl were asleep in the car. Evans handed over the girl, then sped off before being caught and arrested, said police. He is charged with kidnapping, with more charges expected. (Read more kidnapping stories.) (Newser) A tip about one "Nikolas Cruz" had been investigated by the FBI back in September, though nothing seems to have come out of it. Now CBS News and NBC News are reporting on a new admission from the FBI that "protocols were not followed" for a separate tip about the Parkland shooting suspect received early last month. Someone said to be close to Cruz called the FBI's Public Access Line on Jan. 5 and offered info on "Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting," per an FBI release. However, although the info from that call should have placed Cruz on a "potential threat to life" list, spurring further local investigation, that never happened. story continues below "I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public," FBI Director Christopher Wray says. He adds that the FBI has spoken with survivors and victims' families and "deeply [regrets] the additional pain this causes." The FBI currently has a dedicated webpage set up regarding the shooting for people to send tips to. (Read more Parkland school shooting stories.) (Newser) Thirteen Russians and three Russian entities were charged Friday with an elaborate plot to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, federal prosecutors announced Friday. The indictment, brought by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, alleges that Russians used bogus social media postings and advertisements fraudulently purchased in the name of Americans to sway political opinion during the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, per the AP. The charges are the most direct allegation to date of illegal Russian meddling in the election. As for any links to the Trump campaign: Some of the suspects "interacted with Americans associated with the Trump campaign, but those Trump associates did not realize they were being manipulated," per the Washington Post. story continues below The Post adds that the charges are linked to a "notorious Russian troll farm" known as the Internet Research Agency. From in or around 2014 to the present, defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other (and with persons known and unknown to the grand jury) to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the government through fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016, the indictment states. Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein said the goal of those charged Friday was "spreading distrust" of 2016 candidates and the political system. (Read more Robert Mueller stories.) (Newser) Following Robert Mueller's indictment of 13 Russian nationals for crimes related to interfering with the 2016 presidential election, President Trump claimed victory, the Hill reports. "Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President," Trump tweeted Friday. "The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!" Sarah Huckabee Sanders added that Trump "is glad to see the special counsels investigation further indicatesthat there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump campaign and Russia and that the outcome of the election was not changed or affected." But the White House's celebration may be premature. story continues below A "person with knowledge of the probe" tells Bloomberg that Mueller is still investigating possible collusion between Russia and Trump or his associates and that Friday's indictments are only a small part of Mueller's investigation, which may include obstruction of justice by Trump. And federal investigators haven't actually concluded Russian interference didn't impact the 2016 election. Furthermore, the indictments disprove Trump's repeated claims that Russian election interference is "fake news," the Daily Beast reports. In November, Trump said he believed Vladimir Putin when the Russian president said Russia didn't meddle in the election. Elsewhere, the New York Times has a profile of one of the people indicted Friday. Yevgeny Prigozhin, one of Russia's richest men, got his start running a hot-dog stand after prison before eventually running a Russian troll farm. (Read more Robert Mueller stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Snowmachiners with the Fairbanks Snow Travelers take a break on the Tanana River on Saturday Feb 10, 2018. A group of snow machiners rode to the Modorosa Bar and Grill in Nenana for the annual Valentines Day week Sweetheart Run. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 58F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds late. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable. New Delhi: Supreme Court rejects the petition of Ranbaxy promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh seeking permission to appeal a High Court judgment allowing Daiichi Sankyo to recover about Rs 3,500 crores from them as part of an international arbitration award. The Delhi High Court last month upheld an international arbitral award of Rs 3,500 crore passed in favour of Japanese pharma major Daiichi Sankyo, which has alleged that the former promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd had concealed information about proceedings against them by American food and drug department. Fortis Healthcare promoters Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh had resigned as directors from the company's board following the Delhi High Court order upholding the Rs 3,500 crore arbitral award in favor of Daiichi Sankyo. The Singh brothers had jointly tendered their resignation to the Board of Fortis Healthcare, which will discuss it in the meeting on February 13, the company said in a filing to the BSE. "Malvinder Mohan Singh, Executive Chairman and Shivinder Mohan Singh, Non-Executive Vice Chairman have tendered their resignation from the directorships of the company," Fortis Healthcare said. The resignation is intended to free the organization from any encumbrances that may be linked to the promoters, the letter said."In light of the recent High Court judgment upholding the plea of Daiichi Sankyo to enforce the arbitration award, we believe this is in the interest of propriety and good governance," it said. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai : Makers of the film PadMan is currently enjoying the success of the film worldwide but the movie is yet to release in Pakistan. R. Balki along with the producer Twinkle Khanna appeared at an event to celebrate the success of the film and also hold discussion on taboos related to menstrual hygiene. On being asked about the PadMan banned in country like Pakistan, Balki said "It has been banned only in Pakistan. I think they have their own reasons but I think they are wrong reasons. He added, "You can't ban a film like this. If you are banning this film, then you are actually being unfair to women and humanity because it's not just because of the movie, it's because of a story of this man's life and what issue it's addressing. Even countries of the Middle East has accepted the film, says the makers of PadMan. "Strangely, the film's biggest success is in the Middle East. It's the first film to be screened in Iraq and a country where Hindi cinema wasn't released earlier and are conservative in their outlook Balki added. He also said that the film could have a larger controversy and so many religious and political organisations could have said so many things by they didnt and actually supported the film. PadMan is based on the real life of Arunachalam Muruganantham who invented a machine to produce low-cost sanitary pads and create awareness about menstrual hygiene. The movie was released on February 9 worldwide. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pronouncing its verdict in the Cauvery water dispute case, the Supreme Court on Friday reduced Tamil Nadu's per year water share to 177.25 TMC. The apex court increased Karnataka's water share and the state will now get additional 14.75 TMC. The top court also said that water is a "national resource" and no single state can claim exclusive ownership to a river. SC made it clear that the increase in the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka has been done keeping in view the fact that there is an increased demand of drinking water by Bengaluru & also for many industrial activities. The top court in its ruling said that 20 TMC of groundwater in Tamil Nadu had not been accounted for and needed to be seen. The Cauvery water has been the sources of decades-old dispute between the two South Indian states. Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has increased the security in wake of the apex courts verdict. The verdict will have a lasting effect on the farmers of both states and will also impact the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka. Tamil Nadu had asked the top court to set up a Cauvery Management Board and make fundamental changes in the water sharing pact with Karnataka. Most Read | PNB Scam: Businessman alerted PMO office about Gitanjali's illegal loans in 2016 However, Karnataka argued it would not be fair for the people of the state to release a fixed amount of water irrespective of the availability. Cauvery, a 765-km long river is called the Ganga of South and originates in Karnatakas Kodagu district and flows into Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. In 2007, the Cauvery Water Tribunal had allocated 270 TMC to Karnataka, 419 TMC to Tamil Nadu, 30 TMC to Kerala, and 7 TMC to Puducherry and around 14 TMC for environmental purposes. Karnataka wants Tamil Nadus share to be slashed by half while Tamil Nadu wants its share to be increased to 325 TMC water. Karnataka argues that the water supply in the four dams built on Cauvery river is not enough for the needs of Bengaluru and Mysuru. Karnataka says the water allocation agreements of 1892 and 1924 was between the then Kingdom of Mysore and the then Madras Presidency. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a major set back for Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Friday reduced Tamil Nadu's Cauvery water share to 177.25 TMC and gave an additionalA 14.75 TMC to the Karnataka. Pronouncing the top court's verdict, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India ruled that water is "national resource" and no state can claim its exclusive ownership to a river. The bench while reducing the water share of Tamil NaduA said that 20 TMC of groundwater in Tamil Nadu had not been accounted for and needed to be seen. The apex court also made it clear that the increase in the share of Cauvery water for Karnataka has been done keeping in view the fact that there is an increased demand of drinking water by Bengaluru. The Cauvery water has long been the sources of dispute between the two South Indian states ofA Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In 2007, the Cauvery Water Tribunal had allocated 270 TMC to Karnataka, 419 TMC to Tamil Nadu, 30 TMC to Kerala, and 7 TMC to Puducherry and around 14 TMC for environmental purposes. The Supreme Court's verdict has come on a day when Karnataka Chief MinisterA Siddaramaiah is scheduled to present his last annual budget before upcoming state Assembly elections. Bengaluru: Latest visuals of #Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah at the state Assembly after SC alloted an additional 14.75 TMC ft water to the state. #CauveryVerdict. Budget for Karnataka will also be presented today. pic.twitter.com/fqFwzWvoBs a ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 Reacting to the top Court's verdict,A Mohan V Katarki, counsel for the state of Karnataka said, "We are very happy with the verdict. The verdict is a balanced verdict which protects the interest of both the states. This is a good judgment which will go long way in ensuring peace in both the states." Former Karnataka CM Jagdish Shettar also welcomed the budget. He said, "Will react in detail after reading the judgement but prima facie we welcome it." Meanwhile, the workers ofA Karnataka Rakshana Vedike celebrated after theA Supreme Court verdict to allocateA additional Cauvery water to Karnataka and distributed sweets. #Karnataka Rakshana Vedike workers celebrate in Hosur after Supreme Court allotted Karnataka an additional 14.75TMC ft share of Cauvery water. #CauveryVerdict pic.twitter.com/WEteTiMqPk a ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 Cauvery, a 765-km long river is called the Ganga of South and originates in Karnatakaas Kodagu district and flows into Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday lauded India's cultural diversity, saying multiple faiths and schools of thought co-exist peacefully in the county. Speaking at a meeting with Muslim intellectuals, scholars and clerics here, Rouhani said, "Islam is not a religion of violence, but one of moderation." "Iran wants unity, independence and support for the East. Iran wants fraternity with India. We do not want to have any differences with other countries as well," said Rouhani who is on his first India visit since assuming charge as president in 2013. Also read | Iran President Hassan Rouhani in Hyderabad on three-day visit; security on talks agenda The Iranian President lauded India's culture and traditions, and said the country was a "living museum" of religions and schools of thought. "We see a lot of temples, other places of worship, and they are living in peace. They are having peaceful co-existence," he said. Muslims, non-Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs are coexisting in peace in India, he said. However, the West has created fissures between nations, he said. "The enemies of Islam want to represent Islam as a religion of violence. Islam is not a religion of violence. Islam is a religion of moderation, Islam is a religion of kindness," he said. Iran believes that there is no military solution to problems which are diplomatic in nature, Rouhani said. "When a war is imposed, people have no other option but to defend themselves, and those who defend are the true companions and true followers of the almighty God," he said. "The Western world oppressed and exploited the Eastern world and its resources" and caused tensions and differences to arise between oriental countries, he said. "When we Muslims (in the past centuries) possessed universities and technologies, and others did not possess (them), we...transferred our teachings and science to them. "However, when they (West) reached the (same level of progress), they did not (give) the same treatment. They did not provide us with technology fairly and justly," he said. Calling for unity among Muslims, Rouhani said his country wants to clear the "hurdles" faced by the people of war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen are facing. "We want to clear the hurdles for the people of Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen. The solution is unity and brotherhood in joint effort," he said. Despite tight security, Rouhani allowed some of those present to click selfies with him after the speech. Iran Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif also spoke at the event. The Iranian President is scheduled to visit the famous Mecca Masjid here and offer prayers tomorrow. Later, he would be leaving for New Delhi. Earlier, he arrived in Hyderabad on a special flight from Tehran and was received by Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan along with senior officials of Telanaga government. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hyderabad: President of Iran Hassan Rouhani on Friday strongly criticized US President Donald Trump for recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital and said that he would not had dared to make the declaration if Muslims around world had been united. Roushani made the statement while addressing a large congregation of Muslims during his visit to Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad. The Iranian president also lashed out at the Trump administration for imposing travel ban for citizens of six Muslim countries. Rouhani while addressing the congregation called for unity between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam. Shia and Sunnis and people from other ethnicities coexisted peacefully in Syria and Iraq for centuries till the West created a friction between them, added Rouhani. Also read| India-Israel relationship a marriage made in heaven, one UN vote cant change it: Benjamin Netanyahu Last year in December Trump had announced that the US recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The US president then had described the move as a long overdue step to advance the Middle East peace process. Israel then had termed Trump's move "historic" while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the announcement "deplorable". Rouhani is to meet PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sunday. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday condemned the use of the Indian national flag by a right-wing group during a rally called by a right wing group to demand release of a police officer accused in rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl. Mufti made the comments in context to the rally taken out by Hindu Exta Manch on Thursday in Jammu demanding immediate release of Deepak Khajuria, a special police officer, who was arrested last week by the state police in connection to rape and murder of a minor. The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister showing her anguish wrote on Twiiter, Appalled by the marches & protests in defense of the recently apprehended rapist in Kathua. She added, Also horrified by their use of our national flag in these demonstrations, this is nothing short of desecration. The accused has been arrested & the law will follow its course. Also read | Jammu and Kashmir: Special police officer arrested for raping, murdering 8-year-old nomad girl Appalled by the marches & protests in defense of the recently apprehended rapist in Kathua. Also horrified by their use of our national flag in these demonstrations, this is nothing short of desecration. The accused has been arrested & the law will follow its course. Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 16, 2018 The accused Deepak was arrested by the state police from Kathua last week for brutally murdering a seven-year-old nomad girl. Police have lodged FIR against him under POSCO Act and other relevant IPC sections. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Crime Branch Alok Puri soon after his arrest had said, We have evidence against Khajuria. He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Security forces in Srinagar have been involved in a gun battleA in Palhalan area of Baramullaas PattanA with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tantray Mohalla area of Pattan in the early hours, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into a gunbattle when the hiding militants fired on the joint search party. No casualties have been reported so far, the official said, adding that the operation was underway till last reports came in. The encounter comes a day after militants fired at CRPF camp in J-K's PulwamaA Srinagar on Thursday night. The incident comes days after six Army personnel and a civilian were killed in a terror attack on the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu.A Militants tonight fired a few shots towards a CRPF camp in Awantipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. "Militants fired a few shots at the CRPF camp at Panzgam in Awantipora area at 8.10 pm," a police official said.A He said the jawans from the camp returned fire,A forcing the militants to flee. No casualties have been reported in the incident, the official said.A A search operation has been launched in the area to track down the militants, the official added.A Here are the Live updates: # Encounter underway between security forces and terroristsA With PTI Inputs For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jammu: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) defines a journalist as a professional who covers developmental activity of any government department, inauguration of a hospital or school or write statement of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The central investigative agency defined a journalist as part of the chargesheet filed on January 18 against 12 persons including a freelance photojournalist, Kamran Yusuf into the terror funding and stone pelting case in the valley. The NIA in its chargesheet stated that Yusuf was not a journalist during his bail hearing. The investigative agency argued that he is not a journalist as he had never covered any development activity of any government department. The NIA under the title Moral Duty of a Journalist said, Head he been a real journalist by profession, he may have performed one of the moral duty of a journalist, which is to cover activities (good or bad) in his jurisdiction. The NIA chargesheet states that he had never covered any developmental activity of any government agency, any inauguration of hospital, school, building, road, bridge or statement of political party. No social work by the Army and paramilitary forces in the Valley such as free medical check-up, blood donation camps,Iftar party and skill development programme, terms NIA in its chargesheet. The agency in its chargesheet further mentioned that the NIA examinesd 1735 videos recorded by Kamran Yusuf. Also read: 81 journalists killed; violence and harassment against media staff shot up in 2017 Almost every video has been taken with a particular intention to cover anti-national activities and then provide the same to local media for publication or telecast, mentions NIA in its chargesheet. According to NIA Yusuf is not a professional because he did not receive any training from any institute. According to the photojournalist's lawyer Warisha Farishat, Yusuf was detained without charge in September last year, and was booked as a stone-pelter in a chargesheet filed on January 18. She added that the chargesheet accuses him of conspiring to wage war against Government of India. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: The ED on Friday summoned billionaire diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his business partner and jewellery chain promoter Mehul Choksi in connection with its money laundering probe in the Rs 11,400-crore alleged fraud in Punjab National Bank, even as agency sleuths expanded their search operation in properties linked to the accused, officials said. Modi and Choksi, who are believed to have fled the country in the first week of January, have been summoned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and asked to appear before the agency within a week's time. The notices were handed over to the directors of the firms of the two businessmen as they were not in the country, the officials said. While Modi runs a jewellery brand chain under his name, Choksi is the promoter of Gitanjali Gems. The agency had also moved the external affairs ministry to revoke their passports, following which the government today suspended the travel documents temporarily. Agency sleuths continued the search in some of 17 premises they had raided yesterday, and began fresh search today in some more properties linked to the accused. "ED seized jewellery, gold, diamond, precious metal and stones at stock price of Rs 5,100 crore in Nirav Modi case yesterday. Independent valuation has been started," the agency said in a statement on Friday. Also Read: PM Modi calls PNB scam accused Mehul Choksi as Mehul bhai: Congress It registered a PMLA case against the two and others based on a CBI FIR, which was the result of a PNB complaint. The agency is probing if the allegedly defrauded bank funds were laundered and these proceeds of crime subsequently used by the accused to create illegal assets and black money. Modi, 46, a regular feature on the lists of rich and famous Indians since 2013, was booked by the CBI, along with wife, brother and Choksi on January 31, for allegedly cheating the state-run PNB to the tune of Rs 280 crore. The bank subsequently sent two more complaints to the CBI on Tuesday, saying the scam was worth more than Rs 11,400 crore. A fresh FIR has been filed by the CBI today. The CBI had earlier raided the residences of Modi, his brother, wife and Choksi, all partners of Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds and two bank officials -- Gokulnath Shetty (now retired) and Manoj Kharat, who were also named in the FIR as accused. "The public servants committed abuse of official position to cause pecuniary advantage to Diamond R US, Solar Exports, Stellar Diamonds and a wrongful loss of Rs 280.70 crore to Punjab National Bank during 2017," the CBI FIR has alleged. Also Read: BJP, Congress blame each other for PNB fraud case The jewellery designer is a citizen of the country but his brother Nishal and wife Ami are not Indian nationals. They left India between January 1 and 6, the CBI had said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The sleuths of Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday continued to search the Mumbai boutique of Nirav Modi, the prime accused in Indias biggest banking scam for the second consecutive day. Nirav Modi, a Billionaire jewellery designer and other members of his family allegedly made fraudulent transactions of over Rs 11,300 crore through 150 letters of understanding issued by the Punjab National Bank. The raids were being conducted at Nirav Modis boutique in Mumbais Kala Ghoda area. Earlier on Thursday, the law enforcement agency had seized diamond and gold jewellery worth Rs 5,100 crore in nationwide searches. The agency conducted raids at as many as 17 locations belonging to Modi in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Surat and Jaipur after filing a Rs 280-crore money laundering case against him. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED also moved separate applications to the External Affairs Ministry seeking the revocation of passports of Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali jewellery chain. Also Read | PNB Scam: Businessman alerted PMO office about Gitanjali's illegal loans in 2016 Here are the live updates on Punjab National Bank scam: # The fraud was done in matter of issuance of unauthorised & fraudulent Letters of Undertaking in favor of foreign branches of Indian based banks & purported Foreign Letters of Credits in favor of foreign suppliers of accused companies # FIR registered against 2 PNB officials Gokulnath Shetty & Manoj Hemant Karat in Mumbai stating that they, in connivance with accused companies defrauded PNB to the tune of USD 754.92 Millions # It's case of operational risk arising on account of delinquent behaviour by one or more employees of the bank & failure of internal controls. RBI has already undertaken supervisory assessment of control systems in PNB & will take appropriate supervisory action. # There have been reports that in wake of fraud involving the sum of USD 1.77 billion that has surfaced in Punjab National Bank, RBI has directed PNB to meet its commitments under Letter of Undertaking to other banks. RBI denies having given any such instructions. There have been reports that in wake of fraud involving the sum of USD 1.77 billion that has surfaced in Punjab National Bank, RBI has directed PNB to meet its commitments under Letter of Undertaking to other banks. RBI denies having given any such instructions: RBI #PNBFraudCase ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 # Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have been summoned by Enforcement Directorate to appear before its Mumbai Office on 23rd February: ED sources # ED directed Nirav Modi's head office that no sale/purchase should happen in showrooms in New York, London, Macau and Beijing: ED Sources # ED registered another case on Friday against Nirav Modi. 35 new locations were raided. Searches covering 11 states. Diamond and gold worth 549 crore seized today. Total 5649 crore.(Including Thursday's recovery) 29 immovable properties identified: ED Sources # IT officials paste notice outside Nirav Modi's boutique in Mumbai's Kala Ghoda # I can say with confidence that this gentleman is not in touch with any of our officials & frankly at this stage we are not aware about his location: Raveesh Kumar on Nirav Modi I can say with confidence that this gentleman is not in touch with any of our officials & frankly at this stage we are not aware about his location: Raveesh Kumar, MEA #NiravModi #PNBFraudCase pic.twitter.com/1fMUamd1pg ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 # After suspension of his passport Nirav Modi have to stay in the country only, he cannot go anywhere else, says MEA Raveesh Kumar # This is a banking fraud, which is being investigated. We are making sure that the money is recovered, says Javadekar # Finance Secretary during UPA's regime, instead of taking action, forced Dinesh Dubey to resign. We are asking who pressurised the Foreign Secretary to pressurise Dinesh Dubey: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar # It is the alertness of the NDA govt which has brought this scam into light. All the NPAs, the wrongful distribution of loans, amongst others were all passed down to us by the UPA Govt. This is a scam by the bank & not the govt, says Prakash Javadekar # 3 main companies named in the FIR have 36 subsidiary companies. Out of those 36 companies, 17 are in Mumbai, 1 in Hyderabad and rest of the companies are located out of India. Companies in India are being investigated by CBI on Friday. # The scam which has come into light is a scam of the UPA Govt. This started during UPA's reign in 2011, says Union Minister Prakash Javadekar The scam which has come into light is a scam of the UPA Govt. This started during UPA's reign in 2011: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar #PNBFraudCase pic.twitter.com/Xy1BLur8wB ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 # 4 officials of Punjab National Bank are being examined by CBI. # PM Modi calls PNB scam accused Mehul Choksi as Mehul Bhai': Congress # Nirav Modi & Mehul Choksi have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked. If they fail to respond within the stipulated time, MEA will go ahead with the revocation. # On the advice of the Enforcement Directorate, the Passport issuing authority in the Ministry of External Affairs has suspended the validity of passports of Nirav Modi & Mehul Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks. # Prabhavi karyawahi ho rahi hai. Jitni shigra karyavahi ho skati hai, utni hui hai: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on oppositions' allegations against BJP in Prabhavi karyawahi ho rahi hai. Jitni shigra karyavahi ho skati hai, utni hui hai: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on oppositions' allegations against BJP in #PNBScam pic.twitter.com/Cgn7ewt4Nq ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 # CBI searches being conducted in Maharashtra's Mumbai and Pune, Gujarat's Surat, Rajasthan's Jaipur, Telangana's Hyderabad & Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in connection with Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Group & other directors of accused companies. # CBI is conducting searches at 20 premises in 6 cities across 5 states, belonging to Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Group & other directors of accused companies. # Meanwhile, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also registered an FIR against Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali Group of companies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank (PNB) dated 13 February 2018. # Recapitalisation of PNB will not be impacted by fraud case, the bank will get its recapitalisation share of Rs 5000 crore, as allocated earlier: Finance Ministry Sources # Eight more employees of Punjab National Bank suspended, the number of suspended employees now stands at 18, which also includes General Manager level officers. An internal investigation of the bank is still underway. # PNB Fraud Case: INTERPOL's diffusion Notice issued against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi &Mehul Choksi Also Read: PNB fraud case: MEA suspends passports of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi for four weeks # State-owned Union Bank of India has said it has an exposure of USD 300 million (around Rs 1,915 crore) to the Rs 11,400-crore PNB fraud case but stressed its money is safe and it will recover that. # Meanwhile, the shares of Punjab National Bank continued to reel under pressure for the third consecutive day after the detection of a 11,400-crore fraud, slipping over 3 % in morning trade on bourses. The stock hit its 52-week low on both BSE and NSE on Friday after it opened on a bearish note and fell 3.27 % to a124.15 on BSE, reports PTI. # Earlier Thursday, Congress, and BJP had traded allegations and blamed each other for over Rs 11,300 crore PNB scam case. # Some media reports are suggesting that Nirav Modi could be in New York and not in Davos. # The CBI and the ED has asked the external ministry to block the passport of Nirav Modi. # Mumbai: After almost 24 hours, raids continue at Nirav Modi's boutique in Kala Ghoda. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will address representatives of various wings affiliated with the organisation during its Sangh-Samagam here on February 18. On Friday, the RSS chief arrived on a five-day tour during which he will hold regular interaction with Swayamsevaks from February 15 to 20 at the Trade Facilitation Centre at Bada Lalpur. Senior RSS leaders Dattatreya Hosabale, Indresh Kumar, Suresh Soni, Krishna Gopal, Bhaiyyaji Joshi among others will also be present during the session. Meanwhile, the Congress party on Friday lodged its protest against the RSS chief alleging that the RSS was misusing government institution. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducts an interactive session and speaks about the importance of "staying happy" and taking tests "without stress" during the 'Pariksha par charcha' event at the Talkatora stadium on Friday. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar addressed students is also present along with MoS in the HRD Ministry Upendra Kushwaha. Students from Class 6 to 12 was asked to watch its telecast on Doordarshan, All India Radio, YouTube and all government websites once the telecast begins. Pariksha Par Charcha comes two weeks after the Prime Minister launched his book titled 'Exam Warriors' that contains 25 mantras to help students face examinations without stress. These are the days when the students are required to be more focused, well read and well confident too. Yes! Not only knowledge but confidence and peace is what plays a major role in scoring good marks in exams. Catch LIVE UPDATES: # 02:20 PM: PM Modi concludes his address; says My good wishes for all students for exams. # 02:11 PM: I wish you all the best for your board exams, for my board exams I have the wishes of 125 crore Indians with me: PM Modi to student who asked him about how he is preparing for elections next year. # 02:10 PM: Results & marks are by-products of exams, one must concentrate on giving their best, I follow a similar approach in politics, I only look at giving everything I have to my fellow Indians, elections come & go, they are like by-products: PM Modi on how he is preparing for elections # 02:09 PM: Focus on learning; Exams, results & marks should be by-product # 01:57 PM: Ignorance about priorities leads to time mismanagement; we should look at it # 01:56 PM: Teachers should connect not only with students but also with their parents & their eco-system # 01:54 PM: For students, one time table or a schedule cant be appropriate for the full year. It is essential to be flexible and make best use of ones time. # 01:51 PM: A user of the NM Mobile App, Jai Mistry seeks the Prime Ministers views on effective time management and how it can improve exam preparation. # 01:46 PM: In our society teachers are like family members. Such a spirit was more common earlier and we have to reignite this spirit further today # 01:45 PM: Kushagra from Shillong has a question on the bond between a teacher and student # 01:43 PM: During exams, sleeping is vital but more important is the quality of sleep # 01:33 PM: It is very important to develop Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Quotient # 01:30 PM: Bhavna Jalal asks the Prime Minister about the role of IQ and EQ in the life of a student. # 01:24 PM: If you have to be focused, know the skill to be de-focused # 01:21 PM: Students should speak openly with parents. In a lighter note says Indian kids are born Politicians: PM Modi # 01:19 PM: I would request parents not to make the achievements of their child a matter of social prestige # 01:16 PM: Students should understand the parents; parents have certain dreams for their kids # 01:15 PM: Always remember what every parent sacrifices for the well-being of the child # 01:13 PM: My young friends, do not bother about how many hours your friends study. Think- you studied for a certain number of hours on one day, better that the next day # 01:11 PM: When you enter a competition, you feel the stress. You should first compete with yourself. Make your own parameters # 01:09 PM: You should know yourself; You should know your capabilities. # 01:08 PM: Do not compete with others, compete with yourself # 01:02 PM: Through out the day, we all do something with concentration. What makes you alert? Ask yourself. Then find out why you like it. Find the reasons and adopt it on other activities. Sachin Tendulkar was there with me during one of my Mann Ki Baat episodes, he had said, "When I play, I don't worry about anything - will I hit sixer or not. I forget everything. This is the way. Live in the present." # 01:00 PM: I would say Yoga is a wonderful way to improve concentration # 12: 57 PM: Concentration isnt something that has to be specifically learnt. Every person does concentrate on something or the other during the day, it may be while reading, hearing a song, talking to a friend # 12:56 PM: Students usually worship Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. But on the day of exam, they worship Lord Hanuman # 12:54 PM: Kanishka from Noida and Pranav Vyas from Varanasi ask PM on the importance of concentration during exams, and in life. # 12:51 PM: In addition to the right skills and the means, what a student needs is self-confidence # 12:50 PM: It's not a programme of PM or Modi. It's a programme of crores of students # 12:49 PM: We work hard for exams but we lack confidence. Swami Vivekananda once said, if you don't have confidence, God also can't help you. # 12:48 PM: Samiksha from Delhi, Sanjana and Harsh from Pune ask PM on the importance of self confidence and tackling exam stress. # 12:44 PM: My young friends, always keep the student in you alive: # 12:42 PM: You are not talking to the Prime Minister of India, you are talking to a friend # 12:38 PM: We are having a great discussion on why students must appear for exams with a smile, without stress # 12:00 PM: PM Modi begins his #ParikshaPeCharcha speech. # 12:31 PM: Dance performance by students # 12:30 PM: A good education is a stepping stone to a good life. And today the PM will talk to students about how to not take stress while preparing for exams. # 12:20 PM: Prakash Javadekar says exams is not a political issue it is an issue which everyone has faced or will face once in their lifetime. # 12:18 PM: Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar welcomes PM Modi and students. # 12:00 PM: Prakash Javadekar begins his address # 11:59 AM: Youngsters all charged up for the session. Several students to interact with PM. # 11:58 AM: PM Modi arrives at the venue # 11:57 AM: Ask your questions on @mygovindia, Narendra Modi App and Social Media using #ExamWarriors. Be a a Warrior, not a Worrier! # 11:56 AM: All set for Pariksha par charcha PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 16, 2018 # 11:55 AM: Watch PM Modi on the Exam Warrior livestream at 12pm on 16th Feb on YouTube. Google India (@GoogleIndia) February 15, 2018 Also Read: Osmania University BSc, BCom, BA December Results 2017 expected today at osmania.ac.in Earlier this week, Prime Minister had asked the students to share their thoughts on the upcoming examinations and suggest stress-busting techniques through the Narendra Modi app and the MyGov app. The students were also encouraged to ask questions on Twitter using the hashtag #ExamWarriors. My young friends, I am eager to interact with you on the 16th of this month. I will talk about the need to appear for exams without stress and the importance of staying happy during exams. Thousands of students from all over India will join the programme via technology. pic.twitter.com/BV9SDAkQBy Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2018 BJP Delhi also took to twitter to share, "PM @narendramodi will do 'Pariksha par charcha' with lakhs of students from across the country on 16 February 2018. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Friday has proposed an allocation of Rs 98.5 crore in the state budget for operating shelters for stray cows. The government has decided to open gaushalas (cow shelters) to curb problems faced by the farmers due to stray cows, said Adityanath. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister added that the stray cattle damage standing crops. The proposal was presented by Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal. According to the government proposal, in the first few phases cow shelters will be opened in urban areas and thereafter in villages. Also read: 40 million cows to get Aadhaar-like number under animal UID scheme Pashu Sanjivini Earlier the government had announced to open shelters for stray cows as their numbers had increased after crackdown on illegal slaughter house. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Slightly increased volcanic activity has been reported at Mount Io in southwest Japan. The Meteorological Agency says 2 low-frequency earthquakes occurred at the mountain on Thursday morning. It said volcanic activity there is picking up slightly, and warned that the mountain may gush out volcanic gas or thermal water within 100 meters of its crater. The volcano is in the Kirishima mountain range, which straddles the prefectures of Miyazaki and Kagoshima. The agency maintained its alert level for the mountain at 1 on a scale up to 5. GPS data suggest that magma has been building up deep underground in the area since last July. But the agency reported no change in ground movement data. Local authorities are keeping restrictions on entry up to 300 meters from the volcano's crater. Start-up recycles used containers for stores targeting young owners, customers Hoang Tuan Anh has realised his start-up dream by creating the first shopping and entertaining complexes in HCM City to use recycled containers. The 32-year-old Tuan Anh is no stranger to the local start-up industry as he once ran a successful startup on distribution and installation of insulation panels in Australia. His efficient business approach earned him a stable income and an opportunity to work with an Australian submarine manufacturing port on a contract worth AU$50,000, followed by other significant projects. After returning to Vietnam in 2013 and pursuing businesses in trading, real estate and smart locks, Tuan Anh opened Eco Box in Tan Phu District, a flea market complex with an unusual concept. Although the amount of land in the city centre is in short supply, there are cleared sites reserved for future developments that remain untouched, at least for the next three to five years, he told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper. Ive come up with an idea to maximise the use of these idle land plots by collecting used containers and redesigning them to make each of them two small stores, and then renting each for three to five million VND per month, he added. For the first few months, half of his stores are provided rent-free to students as a way to support young adults with a passion for startups. As a result of Eco Boxs success, Tuan Anh later opened Rubik Zoo, a shopping, dining and entertaining complex covering 5,000 square metres and housing more than 300 shops in District 1. Rubik Zoo is an open, clean, smart space with many activities. Its become a hangout spot for me and my friends during the weekend or at night, Thao Nguyen, 22, told Vietnam News. Quoc Cuong agreed, adding that he loved how each store is decorated with different themes and colours. The place is so vibrant and inspiring, he said. Tuan Anh said that similar concepts can be seen in many countries, particular Australia and Thailand. There are plenty of projects in Thailand that have built food, fashion, and exhibition halls with used containers at a low cost for young startups, he said. Im glad to provide a space for youth to showcase their talents and promote their products. When it comes to business, its necessary to think about the benefits of partners. If I were to invest in traditional shopping and entertaining complexes, I would have to return the land to authorities one day, Anh said. Since containers are portable and can be moved to different areas, renters are able to secure their property, he explained. At Eco Box and Rubik Zoo, we value property protection of clients, he said. In addition to the two projects, Anh plans to invest US$8 million in more used containers and build 20 hotels, with each having 50 to 100 rooms. Hotels and accommodation costs in HCM City are not cheap compared with other countries in the region. Most tourists, especially backpackers, need a safe place at the lowest price to stay during their visit, he explained. Anh is also looking for temporarily unoccupied land to build boarding houses with used containers for students and factory workers at the lowest possible price. Having studied overseas, I understand how rental expenses can put pressure on poor students and workers, he explained. VNS Chairman, South-East Senate Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South yesterday took a swipe at Senators who opposed the amendment to the Electoral Act regarding election sequence in the 2019 general elections, saying that they constitute those who cannot win elections except they climb on the back of President Muhammadu Buhari.According to him, those calling for the jettisoning of the arrangement which places the election of the president last, came to power on the back of their political parties and influence of President Buhari in the last 2015 general polls.Senator Abaribe said, anybody who attaches himself to Buhari for re-election is not fit, ab initio, to be a Senator. It is high time politicians stopped riding on the back of some political establishments or parties to win elections in Nigeria.The National Assembly conference committee had harmonised the different versions of the passed bill from the two chambers now ready for onward submission to the president for assent.Ten All Progressives Congress, APC, senators has Wednesday opposed the amendment, which they said was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari, just as they walked out of the chamber to address the press, while the plenary presided by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was still on.Led by the Chairman of Northern Senators Caucus and former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the 10 senators were peeved that their argument against the bill was truncated at the plenary by Senate President Saraki and vowed that the amendment would not stand. The aggrieved APC senators included Binta Garba (Adamawa); Ali Wakili (Bauchi); Kurfi Umaru (Katsina); Andrew Uchendu (Rivers); Abdullahi Danbaba (Sokoto); Ovie Omo- Agege, Delta; Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi); Abu Ibrahim (Katsina); and Benjamin Uwajumogu (Imo).They had described the amendment and process of passage as illegal, vowing that it would not stand, with the leader of the dissenting group, Abdullahi Adamu, questioning the conduct of the Senate President in the process of passage. The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it salutes the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, for the work he undertook ... The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it salutes the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, for the work he undertook as Chairman of the Partys Committee on True Federalism. This was made known in a statement by the Partys National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in Abuja on Friday to mark the governors 58th birthday. According to him, The All Progressives Congress (APC) celebrates the Governor of Kaduna State, H.E. Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, on the occasion of his 58th birthday. The Party particularly salutes the Kaduna State governor for the thorough and groundbreaking work he recently undertook as Chairman of the Partys high-level Committee on True Federalism. The committees report with its far-reaching findings and recommendations speaks to the heart of the aspirations of Nigerians for good governance and devolution of powers which will lead to multi-facet development of the country. Indeed, this is testament to the purpose, discipline, forthrightness and resourcefulness governor el-Rufai has displayed in all past and present public assignments he has undertaken. As governor of Kaduna State, el-Rufais focussed leadership and application of strategic policies and initiatives in his administration of the state has positively affected residents directly and led to massive infrastructural development. The Zaria water works, school feeding programme and employment drive are examples of the laudable pro-people projects that governor el-Rufais administration has embarked on. Few days after the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo advised President Muhammadu Buhari to resign after the expiration of his tenure, the National Chairman of the National Action Council (NAC), Dr. Olapade Agoro, has called on him to toe the path of honour like a former President of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma.Agoro who is also a traditional ruler said unequivocally that President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) had failed Nigerians.The most honourable thing to do, he maintained, is for President Buhari to immediately tender his resignation letter.To him, Buhari is a noise maker on the issue of the fight against corruption. He himself is leading a corrupt government.On the assignment given to Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, he reasoned that, It is like waking Tinubu to wake up the dead. We heard of a man who woke up the dead, and that man is Jesus Christ. Jesus woke up Lazarus, who was dead for four days. Nowvl President Buhari is asking Tinubu to wake up, he APC that has died for almost four years, and has already been buried.Tinubu has been given an impossible task. Tinubu has to go from one Nigerian to another, he has to visit every home to appease Nigerians. He wrongly led us into this mess.After his defeat in 2011, President Buhari made a vow not to seek Nigerians mandate again, but Tinubu surprisingly in 2015 went to Bihari, who is already weak and tired, and used his political machinery to capture power for Buhari.President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC the fact must be faced died on arrival year 2015. No one can however deny the fact that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the man of political power machinery of beauty, of colour containments this time around wrongly placed his gambles on a dead horse.We have never seen Fulani herdsmen carrying along Ak47 guns before. Now they are on the rampage killing innocent Nigerians across the country with guns, and the President is hesitant to take necessary action to curb the ugly trend, he said. Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has vowed to get to the root of underage voting in Kano, says PVC will be ready in March.However, on Wednesday the Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said on the African Independent Televisions, Kakaaki that underage voters were being registered in some parts of the country because the lives of registration officers are being threatened by some members of the community.Osazze-Uzzi answering questions on Kakaaki said, I agree that it is the responsibility of the registration officer to do that (refuse to register underage persons), but there are times that circumstances are such that where there is present and clear danger that he risks being assaulted or being killed, I think it will be unreasonable to expect him not to succumb to the pressure. But we encourage them to report immediately they get out of that dangerous zone.Even to the untrained eye, that child doesnt look more than 15, but in such circumstances, you cannot argue too much with them. The law says the registration officer is entitled to act on some kind of identification or birth certificate or proof of age.But very often, they are resisted, especially when there are lots of people there. They are challenged in a charged atmosphere and they are there without any protection. Many of them are there in strange communities which they dont know anything about. So, there is undue pressure on them to register at this point.It is not a complex process, you display the voter register and people come there. That is in addition to the fact that the registration officer can refuse anybody registration. But we dont expect people to risk their lives for what is essentially a simple patriotic service.But if they get away with that (getting registered) and the report is not taken, the second opportunity is when the register is displayed. The best opportunity is where higher officials physically look at each register as much as they can and those who are clearly not qualified are removed. So, it is a three-pronged process and there are different stages, the INEC director added.I think the law recognizes that being a human endeavor, it may not be perfect and that is why it gives some kind of leeway such that when you weigh everything together, it is a reflection of what the people have chosen.If one percent of the register has underage persons; will this affect the outcome? We agree that the register is the very foundation of every election and what we can do and what the media can do is that when we get these reports and we have a fair idea of where this issue is prevalent, we can look at the registers again, look at those who are clearly underage and try to weed them out and prevent them from exercising a franchise that does not belong to them legally. Governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have arrived President Muhammadu Buharis hometown of Daura, Katsina Stat... Governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have arrived President Muhammadu Buharis hometown of Daura, Katsina State. Recall we had reported earlier that barring any last minute change, Buhari will meet with his party governors, today. There are reports that Buhari is likely to inform the governors of his intention to seek reelection or not in 2019. Buhari had arrived Daura yesterday after inaugurating a project in Kaduna state. By a unanimous voice vote, the House of Representatives at yesterdays plenary, adopted a motion to stop the importation of vehicles for official use in Nigeria.To this end, the House urged the Federal Government to develop a policy and provide a timeline to make it compulsory for Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to restrict procurement of cars to those manufactured or assembled in Nigeria.The House also asked the committee to investigate why the automobile companies in Nigeria collapsed and proffer solutions.The motion, titled Need to Prioritise the Procurement of Cars Manufactured or Assembled in Nigeria by Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, was sponsored by Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama (Edo State).Ihama in the motion, expressed worry that Nigeria had become a dumping ground for automobiles manufactured on foreign soil unlike in the past when car manufacturing companies flooded the country.He said the development had stripped Nigeria of the benefits of having technology transfer, employment for Nigerians, revenue generation through taxes, reduction in balance of trade deficit, increased GDP, and safety specification which he said accrued from locally made vehicles.Consequently, he prayed for a deliberate policy of government to correct the anomalies.He said: The House notes that the automobile market is a multi-billion Naira venture in Nigeria, given its large population and huge reliance on road transport;Aware that government at all levels being the highest spender in Nigeria is a major buyer of automobiles in Nigeria;Worried that over 95 per cent of the automobiles procured by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, are neither manufactured nor assembled in Nigeria;Recall that a couple of years ago automobile manufacturing companies like Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz and Peugeot had functional assembling plants in Nigeria.Informed that the automobile manufacturing companies outside Nigeria neither pay direct taxes in Nigeria nor are their activities beneficial to the economy of Nigeria;Cognizant that the benefits of having automobile manufacturing companies operate manufacturing or assembling plants within Nigeria include; technology transfer, employment for Nigerians, revenue generation through taxes, reduction in balance of trade deficit, increased GDP, safety specification etc;Concerned that Nigeria has been relegated to the role of a ready market for automobiles manufactured in more developed economies;Convinced that the only way Nigeria can break off the shackles of being a perpetual market for other economies, is by pursuing a deliberate policy on automobiles which will restrict patronage of automobiles by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to automobile brands from companies which have their manufacturing or assembling plants within Nigeria.Contributing to the motion, members supported the motion and wondered why the government would waste money on importation of cars offshore, even in the era of change.In his contribution, Johnson Eguma (Edo State), said Nigeria had nothing to lose should it adopt the measure.This is a win-win situation. We should encourage and support this motion very, very highly because it will create jobs. It will go a long way to widen the economic opportunity. It will encourage us to see how we can revive our petrochemical industries, he said.Also speaking, Henry Archibong (Akwa Ibom), regretted that the country had not looked inwards to promote locally made goods.Where is the position of the Aba made goods? Japanese, Taiwanese products have taken over our market. Why is it so? Because that have made policies to support their products. I need a president of this country to begin to use Innoson Cars, Made in Nigeria cars. I want to support this motion with all amount of passion and believing that something will come out of this motion, he said.In this same vein, Rwande Shawulu (Taraba State), said that Nigeria could not continue using vehicles made in other countries.He also called on the House to go beyond the MDAs and adopt the policy of buying locally manufactured cars for its members.He said: This is a very good motion. If we grow our industries, it will enable the biggest spender, that is the government not to patronize foreign goods. We should even go beyond this. We cannot afford a situation where the cars, everything we use in this country comes from other countries.Similarly, the House also mandated its Committee on Power to investigate the power sector recovery programme which led to its privatization in 2013.The resolution was reached after considering a motion, titled Need to Investigate the Power Recovery Programme in Nigeria, moved my Abubakar Yunusa Ahmed (Gombe State).Essentially, the motion came with a view to resolving the incongruities in the Draft Power Sector Recovery Programme.Moving the motion, Ahmed said: The House notes the distress and inefficiency that has bedeviled the power sector in Nigeria despite the privatization of power sector in September 2013;Concerned that in spite of the huge costs committed to implementing power sector projects throughout the federation, the sector has failed to deliver value as power supply has become erratic while many parts of the nation are without electricity supply;Cognizant that without government intervention, the cumulative shortfall of about One Trillion Naira will put the sector at risk of insolvency, leading to loss of investors confidence;Conscious that the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in conjunction with the World Bank and other institutions has created a Power Sector Recovery Programme [PSRP] with a view to attaining financial viability for the sector and to rehabilitate the Nigeria electricity supply industry;Also concerned that although the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) proposes solutions to address financial concerns, the PSRSP does not propose a solution for fixing the critical business, infrastructural and technical flaws resulting in the power sector performance failure and market shortfall being experienced;Adopting the motion, the House gave the committee four weeks within which to conclude its assignment and report back for further legislative action. The Central Bank of Nigeria and its Governor, Godwin Emefiele, have opposed a suit requesting them to provide information on the money spent on President Muhammadu Buharis treatment in London, United Kingdom.The CBN and Emefiele argued that it was not within their immediate responsibilities to provide such information on the treatment of the President or on what it cost the country to keep the presidential aircraft and crew for 103 days at the Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom while President Buharis medical treatment lasted.They stated this in their papers filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja in opposition to the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1142/2017.The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative led by its Executive Director, Adeolu Oyinlola.ASRADI said in the suit that the CBN and its governor refused to honour its Freedom of Information request contained in its letter of October 19, 2017.But, in their counter affidavit filed on February 13, 2018, the CBN and its governor urged the court to reject the applicants prayers and dismiss the suit.They equally urged the court to vacate an earlier ex parte order granting leave to the applicant to apply for a prerogative order of mandamus compelling them to provide the information requested.They admitted receiving the October 19, 2017 letter from ASRADI, but forwarded it to the Presidents Chief of Staff, who they believed was the proper person to provide the information sought by the applicant.The CBN and its governor accused the applicant of failing to inform the court that they wrote it, informing the group to resort to the Presidents Chief of Staff for the information it sought.They stated, Upon the receipt of the applicants application for information, the bank (CBN) transferred the same application to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.The particular information sought by the applicant related to the overseas medical expenses incurred on the President of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari and the aircraft parking fees at the Stansted Airport in the UK.The CBN and its governor added that having transferred the applicants request to the Presidents Chief of Staff in line with the requirement of the Freedom of Information Act, the request should have been made to the Presidents Chief of Staff.The plaintiffs letter had sought information on the amount they released for Buharis medical treatment in London and the amount they paid on behalf of the Nigerian government as parking fees for keeping the presidential aircraft and crew in the UK while the Presidents treatment lasted.In the suit, with the CBN, its governor and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents, ASRADI sought a declaration that the respondents refusal to provide it with information sought through its letter of October 19, 2017 amounts to a wrongful denial of information and is a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011.It also sought an order compelling the respondents to furnish it with information sought in the letter of October 19, 2017, and a further order, mandating the CBN and its governor to pay the plaintiff N10m in damages for the wilful refusal of the 1st and 2nd respondents to release information in respect of the applicants letter dated October 19, 2017.In a supporting affidavit, Oyinlola contended that it was within the responsibilities of the CBN and its governor to provide the requested information saying they are responsible for all foreign currency transactions of the Nigerian government or transactions involving the Federal Government of Nigeria and foreign institutions concerning transfer of money outside the shores of Nigeria.Oyinlola further stated that in the interest of the Nigerian public, the court should grant his groups prayers to compel the respondents to declare the requested information because ASRADI was daily inundated with demands from the public to investigate the amount of taxpayers money spent on treating the President in London and keeping a presidential aircraft there for 103 days.Justice John Tsoho has adjourned till April 17 for the hearing of the main suit along with any objection filed by any of the respondents. An Indian woman Rajashree Patil who had lost her only child, a son, 18-months ago, became a grandmother with the help of her sons semen... An Indian woman Rajashree Patil who had lost her only child, a son, 18-months ago, became a grandmother with the help of her sons semen that was preserved in Germany for the past eight years, reports said on Thursday.According to media reports, the semen of the womans son was fused with the eggs of a donor to form embryos and then transferred into the womb of a surrogate mother.The surrogate mother later gave birth to a set of twins a boy and a girl, in Indias southwestern city of Pune, thus bringing back happiness to the grandmother.Patils son had gone to Germany in 2010 to pursue higher studies when he was diagnosed with brain tumor.Before chemotherapy and radiation procedures began, his semen was preserved to avoid any negative effects on his body post-treatment but he later died in September 2016.After his death, the mother, having a desire to get back her son, contacted the semen bank in Germany where the semen of her son, Prathamesh was cryo-preserved.After completing the formalities, the semen was brought to India.The mother then approached a hospital for an IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) procedure with the help of his sons semen. (Xinhua /NAN) The owner of a South Jersey diner that burst into flames last month set the blaze, along with his longtime friend and handyman, according to police. Thomas Giannisis, 51, was arrested Friday along with 56-year-old Robert Zbikowski for setting fire to The Country Town Diner in Berlin, which was owned by Giannisis, said Detective Sgt. Mike Scheer of the Berlin Borough Police Department. Both face charges of arson and conspiracy, he said. Those stem from a fire that broke out around midnight on January 11 at the diner. Berlin Borough Police Chief Michael Miller called the inside of the building "a disaster" last month and said it was likely "a total loss." Water damage caused the drop ceiling to disintegrate, he said. From the roadside, gaping holes were visible on the charred roof. The fire broke out not long after the diner had closed for the night, and no employees or customers were inside at the time, police said. An investigation into the fire began that day and lasted until Friday, when Scheer said his department arrested Giannisis, of Bellmawr, and Zbikowski, of Mount Holly. The investigation also involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Giannisis was a relatively new manager of the eatery, formerly known as the White Horse Diner. It had opened for business on Mother's Day of last year. He was leasing the property, Miller said last month. Tax records show a group called Sunrise Equities based in Great Neck, New York, has owned the property since at least 2010. Zbikowski was at the scene following the fire, and said he planned to help Giannisis, who was using a walker after sustaining injuries in a car crash last year, to start cleaning the diner as soon as authorities deemed it safe to enter. He said he often helped Giannisis with projects around the restaurant, and that the two had been friends for more than 20 years. "This is all they have," Zbkowski told NJ Advance Media that day, looking at the diner where holes were visible through the charred roof. He said that Giannisis ran the diner while also caring for his parents. "I don't know what they're going to do now." Giannisis, who had owned a diner in the past, has a history of financial troubles, records show. In January of 2009, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and four years probation after pleading guilty to third-degree theft by failure to make required disposition of property in relation to fraud at the Yellow Rose Diner, according to the Attorney General's Office. He agreed to pay $73,400 in restitution. Then the owner of the Middletown Diner, Giannisis had become involved in series of mortgage and investment scams run primarily by the Yellow Rose Diner's owner, Spiro Pollatos, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for money laundering, authorities said. Giannisis filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010, records show. His total assets were listed at just over $21,000 and his business had more than $1 million in debt, owing tens of thousands of dollars to various produce, coffee, ice cream and other food providers, a bankruptcy filing shows. The Middletown Diner shuttered around that time. It was not immediately known when the two men would appear in court. Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Fifty years after Congress took steps to ensure every American had an equal chance to own a home, a new analysis finds people of color are routinely being denied mortgages at much higher rates than white applicants, particularly in Camden and its suburbs. An analysis by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found black and Asian applicants in Camden were 2.6 and 1.8 times more likely than whites to be denied home loans, even after adjustments for income, loan amount and neighborhood. In total across the U.S., bias in loans persists in 61 metro areas, according to records from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act analyzed by the non-profit news organization. The yearlong analysis, based on 31 million records, relied on techniques used by leading academics, the Federal Reserve and Department of Justice to identify lending disparities. "We recognize that there is systemic racism," said Leila Amirhamzeh, director of development at New Jersey Citizen Action, an organization that provides counseling and assistance for prospective minority homeowners. "Nothing about this surprises us." From 1934 to 1968, the Federal Housing Administration perpetuated segregation by considering ethnicity and race when determining mortgage eligibility -- a practice known as redlining -- making it difficult for minorities, particularly black residents, to move into better neighborhoods. The Home Owner's Loan Corporation drafted maps of communities to figure out which ones were worthy of mortgage lending. The maps were color-coded, and the lowest rated towns, typically rejected for their non-white composition, were outlined in red and categorized as "hazardous." The visual representation became a verb -- redlining a community indicated that it was cut off from essential services. Though this practice was banned in 1968, data indicate that redlining still exists. The following graphic shows the percent of black population in Camden in 2016 on the right and the neighborhood segregation in 1930s on the left. The 'redlined' areas from the 1930s are still predominantly populated by black people, and are also the same areas where mortgage denial rates for them are the highest. Move the vertical slider to see each image in full. Only 37 percent of Camden residents own homes, compared to nearly 60 percent statewide, data shows. In addition, the latest Census estimates show 30 percent of the city's population is below the poverty level. Home ownership, as opposed to renting, often spurs further investment in properties and neighborhoods. "The lack of investment affects quality of schools, crime rates," Amirhamzeh said. "It's a ripple effect." Reveal's analysis also found patterns of discrimination in Philadelphia and Wilmington's cities and surrounding suburbs. But it's harder for black residents to get a loan almost everywhere in New Jersey. The state's black residents had their applications denied twice as often as white people. Hispanic and Asian residents were also denied more often. In 2015, Hudson City Savings Bank, headquartered in Paramus, paid $32.7 million to settle allegations that it avoided giving out loans in black and Hispanic neighborhoods. It was the largest mortgage redlining settlement in the history of the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the data, of the top 100 mortgage lenders, 84 were more likely to deny a black person than a white person. TD Bank, based out of Cherry Hill in New Jersey, denied a higher proportion of black and Latino applicants than any other major lender. The bank told Reveal that it "makes credit decisions based on each customer's credit profile, not on factors such as race or ethnicity." Credit scores are not public records and therefore could not be taken into consideration as part of Reveal's analysis. However, Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action said that the way credit scores are calculated is itself discriminatory. Studies have also shown that credit score algorithms are unfair towards borrowers of color. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Justice has not sued a single lender for housing discrimination, diminishing the standards to which banks have been held to under the Community Reinvestment Act -- a law that was passed to reduce redlining. Salowe-Kaye said the Trump administration is pulling back on lender regulations, enforcement actions and data collection. That's of particular concern, she said, because the organization uses that data to identify discriminating banks and set up methods to improve lending to low-income households. "The very tool that Citizen Action uses to provide opportunities is the tool they want to weaken," she said. If you've experienced mortgage discrimination and would like to share, fill out the form here. A note about the data: The analysis included all public records under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, covering nearly every time an American tried to buy a home with a conventional mortgage in 2015 and 2016. It adjusted for nine economic and social factors, including income, amount of loan, ratio of size of loan to the applicant's income, type of lender, racial makeup and median income of neighborhood where the person wanted to buy property. Credit scores were not included as they are not public data. Your browser does not support the code HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later. Disha Raychaudhuri may be reached at draychaudhuri@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter. Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook. New Jersey's high school graduation rate climbed for the sixth year in a row last year with 90.5 percent of the state's students earning a diploma, state officials announced Friday. The graduation rate is at the highest it has been since New Jersey switched to a new method of measuring the rate in 2011, when the graduation rate was 83 percent, according to the data released by the state Department of Education. In 2016, the rate was 90.1 percent. Click here to use the search tool to look up your school. "These increases in high school graduation rates are exciting, as they demonstrate we are on a path toward closing our achievement gaps and achieving excellent and equitable educational opportunities for our children," said Lamont Repollet, acting education commissioner, who was recently selected to head the department by Gov. Phil Murphy. The rising rate means an additional 2,219 students earned diplomas in 2017 compared to 2014, state officials said. New Jersey has long had one of the highest graduation rates in the nation. However, graduation rates vary greatly by district. Several charter schools and selective high schools, including admission-only academies for high achieving students run by the county vocational districts, boast 100 percent graduation rates. Other schools, including some in Camden, Jersey City and Newark, had graduation rates less than 65 percent, according to the data. The graduation rate is part of the district-level and state-level performance reports released by the state Friday. Loading... Staff writer Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report. When mogul Jay-Z invested money in his cousin's wing spot, Buffalo Boss in Brooklyn, in 2011, owner Jamar White told the New York Post a "Jay-Z effect" took place and sales increased by 60 percent. White, who is Jay-Z's first cousin, rode that momentum to open two more located in Harlem and the Barclays Center, and now his first New Jersey location is set to open later this month on Feb. 22 in the Newport Centre dining pavilion in Jersey City, according to the mall's website. Jersey Digs first reported the opening. According to the announcement on the mall's website, White and co-founder Ronald Lee "wanted to create a wing based concept restaurant like no other" by offering a variety of sauces (12) to lather on top of their chicken (which is vegetarian-fed and free from antibiotics or growth hormones). There are two categories of wing sauces: "Heaven sauces," which are sweet and savory and includes options like lemon pepper and honey BBQ, and hot and spicy "Hell Sauces," like Blazin BBQ and N'Sinerator (their hottest). While primarily a wing joint, Buffalo Boss also serves salads, chicken and vegetarian wraps, sweet potato fries, and desserts like fried Oreos and Pop-Tarts. The Jersey City location will have self-service kiosks to order and track your order. When interviewed by the New York Post in 2011, White would not disclose how much money Jay-Z invested in Buffalo Boss. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jatmonavageNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook Amid public scrutiny of New Jersey's criminal justice reforms following a killing in Newark last week, authorities in Essex County will test a new approach to deciding whether defendants in domestic violence cases remain jailed pending trial. That first-of-its-kind approach, court officials said, began Thursday. One specific judge, highly skilled in domestic violence issues, will decide whether those with domestic violence charges will remain in jail before their cases are heard, a spokesperson for the county prosecutor's office said. Superior Court Judge Ramona Santiago has been tapped to be that judge. Previously, decisions about whether to detain a domestic violence suspect would be heard by a number of judges in the court's criminal division in the county. "It is important that we have a legal system that understands the nature of domestic violence, is responsive to victims, and fair in administering justice," acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the Public Defender's Office and the courts in this endeavor." The move came just over a week after police say Irvington resident Kareem Dawson shot and killed Tiffany Wilson, the mother of his children, on Scheerer Avenue in Newark before leading police officers on a car chase. Tiffany Wilson (Photo courtesy of Kyceid Zahir) The pursuit ended in Summit, authorities said, when Dawson shot himself in the head. He survived his injuries, but remained in critical condition as of last week. Court records show Dawson had two prior arrests for alleged domestic violence offenses against Wilson, and that the same Superior Court judge had twice denied motions to keep him jailed pending trial, ruling prosecutors had not provided sufficient evidence that only a jail cell could keep the public safe from Dawson. Officials at the state and local level quickly called for changes to the state's year-old criminal justice reforms, pointing out that Dawson's case was the second time a judge in Newark had ordered a domestic violence defendant released pending trial, only for them to allegedly take their victim's life. Last spring, a different judge in Newark declined to keep a Roselle man, Dominick Richards, jailed in an aggravated assault case in which his ex-girlfriend was a victim. Richards later fatally shot the woman, Anishalee Cortes, on his home's driveway before turning the gun on himself. The prosecutor's office said the pilot program's launch comes after a review last week of the county's pre-trial services by a visiting team that included state Public Defender Joseph E. Krakora and Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson. Both the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and the public defender's office will have attorneys assigned to handle detention motions before Santiago as part of the new approach, a spokesperson said. Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips A New Jersey hedge fund owner could lose his million-dollar home and other pricey items that came from his $4 million investment scam after being convicted of fraud in federal court on Thursday, authorities say. Nicholas Lattanzio, 61, of Montclair, New Jersey was convicted on two counts of wire fraud and two counts of securities fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney Craig Carpentino. Officials say Lattanzio collected millions of dollars in upfront fees through his hedge fund, Black Diamond Capital Appreciation Fund L.P., also known as BD Fund. Lattanzio stole funds from two investors whom he promised future loans and investment opportunities that never came to pass, authorities said. Instead, Lattanzio used the money to pay himself more than $500,000 in salary, purchase a $1 million Montclair home, a Range Rover, a $100,000 diamond ring and pay down a half a million dollars in credit card debt, according to a release. According to the U.S. Attorney, the government forfeited a 2013 BMW, various pieces of jewelry, and is seeking forfeiture of the $1 million home Lattanzio purchased in Montclair. Lattanzio faces 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, authorities say. Alexis Johnson may be reached at ajohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexisjreports. Find her on Facebook. A 31-year-old man crashed a stolen bakery delivery truck into an East Orange Planned Parenthood clinic, in an attack that injured a pregnant woman and two other people, authorities said Friday. Marckles Alcius, 31 (Photo: ECPO) Marckles Alcius, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was charged with attempting to cause widespread injury or damage, six counts of aggravated assault, theft and weapons offenses in the Wednesday incident at the health clinic, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. In a statement, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino and East Orange Public Safety Director Sheliah Coley called the crash a "truck attack." A staff member and two patients, including the pregnant woman, suffered minor injuries, according to authorities. Emergency medical crews brought two of the injured to the hospital while the third sought treatment herself. All of the injured have since been released from the hospital, officials said. Authorities were investigating other possible charges in the ongoing probe, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Adam Wells. Officials did not immediately disclose a possible motive for the attack or release more details. "The investigation is ongoing but at this point we do not have any information that he had a connection to this clinic," prosecutor's office spokeswoman Katherine Carter said in an email. Carter would not release what evidence led prosecutors to believe the crash was intentional. Gov. Phil Murphy responded to the news Friday night. "Angered by this week's truck attack against a @PPFA clinic in East Orange. At a time when women's health care is under siege, we must protect and defend safe and affordable health care access for all," the governor said on Twitter. Angered by this week's truck attack against a @PPFA clinic in East Orange. At a time when women's health care is under siege, we must protect and defend safe and affordable health care access for all. https://t.co/Ef9YEfjfXs Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 17, 2018 A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey said the wreck caused "extensive" damage to the facility, but the organization was lucky that no patients or staff were seriously hurt. Repairs would likely take several weeks, spokeswoman Kaitlyn Wojtowicz said. Alcius pleaded not guilty Friday and was being held at the Essex County jail, officials said. The prosecutor's office is seeking to have him remain detained. There were few details publicly available about Alcius. Records show he has previous addresses in Rhode Island and Orange. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. A 61-year-old New Jersey man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison after he was busted for robbing the same bank twice and leaving DNA evidence behind. Police released this surveillance image after one of the bank robberies. Gregory A. Jones, of Newark, stole thousands of dollars from a Capital One Bank in Newark on two occasions in 2014, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. During the May 6 robbery, Jones handed the teller a note demanding cash. Shortly after leaving the bank, a dye pack hidden in the money burst and got ink on the dark glasses, scarf and hat Jones was wearing when he entered the bank. He abandoned the ink-covered items near the bank and authorities were able to pull DNA off them, authorities said. It matched DNA they later obtained from Jones. Jones robbed the bank again on Sept. 19, though on that occasion he had a gun under his sweatshirt and threatened to shoot the teller. He fired the weapon into the ceiling and took off with a few thousand dollars. Jones was later arrested with the help of surveillance video and witness statements. He was indicted in May 2016 and the following year was convicted of bank robbery, armed bank robbery and using a firearm in a crime of violence. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The Nutley School District has closed all schools on Friday as police investigate a security threat posted to social media. "Because of the nature of the world in which we live, there was no other decision to be made," Superintendent Julie Glazer said in a statement late Thursday. All evening events planned for Friday have also been canceled, Glazer said. Tonight, the district administration became aware of a security threat. The police are actively investigating. As it gets later in the evening, we have decided to err on the side of safety and close schools tomorrow, February 16, 2018. Read more: https://t.co/zh3ojZvW3A NutleyPSD (@NutleySchoolsNJ) February 16, 2018 Glazer said district administration became aware of a threat late Thursday. According to Nutley police, a video posted to Instagram prompted the investigation. "We have spoken to the individual (who) posted the video and detectives are in the process of speaking with all individuals from the video to a ascertain further information," police said in a statement. "Preliminarily there doesn't appear to be an active threat to any of the schools but we must finish this process," police said. Neither the district nor police disclosed the content in the video. "We have decided to err on the side of safety and close schools," the superintendent said in her statement, posted to the district website. Schools will reopen on Tuesday after the holiday for Presidents Day on Monday, she said. "Please rest assured that the safety and security of all our students and staff in the Nutley Public Schools remains our first priority," she said. Nutley police asked that "all parents remain calm and allow us to fully investigate this matter." Police said updates will be released as more information becomes available. The possible threat to the district comes days after 17 people were killed in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The Nutley Police Dept is actively investigating the video posted to Instagram. We have spoken to the individual that... Posted by Nutley Police Department on Thursday, February 15, 2018 Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is publicly acknowledging death threats that have made against him and his family. In a statement issued Friday afternoon following a security breach at City Hall Thursday, Bhalla said he and his family have been threatened and that the city is working with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force to improve security at City Hall. "This incident, along with death threats to me and my family, is an unfortunate reminder that we need to take security seriously," Bhalla said. The announcement came less than 24 hours after a man entered city hall and left a bag in Bhalla's office. The man, who was not apprehended, entered the building through the Newark Avenue entrance just before 8 p.m. and went through metal detectors. He told security officers that he was going to use the restroom. Bhalla's deputy chief of staff, Jason Freeman, was the only person still in the mayor's office at the time and noticed that a bag had been thrown in the direction of a secretary's desk. Freeman made eye contact with the man, who ran out of the office and fled the scene. City spokesman Juan Melli referred all questions about the investigation to Hoboken police. The department's investigations bureau did not respond to an email seeking additional information on the incident and death threats. In his statement, Bhalla said the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force has "evaluated" City Hall and that the city is working with the task force to implement their recommendations for physical and procedural changes to improve security for all employees in the building." Bhalla became the state's first Sikh mayor when he won a hotly-contested six-person race in November. Melli said this Bhalla's statement is the first time that he has publicly acknowledge the death threats. "We take incidents like these incredibly seriously and will continue working to ensure the security of the mayor and everyone who visits City Hall," said Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante said in a statement. A rare view into the struggles and conflicts of immigrant families can be seen through the perspective of a child when the Jersey City Theater Center presents "Demerara Gold," an award-winning show written by and featuring Ingrid Griffith. "Demerara Gold," based on Griffith's life story as a Caribbean-American, tells the story of a seven year old girl who is left to live with her two grandmothers in Caribbean Guyana after her parents suddenly get visas to the US. When she finally arrives in America to meet with her parents, their lives aren't at all what was promised in the land of opportunity. Premiering in July, 2014, at the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City, "Demerara Gold" won a Best Solo-Show Performer nomination. In the same year, Griffith won an award for "Heritage Journalism" from the Guyana Cultural Association of NY. "Ingrid's play is about someone who talks truthfully about her origins, specifically about how someone coming from the Caribbean feels adjusting to our society," said Olga Levina, artistic director of the JCTC. "Jersey City is one of the most diverse cities in the country, we're a city of immigrants. It's important we learn the stories of different immigrant groups and how it truly feels to be an outsider." "Demerara Gold" can be seen at Merseles Studios at 339 Newark Ave., in Jersey City today and tomorrow at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students and senior citizens, photo ID required at the door). Tickets can be purchased JCTCenter.org. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- If you're thinking the Mets are still looking to pluck a pitcher out of the trash heap, you might be encouraged by what I'm about to tell you. They did not send a scout to Tim Lincecum's showcase in Seattle on Thursday. The two-time NL Cy Young Award-winner formerly known as "The Freak" will have to freak people out elsewhere. However, the free agent pitching market might be heating up. Are the Mets jumping into the fire? Well, according to assistant general manager John Ricco, the answer isn't no... But it also isn't yes. Ricco told NJ Advance Media that the Mets are intrigued enough to monitor the starting pitching market, but that doesn't mean they are actively seeking out another starting pitcher. General manager Sandy Alderson previously said the club would be open to adding a swingman and it also sounds like they're more inclined to add a left-hander since they only have two on the active roster: Steven Matz and Jerry Blevins. The Mets previously had film of left-handed swingman Kyle Lobstein sent over after he threw for scouts in Arizona. They have also maintained an interest in left-hander Jason Vargas. The veteran who was an All-Star with the Kansas City Royals last season, remains on the market, but two other possible Mets' targets, left-hander Jaime Garcia and right-hander Andrew Cashner, both signed on Thursday and both at bargain rates. According to Ricco, if a deal for a starting pitcher were to present itself, the Mets wouldn't hesitate to make a move. But otherwise, they seem content with the roster. The addition of third baseman Todd Frazier gave the Mets confidence in the roster heading into spring training. But the Mets remain on alert. "It's unlike anything we've ever seen," Ricco said. "And we don't know if this is going to be the new normal moving forward either. It could be." Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The arrest went down just outside of municipal court. Attorney Michael Noriega was walking with his client, a young DACA recipient from Ecuador who had just resolved a DUI complaint involving a scrape in a parking lot, when an SUV came tearing across the street. It was U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Three officers jumped out, grabbed my client, and put him across the hood," recalled Noriega, a Scotch Plains immigration attorney. The handcuffs came out. "They were professional. But it was a harrowing experience," Noriega said. "It didn't make any sense. There were less invasive ways to get this done." Courthouses have increasingly become a focus of ICE, and immigration activists--as well as state officials--say it is having a chilling effect on the legal system. "People are really afraid to go to court and it's having a big impact on the ability to administer justice in the court," complained Lauren Herman, an attorney for Make the Road New Jersey, an Elizabeth-based immigrant advocacy group. In a recent survey, the group polled nearly 60 New Jersey legal and social service providers and found seven in 10 reported immigrant clients who were fearful of going to court over fears that they might be picked up by ICE. Others had clients who had withdrawn or failed to pursue orders of protection because they were afraid that ICE would track them to the courtroom. And half had clients afraid to serve as witnesses in criminal court because of ICE. Nicole Miller, legal services director for the American Friends Service Committee, said ICE arrests in and around courthouses "interfere with the courts' fundamental mission to ensure access to justice for all--including unauthorized immigrants--whether they are victims of domestic violence or other individuals seeking protection or assistance from the courts or appearing as witnesses or defendants in criminal cases." New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, in a letter last month to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, raised similar concerns. "Courthouses must be safe forums and federal immigration enforcement actions occurring at state courthouses compromise the integrity of our state's justice system," wrote Grewal. Courthouse arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are sparking concerns by judicial officials and immigration advocates. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement file photo via AP) Last year, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner also urged federal officials to refrain from enforcement activity in New Jersey's courthouses, which he said should be added to the list of so-called "sensitive locations" where ICE limits its enforcement activities--such as hospitals, schools and houses of worship. "When individuals fear that they will be arrested for a civil immigration violation if they set foot in a courthouse, serious consequences are likely to follow," Rabner wrote. Last month, however, ICE--which already had rules in place related to courthouse arrests--issued new policy guidelines publicly formalizing those policies. "The increasing unwillingness of some jurisdictions to cooperate with ICE in the safe and orderly transfer of targeted aliens inside their prisons and jails has necessitated additional at-large arrests, and ICE felt it was appropriate to more formally codify its practices in a policy directive that its law enforcement professionals and external stakeholders can consult when needed," the enforcement agency said. Some of the policy is "what's old is new," remarked immigration attorney Harlan York of Newark. "But I agree that it harms the justice system when witnesses and litigants alike are afraid these days to set foot in courtrooms for fear of apprehension, which is why certain cities are making their own policies, of course," York said. In its four-page directive, ICE said it will enter courthouses only for specific targets, such as convicted criminals, gang members, and immigrants who have been previously deported or ordered to leave. "Family members or friends accompanying the target alien to court appearances or serving as a witness in a proceeding, will not be subject to civil immigration enforcement action, absent special circumstances, such as where the individual poses a threat to public safety or interferes with ICE's enforcement actions," stated the directive, which was signed by ICE acting director Thomas Homan. It said that ICE officers and agents would generally avoid enforcement actions in areas within courthouses dedicated to non-criminal matters, such as family court or small claims court proceedings, unless approved by a supervisor. An ICE spokesman, in a statement, said its agents "follows policy directives in regards to courthouse arrests." Yet immigration attorneys believe that ICE agents have been staking out even municipal court proceedings, identifying and targeting unauthorized immigrants who have later been taken into custody just outside of the courthouse. Noriega said he spotted plainclothes ICE agents the moment he walked into a Union County courtroom to represent a 19-year-old who he said had been charged on a DUI complaint after backing a car into another vehicle at a party. "It was clear who they were. I saw them checking out the list and trying to stay low profile.," he said. Although his client, who had come here at the age of four, was protected as a "Dreamer" under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a DUI charge is considered a serious misdemeanor disqualified him for renewal--leaving him vulnerable to deportation. After he paid his fines, the agents were outside waiting for him. "It was absolutely targeted," said Noriega. They were looking for him." The young man, who Noriega did not want to identify, was held for three weeks before he was released on bond, and now faces removal proceedings. In another municipal court case, Herman told of a woman and her spouse were both arrested last summer after she called Passaic police to file a domestic violence complaint. After a series of court appearances, Herman said the woman was arrested by ICE on her way out. She recognized one of the ICE agents who had been in court during the proceedings. The woman, whose children are U.S. citizens, is now facing a removal order, said Herman, who also did not want to identify her. Her husband, who Herman said had a prior domestic violence complaint against him, has already been deported. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida that killed at least 17 people, including a 14-year-old who once lived in Woodcliff Lake, is dredging up memories of a long-ago massacre in Camden in 1949. Carly Novell, a 17-year-old senior, hid in a closet with several classmates and survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, HuffPost reports. This is my grandpa. When he was 12 years old, he hid in a closet while his family was murdered during the first mass shooting in America. Almost 70 years later, I also hid in a closet from a murderer. These events shouldn't be repetitive. Something has to change. #douglasstrong pic.twitter.com/nDctTNlUNs Carly Novell (@car_nove) February 15, 2018 Her grandfather, Charles Cohen, was only 12 years old when he hid in a closet to escape the first mass shooting in America. Both of Cohen's parents and his grandmother were killed when Howard Unruh, then 28 and a World War II veteran, killed 13 people with a Luger pistol as he walked down River Road near 32nd Street. He shot people in the street, in their houses and local businesses, seeking out neighbors who he thought knew he was a homosexual and were talking about him. The night before, Unruh had arranged to meet a man with whom he was having an affair, at a theater in Philadelphia, but the man never showed. Unruh was finally captured after a shootout with police. He never stood trial after a psychiatrist diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, and died in a Trenton nursing home in 2009 when he was 88, after 60 years of confinement. Cohen weighed in when a sniper was terrorizing the Washington D.C. area in 2002. Cohen kept a suitcase full of articles about his parents. "He knows how it is when someone tries to kill you for no apparent reason," the Star-Ledger wrote in 2002. "He knows how it feels to lose a loved one to a binge killer. And he'll tell you there is no such thing as getting back to normal after living through that kind of trauma. The wounds run so deep that they still smart more than half a lifetime later." Cohen didn't tell anyone what he saw until nine years after the shooting, on his honeymoon with his wife. He died about a month before Unruh in 2009. He was the last survivor of the mass shooting. Carly Novell told the Huffington Post she squeezed into the closet in the school's newspaper room with her classmates during the shooting, and stayed there until police found them. "These events shouldn't be repetitive. Something has to change," she said on her Instagram post. When reached by a reporter on Friday, Novell's aunt Lori Cohen Greenberg, an attorney in Marlton, said she is "so, so proud" of her niece. She had just learned that Melissa Falkowski, the teacher who gathered Novell and 18 others into a closet to hide from the shooter, was a distant relative -- her husband's cousin. "It was a nice connection to make with all this horror happening," said Greenberg, who adopted her father's surname as a middle name after he died. In the days since the shooting, Carly and many of her classmates have been responding to sentiments from gun rights advocates and conservative personality Tomi Lahren. I was hiding in a closet for 2 hours. It was about guns. You weren't there, you don't know how it felt. Guns give these disgusting people the ability to kill other human beings. This IS about guns and this is about all the people who had their life abruptly ended because of guns. https://t.co/XnzhvuN1zd Carly Novell (@car_nove) February 15, 2018 "I'm very, very proud of her," Greenberg said. "It's about time people get back when somebody says something ridiculous. ... Carly challenged her and [Lahren] hasn't apologized or replied back, as far as I know." Greenberg hopes the discussions spurred by the shooting will lead to reform that includes gun control and treating mental illness. "What Carly and her classmates are saying so eloquently is that we don't need thoughts and prayers, we need action," Greenberg added. "We need to move forward and do something positive because people keep dying." Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips A Manahawkin man was indicted on charges he caused the death of a Pomeranian. Joseph Russo, 24, was charged with third-degree causing serious bodily injury and death to the dog, whose owner reported the incident to authorities on May 30, 2016. Diesel, the Pomeranian, died on May 25, 2016, and his owner contacted the Stafford Police Department on May 25. The owner told police that Diesel was left in a room she rented at Russo's home, and that when she returned, Diesel was dead. According to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, Russo told her that Diesel died after having a seizure. A necropsy report, however, showed Diesel had a "pattern of bruising in the left temple region of the skull," and listed the cause of death as "atlantoaxial dislocation and severance of the spinal cord." It appears the dog's neck was damaged. Russo was charged in August after Detective Sgt. Larry Donato, of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty, reviewed the necropsy report and conducted witness interviews. Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. By Robert J. Spitzer Sometimes the motives of mass shooters are enigmatic, but not in this case. Even though there is still more to learn, there is apparently little mystery about the most recent mass shooting. The 19-year-old accused of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday -- Valentine's Day -- should never, as a matter of law and common sense, have had access to a gun, much less the AR-15 assault rifle he apparently obtained legally and owned for some time, or the large-capacity magazines police say he used to kill 17 and wound 16. We already know, and authorities already knew before the shooting, that he was a disgruntled teenager with a history of disturbing and disruptive behavior that set off alarm bells in those who encountered him. In comments about the suspect, acquaintances, schoolmates and various officials all concur that he had "always been a troubled kid" who was unusually fascinated with guns and knives. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said that some of what has been uncovered about him is "very, very disturbing." Little wonder that he was expelled from the high school for disciplinary reasons. Last year, an email to the school's faculty cautioned that he should not be let onto school grounds with a backpack. One student who knew him said that "he seemed like the kind of kid who would do something like this." So what difference, if any, could public policy have made to avert the outcome that everyone appeared to fear? Quite a bit, actually. Assault weapons were restricted for 10 years by federal law -- a law that was allowed to lapse in 2004. Included in that legislation was a restriction on large-capacity bullet magazines, those holding more than 10 rounds. (Today, six states -- California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York and the District of Columbia -- retain similar restrictions.) The absence of comprehensive record-keeping and the apparent ease by which a teenager obtained and displayed firearms long before the shooting also suggest lapses in existing policy. Our own past suggests that these are not new problems. On another St. Valentine's day 89 years ago, seven Chicago gangsters in the employ of Bugs Moran were murdered by four members of a rival gang led by Al Capone. The four, dressed as police officers, lined up the seven against a wall and executed them. On Feb. 14, 1929, seven Chicago gangsters were murdered by four members of a rival gang led by Al Capone. The resultant public outrage, riding a crescendo of national dismay over rising criminal violence, helped fuel growing public pressure for gun laws to stem the use of what were then called "gangster weapons" in crime. From 1927 to 1934, at least 27 states enacted laws to bar fully automatic weapons such as the notorious Tommy gun, and other gangster weapons such as sawed-off shotguns. During the same period, between seven and 10 states enacted laws that severely restricted or even barred semiautomatic weapons -- weapons that fired in the same manner as AR-type weapons of today. Moreover, concern about the ability to fire numerous rounds without reloading, whether by fully automatic or semiautomatic means, also led to restrictions nine decades ago. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, no fewer than 17 states enacted various restrictions on the number of rounds that could be fired without reloading. These growing public concerns finally led to the enactment of the first comprehensive national gun law, the National Firearms Act of 1934. In other words, robust state and federal regulations resulted from the crime epidemic of the 1920s and early 1930s. Yet in the past three decades, we've seen mostly a reversal of that trend. Although crime, including violent crime, has progressively declined in the United States since the early 1990s, mass shootings have increased. Even as they amount to about 2 percent of all gun fatalities annually, they are part of a distinct and alarming trend. Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, more than 1,600 mass shootings have occurred, and the five worst mass shootings in our history have taken place in the past decade. Two of those five happened just last year, when there were a total of 346 mass shootings, according to Gun Violence Archive. Assault weapons constitute about 2 percent of all firearms in the United States, but such weapons have been used in 27 percent of public mass shootings from 1999 to 2013. All of this calls, at the least, for a reexamination of our laws and incomplete record-keeping practices, especially at the intersection of firearms and teenagers. (States enacted laws restricting access to guns by minors as early as the late 1800s.) The history of gun laws in the United States tells us that gun regulations are by no means a new idea, and they haven't always been considered antithetical to the Constitution. Yet contemporary gun politics has at least partly succeeded in turning the debate over gun laws into a kind of third rail. But that is an artifact of contemporary hyperpolarized politics. This would be a good time to push aside the hype and learn the lessons from our past. Or else we'll keep repeating recent history instead. Robert J. Spitzer is the chairman of the political science department at SUNY Cortland and the author of five books on gun policy, including "Guns across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights." Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter@NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker made an announcement on Twitter this week that he would not accept donations from corporate political action committees, as he ponders whether he will seek a run for the White House. "This gives Senator Booker a good answer to the 'bought by special interest' question," said Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University. His latest action points toward a 2020 presidential run. Booker (D-N.J.) has landed seats on the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees, introduced legislation to remove the federal ban on marijuana, and has a leading voice of dissent in the Democratic Party during the era of Donald Trump. Booker has been criticized for receiving campaign contributions from Wall Street and the drug industry. He also faces re-election to the Senate in 2020, so he will soon have to decide which road to take. Booker was once considered a top contender as a running mate for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Do you think Booker should run for president? Vote in our informal, unscientific poll and tell us how you voted in the comments. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. The state Senate began its work Thursday devising a way to prevent New Jersey taxpayers from losing a popular property tax break as a result of federal income tax reform. Following the mold of other high-tax states looking to skirt the new $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions taxpayers can claim, the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee advanced a bill allowing municipalities to set up charitable funds to substitute donations for property tax payments. Under the scheme, taxpayers would make donations to the charitable fund and receive a credit against their property tax bill. They could in turn claim the payment as a charitable contribution, which is not subject to a cap. It's a maneuver championed by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who urged the Democratic-controlled state Legislature to act. While local officials don't have to wait for the state to pass a law before establishing charitable support funds, Murphy said he believed they would be on stronger footing with it. The bill would give property owners a 90 percent tax credit -- ostensibly to stand up to IRS scrutiny -- for their contribution to the town, county or school district's charitable support fund. And if an owner's tax credits exceed their net property taxes owed, the fund would roll the credits forward for up to five years. "I understand there are some concerns. And I'm not saying by any means this is the long-term solution for tax policy in the state of New Jersey. But we need to do something to defend ourselves in the interim," said Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen. State Sen. Steve Oroho, R-Sussex, warned state lawmakers may be sending taxpayers down a risky path, as it's unclear whether the Internal Revenue Service will bless these moves, which resemble a quid pro quo. "The way the charitable contributions work is you've got to give something and get nothing in return," Oroho said. "I'm not really sure how we can argue that you're not getting anything in return." In fact, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last month called the idea, also considered by California, "ridiculous." Fair Lawn Mayor Lisa Swain told NJ Advance Media this week she's eager to set up a charitable support fund to help residents preserve their property tax break. Given the chance at the end of 2017 to prepay their 2018 property taxes, a third of Fair Lawn's homeowners did so, prepaying more than $8 million, she said. "People want to do something to minimize their tax bill," Swain said. Murphy has said he wants to attack the Republican-led tax reform on multiple fronts, including signing on to a multi-state legal action alleging the reform unlawfully targets a class of people, in this case residents of 12 high-tax states. He's also said he's taken interest in a proposal made by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to shift from personal income taxes to payroll taxes, which can be deducted fully. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. WASHINGTON -- Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner David Kautter will review the agency's ruling limiting how much New Jersey homeowners could deduct from their prepaid 2018 property taxes, two lawmakers said. Reps. Leonard Lance, R-7th Dist, and Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., met with Kautter Thursday to press their case that all 2018 property taxes paid in 2017 should be deductible. The IRS had ruled that only those taxes paid in response to an assessment -- which would cover just the first half of 2018 -- were deductible in 2017. "These payments were made in good faith and some payments were made before the IRS issued its unfair ruling," Lance said. Lance said he also pointed out that then-Gov. Chris Christie had ordered municipalities to accept property tax payments for all of 2018. Gottheimer said he was encouraged after the meeting. "Don't change the rules mid-game on New Jersey taxpayers," he said. "Allow the full deduction of all 2018 property tax prepayments." The two lawmakers have introduced legislation to overturn the IRS ruling, and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., hammered Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over the fact that corporations who promised bonuses in 2017 could deduct them then even if they planned to pay them in 2018, but individuals who actually paid their 2018 taxes in 2017 weren't eligible for a full deduction. The two lawmakers have introduced legislation to overturn the IRS ruling and allow all 2018 property taxes paid in 2017 to be fully deductible on income tax forms due in April. Many New Jersey homeowners rushed to prepay their 2018 property taxes after President Donald Trump signed a Republican tax bill that capped the federal deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000. The provision disproportionately affected New Jersey and other high-tax states, all of which lean Democratic, that already send billions of dollars more in taxes to Washington than they receive in services. The savings from curbing the deduction went to cut taxes primarily for corporations and wealthy Americans. In New Jersey, almost half of the benefits went to the top 5 percent of taxpayers, according to the progressive Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. A two-term Trenton councilwoman is now the newest lawmaker serving in the Statehouse across town. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, a Democrat, was sworn in Thursday to fill the state Assembly seat vacated by Elizabeth Muoio, whom new Gov. Phil Murphy has nominated to become the next state treasurer. Reynolds-Jackson will represent the state's 15th legislative district -- which includes parts of Hunterdon and Mercer counties, including Trenton and some of its suburbs -- in the Assembly, the lower house of the Legislature. Muoio held the seat since 2015. She resigned to serve as treasurer, though she has yet to be confirmed. Because Muoio is a Democrat, the party's committee members from those counties were tasked with appointing a replacement. They gathered last week and chose Reynolds-Jackson over Mercer County Freeholder Anthony Verrelli and West Windsor Councilwoman Ayesha Krishnan. She will serve until November, when there will be a special election for the final year of Muoio's term. Reynolds-Jackson has been a councilwoman in New Jersey's capital city since 2010, and she said Thursday that will help her in the Assembly. Her goals, she said, are to help lower property taxes, fully fund all schools, and improve affordable housing. "I know the challenges facing our state and its communities," Reynolds-Jackson said. "I plan to bring fresh and creative approaches to the issues that impact urban, suburban and rural New Jersey, and I'm excited to listen to and learn from constituents, colleagues, advocates and all the voices that contribute to our democracy." Reynolds-Jackson is a graduate of Trenton Central High School and has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Trenton State College -- now the College of New Jersey -- and a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University. She had to resign from the Trenton council to serve in the Assembly because state law bans dual office-holding. She also had to resign from the $92,000-a-year job she has long held as an employee of the state Department of Community Affairs. New Jersey law prohibits lawmakers from holding state jobs. But Reynold-Jackson landed a new $94,000-a-year job as a Mercer County employee, according to a report by The Trentonian. Lawmakers are allowed to work for local or country governments. Members of the Assembly make $49,000 a year. Reynolds-Jackson is one of a few people who have been appointed to the Assembly in recent weeks to replace members who have departed to serve in Murphy's cabinet. Former Essex County Freeholder Director Britnee Timberlake replaced Sheila Oliver, who is now lieutenant governor. Former Passaic school board member Clinton Calabrese replaced Marlene Caride, whom Murphy nominated to serve as commissioner of the state Department of Banking and Insurance. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Gov. Phil Murphy has turned to a former foe to help with the ongoing state takeover of Atlantic City. Murphy's administration announced Thursday that it hired Jim Johnson -- the governor's chief opponent in last year's Democratic gubernatorial primary -- as a special counsel focused on the seaside gambling resort, where the local government has been under state control since November 2016. Johnson, a high-profile attorney who finished second to Murphy in the race for the Democratic nomination for governor, will work for $1 a year. Murphy's administration said Johnson will review ongoing litigation in the city and provide recommendations that will lead to the city regaining local control. "Atlantic City is poised for a comeback, and I am sure that Jim's guidance will play a critical role in the growth and economic revitalization of the city," Murphy said in a statement. "Jim has years of governmental experience and knows how to work with tough budgets, traits that will serve him well in this role." But Johnson is not replacing Jeffrey Chiesa, a former U.S. senator and state attorney general, as the person overseeing the controversial takeover, a source familiar with the situation told NJ Advance Media. Rather, Johnson will aid in the effort, said the source, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. Former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed the takeover into law because the city -- which had been hit by a rash of casino closings -- was on the brink of bankruptcy. Christie hired Chiesa, a longtime friend and ally who makes $400 an hour, to head the takeover. Chiesa's law firm has billed the state at least $4 million for its work so far, according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sources told NJ Advance Media last month they could see Murphy replacing Chiesa with a new firm. But Thursday's announcement about Johnson did not mention Chiesa's future. A spokesman for Murphy's office declined comment. The future of the takeover in general is also unclear. Murphy said repeatedly on the campaign trail that, if elected, he would end the takeover -- which is unpopular with many residents and local officials. But Murphy did not repeat that vow when asked about it last month. Instead, he said he wants "a partnership" between the city and the state. The law Christie signed allows for the state to stay in the city for up to five years. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver -- the head of the state Department of Community Affairs, which oversees the takeover -- said in a statement Thursday that Murphy's administration is "committed to getting Atlantic City back on its feet, and we will do so by working with its leaders, not by stepping over them." Oliver added that Johnson will "play a vital role in restoring confidence in its finances and future, and will help position the city and its residents to thrive." Johnson, a Harvard University gradate, served as undersecretary in the U.S. Treasury department under then-President Bill Clinton and later worked as chairman of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. The 57-year-old Montclair resident also spent years as a corporate attorney and partner for Debevoise & Plimpton, a high-powered New York City law firm. "We're in a moment filled with challenges and opportunities, and I am honored that Gov. Murphy and Lt. Gov. Oliver have asked me to take on this important role," Johnson said in a statement Thursday. Johnson was fiercely critical of Murphy during last year's primary, especially of the years Murphy spent as an executive at Wall Street investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. But Johnson later endorsed Murphy in the general election. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. A Franklin Township student has been charged with making a threat against Franklin High School on social media, police said. The 14-year-old Somerset County boy, who was not named, was also suspended from school, Superintendent John Ravally said in a statement. The nature of the threat was not revealed. The threat came just a day after 17 people were killed in a school shooting at a south Florida high school, including a 14-year-old former New Jersey resident. The teen was charged with making a third-degree terroristic threat and was released to his parents. "The recent tragic school event that occurred in Parkland, Florida is a reminder that we as a community need to remain diligent in our efforts to secure our schools," he said in a statement posted on the district's website. Franklin Township Police conducted an investigation and found there was no imminent danger. The school remained open on Friday. "I want to reassure everyone that we as a district continue to make safety a priority," Ravally said. "We are fortunate to have a strong relationship with the Franklin Township Police Department and by working closely, we as a district are able to put measures in place to best secure our schools." Nutley School District closed their schools on Friday after a student made a threatening video posted on Instagram. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips A 19-year-old woman reported missing on Valentine's Day was found dead Thursday in a wooded area of Bernards Township, authorities said. A search dog, along with police and volunteers found the body of Lydia Comtois in a remote area in the Liberty Corner section of the township, acting Chief of Police Michael Shimsky said in a statement. Lydia Comtois "Preliminary investigation indicates nothing suspicious about the death and there is no evidence of foul play at this time," Shimsky said. Comtois was last heard from around 5 p.m. on Wednesday when she left New Brunswick headed for Bernards Township. Shimsky said Comtois was reported missing to police several minutes before midnight. Less than a day after her body was found, more than $4,000 had been raised on GoFundMe to pay for Comtois funeral costs. "Lydia was one of the kindest souls anyone ever had the opportunity of coming in contact with," wrote James Davidson, who started the fundraiser. "She loved all of her friends deeply as her friends loved her deeply as well." A prayer service was held Thursday night at Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church, according to Cyndee Whitaker Cordivari, a local resident. Funeral plans had not been announced by early Friday, Cordivari said. Bernards Township Police, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office continue to investigate. Anyone with additional information should contact the Bernards Township Police at 908-766-1122. The Bernards Township Police regrets to announce that the missing person has been located deceased. Thank you to... Posted by Bernards Township Police Department on Thursday, February 15, 2018 Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The owners of the Ruby Slipper Cafe say one of their former key employees didn't tell them he planned to start his own restaurant at the site of their original Mid-City diner, which they left early on his advice. They're asking a federal court to stop that business from opening. Erich and Jennifer Weishaupt, who started the Ruby Slipper Cafe on South Cortez Street in 2008, filed a lawsuit in New Orleans' U.S. District Court Wednesday (Feb. 14) against Christopher Belou, who the owners identified as head of business development. In the past decade, the restaurant has expanded to 10 locations, from Baton Rouge to the Florida panhandle, with Belou having a hand in much of that growth. The lawsuit says the Weishaupts turned to Belou for guidance last fall when deciding whether to keep the original Ruby Slipper Cafe open on South Cortez Street through the end of their lease in April 2018. Construction of a nearby location and corporate headquarters on South Broad Street was complete, and the owners were concerned about saturating the Mid-City neighborhood. Belou urged the Ruby Slipper to leave before the end of year, according to the lawsuit, and the Weishaupts took his advice after receiving an unsolicited early exit offer from the landlord. In the filing, they claim they were unaware Belou was negotiating his own lease of the restaurant space. The complaint also alleges that Belou "attempted to, and likely did, misappropriate confidential information ... to disrupt Ruby Slipper's operations." Belou resigned Jan. 2 and told the Weishaupts he wanted to do something that would allow him to better use his culinary skills, the lawsuit said. He did not share any specifics with the owners, saying only he had "a couple of irons in the fire." The lawsuit includes a copy of a building permit application from Belou for the South Cortez Street building, dated Jan. 24. It indicates he planned a first-floor overhaul with a new bar. The Weishaupts are asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order to stop Belou's renovation while the lawsuit seeking permanent relief plays out in court. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The court filing said that Belou is planning a "breakfast-and-brunch-all-day" menu similar to the Ruby Slipper Cafe. Belou originally declined comment when reached by phone Thursday but said via email Friday morning that the Weishaupts did not seek his advice about the South Cortez Street location, and he denied advising them to leave. "I have no intention of ever using anything proprietary to the Ruby Slipper Cafe," Belou said. "This is just a case of a big, multi-state, restaurant chain corporation unfairly going after the dream of a small-time, independent local chef to shut him down and squash any competition." David Patron, an attorney for the Weishaupts, declined to comment when reached Thursday. This story was updated to include comments from Belou. Read the lawsuit below - open your web browser if you're reading this story on Facebook. William James Over 2.03 million students take the ACT every year, with an average score around 20.6, on a scale from 1-36. The Saint Paul's class of 2017 averaged a 25.5, well above the national and state average earning them over $17 million dollars in scholarship offers. Students wake up early on a Saturday morning to trudge through the rigorous four (or five, depending on if you take the test with writing) hour mega-test. Ahead of the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), the ACT (American College Testing) is the most frequently taken standardized test for college admissions. While over 2.03 million students complete the test, only 6% (roughly 121,500) earn a score of 30 or above. Saint Paul's generously hosted a lunch for those students who have scored above 30. If you score a 34 or 35, you have entered into the 99th percentile. This does not mean you scored a 99 on the test, it means that only 1% of test takers had a higher score than you did. The 36'ers, the 100th percentiles, those are the golden boys. Fittingly enough, St. Paul's Junior Jackson Gold is the latest golden boy, hitting a 36 composite on his most recent ACT. His score now puts him atop the ranks of current Saint Paul's students, jumping over the three seniors with 35's, Patrick Baldone, William James, and Jack Nunez. Along with the achievements of Jackson Gold, his classmates Andrew Norlin, Ross Hightower and David Needles each scored a 35 composite. Gold has now become one of approximately 1,200 students who earned a perfect score, putting him in the top .06% of students who have taken the ACT. It very well may run in the family as Jackson's older brother, Max (Class of 2015), earned a 35 on the ACT during his senior year. "I'd say there was a friendly competition in terms of the ACT -- and intelligence in general -- but I think it's more on my end than his. I was mad after my first ACT when he had a better score than I did, but I'm sure he was annoyed once I did better than him, but at the same time I hope he was happy for me. It's more like we make jokes about our ACT scores and grades, etc., but now that I'm 100% the smarter brother -- no questions asked -- I like to mess with him." For those students who receive high scores on the ACT, their time and effort is rewarded with prestigious merit scholarships for high ranking colleges and universities. Almost $1 million in scholarships have been accrued between the three seniors aforementioned. Over the past five years, Saint Paul's has created a strong curriculum that, while teaching the necessary information for the classroom, emphasizes preparation for standardized testing. The former Alabama House majority leader was sentenced to three months in prison Thursday (Feb. 15) and ordered to pay $50,657 in restitution for converting campaign contributions to personal use, AL.com reported. Micky Hammon of Decatur will report to a federal facility to begin his sentence on March 29. Prosecutors recommended probation and no prison time for Hammon, who pleaded guilty last year to one count of mail fraud, the website reported. But U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson indicated he thought that would send the wrong message to other public officials, noting Hammon violated the trust of those who gave to his campaign. The charges against Hammon are similar to those levied against former St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Walter Reed, who was sentenced last year to four years in prison. The federal government accused Reed of illegally spending more than $100,000 in campaign funds for personal use, including paying for expensive meals for family and friends. However, while Hammon entered a guilty plea on one count of mail fraud, Reed was convicted on 18 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, making false statements on his income tax returns and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to launder money. Reed has appealed, and remains free at this time. The day after a 40-year-old man was found fatally shot outside of a Central City corner store, New Orleans police publicly identified Jacoby Age, 29, as a suspect in the Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) slaying. Age, who was arrested Wednesday and remains jailed on unrelated charges, including aggravated flight from an officer, will be rebooked with one count of second-degree murder, according to court records and police. The Central City shooting occurred about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 1800 block of Magnolia Street, at the intersection with Felicity Street. There, responding officers found the victim lying in the driveway of a neighborhood corner store. Police initially reported the shooting at the nearby intersection of Magnolia and St. Andrew streets, but updated the location in a Thursday news release. The victim was taken by EMS to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead from his injuries, police said. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office have not yet identified the victim. The man is the sixth person to be shot to death in a one mile radius in Central City over a period of less than a month. Eight days earlier, 30-year-old Michael Hunter was shot dead about a block away from Wednesday's killing. At the scene Wednesday, bullet casings were strewn around the parking lot of the store on the corner of Felicity and Magnolia streets, including some near what appeared to be a pool of blood. Investigators had placed at least 10 evidence cones at the scene, many next to casings. A man said he was at a store a few blocks away when he heard about five shots fired shortly before 11 a.m. "When I heard it I knew someone had got shot, because I'm from here and I know what goes on," Ricky William said. "It's terrible down here, man. I get tired of that, everyone just killing each other. It's terrible, I hate to see it." According to court records Age was arrested the day of the shooting and booked about 10 p.m. with reckless operation of a vehicle, aggravated flight from an officer, driving with a suspended license, no seatbelt and a parole violation. He was also booked on a warrant out of Jefferson Parish. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up He appeared Thursday in Orleans Parish magistrate court, where a commissioner set his bond at $10,000 on the charge of aggravated flight from an officer, according to court records. Later Thursday, his bond was set at $400,000 on the murder charge. Age's criminal history in Orleans Parish includes a 2007 charge of attempted first-degree murder during a crime. In that case, Age was arrested in July 2007 and initially booked with the murder charge, along with armed robbery and aggravated battery charges. In September 2007, the Orleans Parish DA formally charged Age with attempted murder. In May 2008, the DA decided not to continue pursuing the charge. According to Orleans Parish DA's office spokesman Ken Daley, the charge had to be dismissed due to insufficient evidence and a lack of witness cooperation. Age's criminal history also includes two domestic-abuse battery convictions, in 2009 and 2011, as well as a 2011 guilty plea to illegally carrying a weapon and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In the 2009 domestic-abuse case, he received 40 days in the Orleans Parish jail, with credit for time served, and an order to report to domestic-violence court. For the 2011 battery and weapons charges, he received a six-month sentence with two months suspended. For the marijuana charge, he received a five-year suspended sentence with three years of active probation. In 2012, his probation was revoked, and his original sentence of five years was imposed with credit for time served, according to court records. In Jefferson Parish, Age pleaded guilty in 2013 to home invasion, theft of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a weapon as part of several separate cases. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with credit for time served. Anyone with information on the Central City homicide investigation is asked to contact NOPD Homicide Detective Debra Norman at 504-658-5300. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP. NOLA.com|The Times-Picayune's Marie Simoneaux contributed to this report. A ninth-grade student at a South Carolina high school was taken into custody after posting a threatening photograph, according to WSPA-TV. The unidentified juvenile published a photo of himself on Snapchat wearing a mask and holding what appears to be an assault rifle with the caption "Round 2 of Florida tomorrow." The photo was posted after Wednesday's (Feb. 14) school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 students and teachers dead. A fellow student at Broom High School in Spartanburg, S.C., showed his father the ominous photo from his classmate. Once notified, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office visited the home of the student who posted the photo. The teen told authorities the post was a joke. Deputies searched the home and found a mask and an Airsoft pellet gun that looks like an assault rifle. The boy was arrested and booked with disturbing school. He was still in custody as of Thursday afternoon. A man who died after he was shot late on Feb. 5 on Franklin Avenue has been identified by authorities as 27-year-old Tony Summers. The shooting, at the edge of the St. Roch and St. Claude neighborhoods, was reported to police at 9:23 p.m. in the 1700 block of Franklin Avenue. Responding officers found the victim, who had been shot more than once, laying on a sidewalk, according to a preliminary NOPD report. He was taken by EMS to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, NOPD spokesman Gary Scheets said at the time. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office on Friday (Feb. 15) said Summers died of gunshot wounds. Earlier: Man dies after being shot on Franklin Avenue A man who works in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred said on Feb 6 that the previous night he was inside his business and heard gunshots. When the gunfire stopped, he looked out the window and saw a man with dreadlocks lying on the sidewalk, not moving. The man, who asked not to be identified, said he called 911. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up That Monday night of the shooting, about eight to 10 investigators gathered on the sidewalk and adjacent roadway along Almonaster Avenue near North Roman Street, in front of a barber shop. Police had cordoned off an area of Almonaster Avenue near North Roman Street to a point near North Derbigny Street. The Franklin Avenue shooting was one of three fatal shootings in about 12 hours across New Orleans, starting with Summers' fatal shooting the night of Feb. 5 and ending in the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Michael Hunter in Central City the morning of Feb. 6. Muhiydin Moye d'Baha, 32, a Black Lives Matter advocate from South Carolina, was killed in a shooting early Feb. 6 morning, a few hours after Summers. Additionally, a man was wounded in a shooting in that 12-hour period, early on Feb. 6 on Gentilly Boulevard. NOPD Homicide Detective Rayell Johnson is leading the investigation into Summers' shooting and can be reached at 504-658-5300 with any information. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP. Staff writer Laura McKnight contributed to this report. A Houma company that builds offshore platforms for oil and gas extraction has expanded into the renewable energy market. The company, Gulf Island Fabrication, built steel frames for a wind farm off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, according to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. Like many in the petroleum industry, Gulf Island lost work and was forced to layoff employees with the drop in oil price, Roy Francis, Gulf Island's senior vice president of business development, told the magazine. The company saw an opportunity to diversify with the development of wind energy. Gulf Island Fabrication realized that the metal frames they were building to support oil and gas platforms, called jackets, could be adapted to support wind turbines. The report says a Metairie-based company, Keystone Engineering, helped to design the jackets and pilings in a way that would allow Gulf Island to use the facility and equipment it already had. The new design also had to take into account the movement of wind turbines. "Most platforms are designed to hold a static gravity load," Bill Blanchard, vice president and general manager of Gulf Island's fabrication group, told the magazine. "Conversely, wind turbine foundations are designed to support a very long vertical stick that's swaying, with a lot of horizontal and cyclical moments applied to them. So, it takes a completely different jacket stiffening style." Hailstorm ahead for ride-hailing services in Vietnam The bumpy road thus far for ride-hailing companies Uber and Grab in Vietnam could well end in a jagged cliff as authorities turn the scanner on their operations, tax practices and competition with domestic taxi operators. In the latest bust-up, on February 6 the HCM City Peoples Court City began to hear a lawsuit filed by Anh Duong Vietnam Jsc, better known as Vinasun Taxi, against GrabTaxi Vietnam Limited Liability Company (Grab).Vinasuns argument is that it lost more than VN40 billion (US$1.78 million) in 2016 and the first half of 2017 because of Grabs Illegal business operations in violation of the Law on Competition.Ta Long Hy, chairman of the HCM City Taxi Drivers Association, told the court that both Uber and Grab had suppressed local firms.Grabs fleet of 28,000 vehicles as of 2017 was the reason why his and other taxi companies had to pull out more than 3,000 cars in HCM City alone from a total of 12,000.Since January 11 the Hanoi Department of Transport has restricted Uber and Grabs operations to certain streets to match similar restrictions on traditional taxis -- to ensure a level playing field.Thus, the two companies vehicles are not allowed on 13 main streets during certain hours, exactly the same as for regular taxis.Grab also slapped an extra 3.6 per cent fee on its drivers on top of the old fee of 20 per cent.Uber followed suit with an increase to 25 per cent from the previous 15 per cent.Besides, the companies required drivers to pay a 4.5 per cent of income tax, meaning they got double taxed.But these evoked a hue and cry from their drivers and caused riots in front of the companies headquarters in Hanoi and HCM City. The drivers also refused to ply their vehicles to protest the unjust treatment by their employers.The commotion settled somewhat when Grab reverted to the 20 per cent fee on January 13, but the companies have made no official statement on the matter yet.Nguyen Cong Hung, deputy director of the Hanoi Taxi Association, said after more than two years of trial runs for Uber and Grab, there are contradictory views on the nature of their business.He called this lack of clear definition the biggest failure of the trial initiated by the Ministry of Transport (MoT).According to Uber and Grabs licences and terms of use, customers use of their transportation and delivery services does not confer the status of a transport carrier, he said.Comparing the tax and other business obligations of the ride-hailing and traditional taxi companies also shows that the two newcomers have the upper hand because of their use of technology, he said.For example, a traditional transport company has to pay tax of 10-20 per cent of their profits, while for a technology company it is only around 5 per cent, he pointed out.Besides, the field is not level with regard to obligations like welfare contributions for drivers and insurance either, he complained.He accused Uber and Grab of behaving and charging like normal transport companies while enjoying growth unrestricted and unregulated by authorities, distorting competition and resulting in discrimination.Many countries around the world consider Uber, Grab and others taxi companies, while the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is a shipping company and must comply with European transport sector regulations, he said.To many peoples astonishment, the two companies still consider themselves software and technology providers, and for a long time Grab declared its revenue was from "connection software fees".Thus, both have been getting away without paying value-added tax.Last October the Ministry of Industry and Trade had recommended that Uber and Grab should be identified as transport enterprises and not get benefits related to software services.Tran Bao Ngoc, director of the MoTs transportation department, had said in a discussion on the Governments online portal that Grab and Uber act as middlemen who only provide software and do not need to register their business the same way as regular taxi companies, and are thus not bound by the regulations and fees that apply to the latter.Adding to their already lower taxes, and ultimately unbeatable fares, the two new comers are set to win hands down.But at a MoT conference last month Vu Van Vien, director of the Hanoi Department of Transport, said he was in the process of advocating the same tax rates and same fares for Uber and Grab as traditional taxis.The impasse continues.Nonetheless, some economists and policy experts have taken the side of the two companies, defending their freedom to do business and the benefits customers enjoy.At a conference on the transportation business in January Nguyen Dinh Cung, director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, had said that the new way of using information technology in the transport business by Uber and Grab is actually a sign of progress in Vietnam.I would say that taxi companies have the right to protest, which is normal. But I believe the authorities should not forbid [Uber and Grab] from doing business as usual.Their growth is as unstoppable as it is fair, he said.While the two companies indeed disadvantage traditional taxi companies, the latter need to adapt instead of demanding their competitors demise, he said.Bui Danh Lien, chairman of the HanoiTransport Association, said traditional taxi firms have many internal problems that need fixing before they blame the competition for their problems.The market and businesses are smarter than the State when it comes to actually doing business, so there is no reason for them to beseech the authorities for help, he said.Tran Quang Lam, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Transport, said Uber and Grab have been well received by the public, especially for their utilisation of idle vehicles.Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho had even said on the Government portal late last year that without Uber and Grab traditional taxi firms would never change their ways for the better, and that the ministry would only be responsible for orientation and policy guidance, not for micro-management in what is a free and competitive market.VNS A 2015 internal investigation at the Slidell Police Department uncovered numerous cases of officer misconduct but resulted in no sanctions or demotions, our partners at Fox 8 WVUE reported Wednesday (Feb. 14). Then-Police Chief Randy Smith, who is now sheriff, ordered an audit of his criminal investigations division in 2015. Fox 8, which obtained a copy of the document, said the audit showed former Detective Mario Arthur "had not been truthful," had "not worked the cases" or "dropped certain pieces of evidence" for 66 cases in less than two years. The cases included serious charges such as child pornography, child molestation and the attempted murder of a 1-year-old, the report said. Police Chief Randy Fandal and Sheriff Smith denied requests for on-camera interviews, WVUE reported. Fandal, who was elected chief in December 2016, responded on the department's Facebook page Thursday, saying the cases cited in the report were investigated and disciplinary actions were taken by the previous administration over two years ago. NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reported in June 2016 that Arthur had resigned and the audit of the Criminal Investigations Division accused him of "grossly neglecting his investigatory duties and mishandling evidence." He was immediately transferred to the patrol division while the audit continued, the Police Department said at the time. The driver of a pickup and several students were injured Thursday afternoon (Feb. 15) when the truck slammed into the back of a Washington Parish school bus near Franklinton, authorities said. The bus had stopped on Louisiana 25 north of Franklinton to let students off when the truck hit the bus, the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The pickup driver, who was not named by the Sheriff's Office, was taken to Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton and then taken by helicopter to North Oaks Hospital in Hammond, the release said. Several students and the bus driver reported minor injuries, according to the Sheriff's Office. One student was taken by ambulance to Riverside Medical Center and a few more were transported by parents. The news release did not say what school the students attended. "All of the details of the crash will be sorted out by the State Police . . ." Sheriff Randy Seal in the release. "Meanwhile, we offer our comfort to the truck driver and his family as well as to the students and their families. It is always frightening to learn that a school bus was involved in an accident and we are grateful that no students were seriously injured." Politico reported the other day: The Trump administration is proposing to save billions in the coming years by giving low-income families a box of government-picked, nonperishable foods every month instead of food stamps. White House OMB Director Mick Mulvaney on Monday hailed the idea as one that kept up with the modern era, calling it a "Blue Apron-type program" -- a nod to the high-end meal kit delivery company that had one of the worst stock debuts in 2017 and has struggled to hold onto customers. Mulvaney said the administration's plan would not only save the government money, but also provide people with more nutritious food than they have now ... That package would be made up of "100 percent U.S. grown and produced food" and would include items like shelf-stable milk, peanut butter, canned fruits and meats, and cereal. At first blush, this sounds cruel, ridiculous and impractical. How would homeless people get their boxes? What if you have severe allergies to foods, like wheat or peanuts? After serious reflection, however, I must admit the Trump administration has a point. I'm all in with Washington bureaucrats deciding what food folks in New Orleans and Baton Rouge should eat. But why stop at food boxes? How else might we eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and restrict people's choices by shipping them goods and services in cardboard boxes? I have many ideas. Here are a few: Why should the states spend billions each year paying teachers, principals, school nurses and custodians? And why should schools expend millions to build and maintain costly buildings and operate busses? Let's replace our unwieldy education system with "Classroom in a Crate." Under this plan, the postman would deliver your "teacher" in a box that contains reading material for your child to study after he has watched the day's lessons on a DVD. (Before you scoff, remember this kind of thing has been tried. In 2012, Louisiana Education Superintendent John White and then-Gov. Bobby Jindal awarded $600,000 in private-school vouchers to a school in Ruston that taught lessons via DVD. Imagine the money White and Jindal could have saved by mailing those DVDs to the students.) Under "Classroom in a Crate," if a student qualifies for free lunches, his box will also come with a tin of sardines from the Second World War, surplus cheese from the Eisenhower administration, a package of crackers from Operation Desert Storm and a can of condensed milk from the Nixon years. Is your street riddled with potholes? Let's enhance road maintenance with "Jackhammer in the Box." Next time you phone city hall to complain about the condition of your street, officials will ship you a crate containing a small jackhammer, a shovel and a five-gallon bucket of Pot Hole Patch. Your street will look like new in no time! Most cities fund a large fleet of garbage trucks and an army of sanitation workers to collect trash. With "Junk in a Trunk," you box up your refuse and mail it to the local landfill. To save the government even more money, the solid waste company won't need to send you a box; just use the container that held your most-recent supply of surplus food or last week's school lessons. Here's an idea to eliminate crime while balancing the budget: Was your house burglarized? Just phone the police and by week's end, you'll receive "Gumshoe in a Shoebox," which contains a Polaroid camera and a nifty fingerprint kit. Relying on the enclosed instructional DVD, dust your door knobs for prints, take photographs of the crime scene and gather all physical evidence the criminal left behind. Mail it back to the police. If they ever find the perpetrator, they'll be sure to call you. Finally, my idea to replace Medicaid: Do you know how much the government pays to provide health care to low-income families? It's an enormous and wasteful cost that can be eliminated by "Doc in a Box." Feel sick? Ring up your local health clinic, tell them your symptoms and, in two or three days, your salvation arrives! You have pneumonia, you say? Well, "Doc in A Box" will provide a week's supply of surplus penicillin from the Vietnam War and a bottle of vapor rub left behind when the local veterans hospital closed. You should be good as new in a few days. By now, you may have gathered I am mocking this dumb, deplorable idea by the Trump White House. In fact, I couldn't agree more with The Washington Post columnist who recently answered the question of why Trump's proposal prompts such derision and ridicule. "Because it combines," she observed, "two of the most infuriating characteristics of Trumpian -- and Republican more generally -- policymaking: a fetish for running everything 'like a business' and a total disregard for human dignity." Robert Mann, an author and former U.S. Senate and gubernatorial staffer, holds the Manship Chair in Journalism at the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. Read more from him at his blog, Something Like the Truth. Follow him on Twitter @RTMannJr or email him at bob.mann@outlook.com. Feb 16, 2018 JB Anita Udeep who directed Kulir 100 in 2009 is back with a promising project, after a long break. This film titled as 90 ML will have Oviya in the lead role. Simbu is scoring the music while Arvind Krishna is roped in for cinematography. Anita Udeep revealed the official first look and title of this film through a social media post that reads, On this Valentine's day, I'm happy to share the first look of my Tamil film #90ml starring #Oviya music by #STR DOP Arvind Krishna Editor Anthony Gonsalvez Love to all ." When offers were flooding Bigg Boss fame Oviya, the sprightly girl has taken time to choose the right one, it appears. The shooting is said to begin soon and other details are likely to follow soon. Click the Movie button below for more info: 90ml Several members of parliament are being conned in a new mobile sim-card duplication fraud, a sophisticated form of fraud that allows hackers to gain access and control a user's phone number. Western Youth MP Mwine Mpaka has narrated how his sim-card was blocked, two days ago yet his mobile phone number remained active. Although the MP couldn't personally receive or make calls, a fraudster was using a cloned sim-card to call and send messages to his contacts and asking for money, Shs 980,000. He said he reported his case to police and to Airtel, the mobile telecom service providers and when his line was restored, he found himself on a cabinet WhatsApp group despite never having been a minister. His Whatsapp profile picture had also been changed by the hackers. Mwine says although the MP attempted to reach Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) in regards to the fraud, he was assured that they do not have the comprehensive equipment to handle such. Last year in December, Eastern Youth MP Ishma Mafabi also had his phone reportedly hacked in the same manner. Members of parliament reportedly received messages from Mafabi asking for money but this was actually someone else who had hacked into his phone. Some MPs reportedly sent in the money thinking it was actually Mafabi. "The sim-card was cloned. We all received messages saying that he [Mafabi] was in a meeting and he will call us later meanwhile help me and get where theres Airtel mobile money and deposit for me 980,000. It is in the name of Sekyewa Yunus. I will refund you later after the meeting. If you dont have please borrow. Unfortunately some of us sent that money to our colleague to rescue him but when we met our colleague later on in plenary, he told us that he had not asked us for money. We actually thought our colleague was playing monkey tricks with us and hed actually taken this money because we could not believe that a sim-card could be cloned," said Mwine. Such cases have previously been reported elsewhere in the world where criminals take over victim's cell phone numbers and using them to get into the victim's bank accounts. Tech experts have also warned that taking control of someone's phone number is easier than previously thought. They say that all a criminal needs to know is the victim's phone number, name, some other information that can usually be found online, such as their date of birth, and some simple social engineering skills to trick cell phone carriers' agents into replacing sim cards. The cloning software can easily be found and purchased online. Minister of state for Internal Affairs, Obiga Kania said he will work together with the ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to ensure that the matter is addressed. UCC executive director Godfrey Mutabazi also warned that hackers are developing technology now and then to bypass available security measures. "So were saying when someone asks for money, look at the number properly and also verify. It is the same as going to the bank and you have a cheque, you have to check the account number, signature and whatever. Those [phone] numbers at times theres a slight difference but these people dont want to confirm.You see, technology is changing day by day. By the end of today there will be another technology generated by hackers,generated by whatever," Mutabazi said. The new development is a kick in the teeth of government's recent efforts to thwart crime. Government assured the citizenry last year that registration of sim-cards was one way of thwarting crime in the country. When former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi got brutally murdered in March last year, government ordered for a switch off of all unregistered sim-cards. But even with the switch off, some unregistered numbers still remain active to this day. Kaweesi had reportedly been severally called and warned by his would-be killers. The Flying Squad is searching for city lawyer Paul Wanyoto suspected of planning the extortion of Shs 1.4 billion from two South Korean nationals who wanted to buy gold in Uganda. The two South Koreans, Park Seunghoon and Jang Shingu Un were looking for gold amounting to about $1.5 million. However, they were arrested from Acacia Mall in Kampala; where they were due to meet their lawyer Wanyoto of Web, Advocates & Solicitors. City lawyer Paul Wanyoto Reports indicate that on the day of the meeting, the dealers were surrounded by security operatives, put at gunpoint and asked to hand over the money in their possession. A total of Shs 1.4 billion was handed over to the police officers before the two South Koreans were arrested and detained at Katwe police station. It is now alleged that Wanyoto, tipped off the police officers at Kampala Metropolitan South region about the transaction leading to the deployment sanctioned by Kampala Metropolitan South Regional commander Siraj Bakaleke. The Koreans were later arrested and detained at Katwe police station. However, there is no record of their detention on file. A source who preferred anonymity says they were kept in the office of the officer-in-charge of the station for the two days. It has been reported that police officers then bought two air tickets with Emirates and planned to repatriate the two dealers to South Korea using some of the extorted money. But they missed the flight, creating confusion among the plotters of the deportation. The police officers reportedly bought other tickets with Rwanda Air but were netted before the arrested South Koreans boarded the plane. Reports indicate that on the day of the meeting, the dealers were surrounded by security operatives, put at gunpoint and asked to hand over the money in their possession. A total of Shs 1.4 billion was handed over to the police officers before the two South Koreans were arrested and detained at Katwe police station.It is now alleged that Wanyoto, tipped off the police officers at Kampala Metropolitan South region about the transaction leading to the deployment sanctioned by Kampala Metropolitan South Regional commander Siraj Bakaleke.The Koreans were later arrested and detained at Katwe police station. However, there is no record of their detention on file. A source who preferred anonymity says they were kept in the office of the officer-in-charge of the station for the two days.It has been reported that police officers then bought two air tickets with Emirates and planned to repatriate the two dealers to South Korea using some of the extorted money. But they missed the flight, creating confusion among the plotters of the deportation.The police officers reportedly bought other tickets with Rwanda Air but were netted before the arrested South Koreans boarded the plane. Four Police officers, who had escorted the duo, were arrested on site and now detained at Nalufenya. They include; Isaac Munezero the officer-in-charge Crime Intelligence Katwe police station, George Kayongo, Kenneth Zirintuusa and Patrick Ochen. Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) spokesperson Vincent Ssekate confirmed the ongoing search for the lawyer who has been implicated by all the police officers interrogated. "We have a case filed against him and we are looking for him," Ssekate said. Wanyoto a few days ago met the inspector general of police Kale Kayihura through a meeting organised by the presidential press secretary Don Wanyama over the pending arrest. A source privy to the information said that when Kayihura later inquired about what the case was about, he was briefed and gave a go-ahead for the lawyer to be arrested and interrogated. Wanyoto maintains in a statement that he is innocent and was only dragged into the deal by the Koreans who wanted to legitimise their fraud. According to Wanyoto the Koreans wanted to use the UN base at Entebbe to smuggle gold out of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He says contrary to the other version of the story being fronted in the media, the Koreans actually wanted to sneak out of the country and even managed to acquire a police escort truck to Entebbe airport after being released from Katwe police station. I am a Bridge Schools parent and the national chairperson of Bridge Parents-Teacher Association (PTA). I read the article by the First Lady and Education minister Janet Kataaha Museveni published in the New Vision on the February 15, 2018 titled On Enforcement of School Standards and Charges with a heavy heart since I am a parent with three children who go to school at Bridge. Every parent wants their children to have the best education since it acts as insurance for a brighter future. Some parents can afford to pay millions of shillings to take their children to top schools in the country. Some even have the resources to fly their children to schools in the UK, USA, India and other countries considered to have the best education. However, there are hundreds of thousands of parents like myself who must worry about having enough shillings to feed and clothe our families as well as educate our children. So, then what happens to us? I believe that all of us, regardless of our economic status, deserve a right to quality education for our children. We have a right to hope that our children, with Gods blessings, will do better than us and their children better than them. When Bridge first opened its doors in our communities, we were informed about the quality of education that was offered in the temporary structures as the minister highlighted in her statement. Since the school fees were affordable, for purposes of clarity, let me state that I pay Shs 80,000 per child, many of us decided to enroll our children there. No doubt whatsoever, we have seen a great improvement in their performance. Jane Dada, a daughter to one of the parents on the PTA leadership, was one of the best pupils in the recent Primary Leaving Examination results. Jane has since been admitted to Nabisunsa girls secondary school on scholarship for four years. This is in areas where many children leave the classroom without being able to read or write. Is this not amazing? I really want to appeal to the First Lady, who is the mother of the nation, to engage with us parents and hear our side. We would want to share with her why, in spite of closure threats and actions, we have remained committed to Bridge schools in our communities and why they are making a difference. But that is not my main point of concern; let me address myself to the moral and unethical question raised by the Hon Minister, which she obtained from unsolicited submission, to borrow her words. We are investigating these chilling allegations. She elaborated further requesting us the parents to take the safety of our children as top priority. But what are the allegations exactly? Last year, at an official function, Finance minister Matia Kasaija made some utterances that Bridge was teaching homosexuality. When asked to present his evidence, he just looked on without any response. As parents of Bridge, we kindly request both the minister of Finance and the Education minister to share detailed evidence to support these grave disturbing statements. What are the rumours and why do they believe them to be true? We appreciate the concern of government for our children and, as parents, we feel offended by nameless allegations which seem to suggest that we do not value our moral values and culture as a people under God. Many of us have roles in the Church. These are our children and we want the best for them. We want to raise morally-upright citizens. Since these sweeping allegations become an issue of national debate, members of the PTA have visited several Bridge schools, checked text books, reviewed the teaching material, and held several interactions with the management of Bridge about the matter. Plus most of the teachers are people that are from our community, part of us. We found that these were just allegations without justifiable reasons to be trusted. One can only wonder why such untrue allegations are being made. Similarly, our children would have been the first to raise the red flag about these moral and unethical concerns, if they existed, through the interactions that we have with them when they return home. As parents, and religious communities, we find these statements painful and distressing. We, the parents of Bridge schools, feel that our voices need to be heard. We do not have much money but we have hope and faith. We choose these schools for our children, Maama, because of what we believe in and the difference they have brought in the lives of our children. We, therefore, request the minister of Education to use every available resource to bring necessary evidence to the parents and communities about these allegations. We need to handle this matter and eventually put it to rest. I thank the First Lady and hope that the ministry of Education will support Bridge to fully get licensed as one of the many partners of government in providing faith and hope to millions of children in Uganda. David Wolff-Patrick/RedfernsMarilyn Manson's show in Huntington, New York, Thursday night apparently did not go well. According to several reports from attendees, the famed shock rocker appeared "drugged, drunk or sick," demanded that the crowd tell him they "love" him, and ended the show after only a few songs. "[Manson] was too messed up and couldn't perform," one concertgoer told Newsday. "It was disappointing." "It was horrible," another added. "He couldn't even talk." Several fans have also taken to social media to demand refunds. Manson is currently on tour in support of his new album, Heaven Upside Down. The Huntington show was originally scheduled for last fall but was postponed after the musician injured himself in a stage prop accident during a show in New York City. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Krishna Sen, a woman from Indias Uttar Pradesh state who posed as a man for over 4 years, was recently arrested for marrying two women and harassing them for dowry. Krishna had always been a bit of a tomboy, but in 2013 she went a step further, adopting a male persona on social media and approaching women online in hopes of starting a romantic relationship with them. She started wearing mens clothes, cutting her hair short and even changed her name to Sweety Sen. Over the course of three years, the disguised woman managed to convince two women to marry her, and then started pressuring them and their families for dowry. Photo: India.com Sens first victim was Kamini, a woman from the city of Haldwani, who she had met online in 2014. She presented herself as the son of a businessman from Aligarh and eventually traveled to the state of Uttarakhand to meet the woman. They got married later that year, and Kamini recently told police that her husband started behaving like an abusive man, drinking, smoking and physically abusing her for dowry. Sen had convinced her that she was a man. The two married the same year and started living in a rented house in Nainital districts Haldwani town, but Sen soon started assaulting the woman for dowry, police officer Janmejay Khanduri told India.com. In 2016, Sweety Sen took a second wife, a woman called Nisha, from Kaladhungi town in the state of Uttarakhand. Unlike Kamini, she soon realized that her husband was actually a woman, but Sweety convinced her to keep silent, by offering her money. She apparently accepted and the charade went on as before until Sweetys first wife finally got sick of the beatings and threats for dowry and went to the police. Photo: Hindustan Times Sweety Sen was recently arrested for abusing Kamini, and eventually confessed that he wasnt really a man. He told police that he never allowed his wives to touch him during the day, and only consummated their marriage at night, in total darkness, using sex toys she had bought online. A medical examination confirmed that Sweety Sen was a woman. We were married for two years, I found the truth about her later. I did not register a complaint. I dont want to live with her now, Nisha told the ANI News Agency. Krishna Sen was charged with impersonation, fraud and forgery and sent to Haldwani jail. However, she doesnt face any domestic abuse charges as technically she was not a husband therefore it cannot be treated as marriage. A woman from San Luis Potosi, Mexico came up with an ingenious way of notifying the man who allegedly got her pregnant and then cut off all contact, even blocking her on Facebook, that her pregnancy test came out positive. Photos of a bizarre advertising billboard on top of a building between Mariano Jimenez Street and Salvador Nava Avenue, in San Luis Polosi, have been doing the rounds on social media over the last couple of weeks. It features the photo of a man in a cowboy hat, along with his full name and a very personal message from the woman who rented it shes pregnant and this was apparently the only way to let him know, as he had blocked both her phone number and her Facebook account. Photo: Twitter The large billboard reads: Wanted! Carlos Orozco, the pregnancy test came out positive, I am pregnant. She then mentions that he blocked me on Facebook, and wont take my calls, and signs off with Your friend (as you used to introduce me). The billboard went viral on social media a couple of weeks ago, getting shared thousands of times on both Facebook and Twitter, and getting coverage on various Latino news sites. Most people found the billboard hilarious, but not everyone is laughing. Andan buscando a Carlos Orozco pic.twitter.com/blfXDuKGdV Lizbeth Carolina (@LizbethCaro07) January 30, 2018 Lawyer Juan Jesus Lozano told local media that some citizens consider the city one big Facebook wall, but its not, because in the real world these things have consequences. Maria Sanjuana Balderas Andrade, president of the Commission of Commerce, Advertising and Events of the San Luis Potosi City Council, also said that it is regrettable that billboards are being used to publicly denounce people. Se busca a #CarlosOrozco Las peores venganzas pueden venir sutilmente No las bloquees por #Facebook pic.twitter.com/HxbmofArqW Tonny Lopez (@tonnylp) January 30, 2018 Its not clear if the stunt was successful and the anonymous woman was finally able to get in touch with Carlos Orozco, but it was a nice try. via Telemundo SGR LLC has landed a $40K per-month pact to provide government relations/consulting services to Qatar, which has been under an economic blockade by its Arab neighbors led by Saudi Arabia. The PR engagement is through law firm Venable and calls for SGR to handle outreach to the US Congress, federal policymakers and the media. Under the agreement, Qatar's DC embassy provides SGR written directions at the beginning of each month to outline the specific actions to be performed during that period. SGR is to receive its retainer by the 5th of each month. If payment is not received by the 10th, SGR has the right to stop its work. The Arab states erected their blockade mid-June of last year due to Qatar's alleged support of terror groups and its cozy relationship with Iran. Bill Rauch, longtime artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is leaving to become the first artistic director of the new Perelman Center at the World Trade Center in New York, the organization announced Friday. "What we have collectively accomplished in the past 12 years at OSF exceeds my wildest dreams of what was possible when I first started the job," Rauch said in a press release issued by the festival. "An ever-diversifying universe of actors, artisans, administrators, board members, audience members and so many more have led this festival boldly forward to the forefront of the American theater." "The opportunity to move to New York to lead the Perelman Center is tremendously exciting," Rauch said. "I'm honored to be able to create transformative art and cultivate a community gathering space at a site that has such powerful emotional resonance for our country and the world." The New York Times quoted Rauch as saying, "The work of the Perelman is going to be about blurring boundaries between disciplines, blurring boundaries between communities." According to the Times, Rauch will remain in Ashland through the summer of 2019. The festival said he will announce its 2019 season in early spring. According to the Medford Mail-Tribune, Rauch became the festival's fifth artistic director in 2007, after five seasons as a guest director. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is nationally recognized as a source of high-quality theater. In 1983, it won the Regional Theatre Tony Award. And several plays created under its "American Revolutions" initiative, which is developing 37 new plays about "moments of change in United States history," have been nominated for or won Tony Awards. Robert Schenkkan's "All the Way," about the first years of the Lyndon Johnson presidency, premiered in Oregon in 2012 and went on to win the 2014 Tony Award for best play. A Centennial High School office worker quit her job this week amid a police investigation of allegations she had inappropriate contact online with a male student, the school district reported Thursday. The woman, who has not been identified by Gresham police or the Centennial School District, had been working at the Gresham school's front office for at least two years, and her duties included taking attendance, according to district spokeswoman Carol Fenstermacher. The teen was 17 when the alleged misconduct occurred and is now 18, Gresham officer Ben Costigan said. Authorities have not provided more details on the alleged behavior, other than to say there are no initial indications that the woman and student had physical contact. Another student told an adult at the high school last Friday of the allegations, Fenstermacher said. The adult then told a school administrator, who informed a school resource officer, Fenstermacher said. The woman was placed on administrative leave the same day, the spokeswoman said. She has not been arrested or charged, police said. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey Associated Press You've heard of the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy? Now comes a short guide for psychiatrists and other doctors to navigate the world of cannabis to help them treat their patients. Don't know what BHO is? Vaping? (And is it possible that in 2018 you've never heard of a "bowl?") This new a primer for doctors, developed by two local doctors, will explain. It's pretty basic stuff, but that's what Dr. Jeramy Peters says he was after. As a resident in psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, Peters figures up to 80 percent of the patients he sees consume cannabis regularly or have in the recent past. To some doctors, the world of marijuana and terms used to describe the many ways people consume it can be as mystifying as medical jargon to someone trying to understand a treatment plan. Eager to get a better handle on the topic, Peters and a colleague, Dr. Joseph Chien, reviewed the types of cannabis available today and came up with a quick rundown for physicians. It explains, for instance, that hash has been largely replaced by butane hash oil and how marijuana-infused edibles include foods like honey sticks. Here's a Q&A with Peters (edited for length and clarity). Don't Edit Oregonian file photo How did this paper come about? We work at the Portland VA on the inpatient psych ward and something I noticed, a lot of patients use cannabis and something we were finding was they were using these different products, whether they be edibles or the dabs, the high concentrated stuff. "It seemed like they sort of knew more about them than we did so we started our own research, to learn a little bit more and have more of an informed discussion with our patients and it became clear to us that a lot of other providers didnt know much about this stuff as well. We decided to write an article to help expand everybodys knowledge." Don't Edit Associated Press What do you hope to help doctors understand? Typically a lot of doctors stop at Are you using cannabis? I think part of our goal here was to have people explore a little farther. What types of cannabis product? How much? What is the potency? The patients seem really comfortable sharing this information with physicians. I dont think it's so much of a taboo anymore, especially with legalization. Its really helpful for physicians to know. The way I put it to my patients is, everyone makes their own choices and I am not in the business of telling people what they can or cannot put in their bodies. I want to make help everyone make the safest decision possible and part of that is to know what else is going on with the patients before I prescribe a medication. It is important to ask patients, even if they havent endorsed using in the past. And I really think that a big area of our focus is making sure the pediatric patient is kept safe and part of that is pretty basic: making sure edible products that look like candy are kept out of reach of kids. Don't Edit Rob Hotakainen/Tribune News Service Did you find anything that surprised you in your review of research? The strength of cannabis, the potency of THC percentage by weight. That increase from the 60s and 70s until now was pretty surprising. We are talking in the 60s 1 or 2 percent THC by weight and now the strongest strains in the world are 30 percent plus by weight. As with all substances our patients are using, its super important to keep the dialogue open and honest and nonjudgmental and especially with cannabis its really important for physicians and patients to keep an open mind and continue pushing for quality research. -- The Oregonian The left-wing Alliance for Justice and its apologist Barbara J. Diamond, lacking any meaningful way to discredit 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Ryan Bounds, instead resort to his informal college writings and banter ("Oregon nominee for 9th Circuit Appeals Court under fire for racial 'hostility' in college writings," Feb. 10). Perhaps they can mine the scholastic archives of all our government leaders for their own sophomoric remarks made in the heady days of youth. Remedial treatment for them in Diamond's re-education camp should keep her occupied in perpetuity. I worked closely with Bounds for several years in the U.S. Attorney's Office. He exhibited no bigotry or bias of any kind toward any person or group. His many years of education and experience as a courtroom lawyer instilled fairness and formed him into the outstanding appellate court nominee he is today. That, rather than old, misguided college talk, is what we should look for in our judges. Stephen F. Peifer, Northeast Portland Peifer retired from the Oregon U.S. Attorney's office in 2015. Up until now I thought President Donald Trump was the commander in chief of incompetence, chaos and tastelessness. Wrong. The day after his State of the Union speech, Trump criticized and referred to Democrats as treasonous and said that they sat emotionless -- like "death." He then took credit for everything positive that has happened in the United States over the past several decades. All you had to do was watch the opening ceremonies at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. I was embarrassed and ashamed as I watched U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sit emotionless -- like "death" -- in the VIP box. He never smiled, he never expressed any positive spirit as the North and South Korean athletes marched into the stadium together. This was a great moment of unity, a moment when the United States could have displayed a positive show of support. Our illustrious vice president could have stood, turned around and at least smiled and acknowledge the North Korean contingent. No, he sat pouting like a Trump puppet and missed a great opportunity to show the world that the United States stands for sportsmanship and unity. This was not an occasion for a political statement. Pence, you have two more years to develop some class before the Summer Olympics in 2020. Dave Caswell, Northwest Portland A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Oregon refuge occupier Jason Patrick to 1 3/4 years in prison, less than half of what prosecutors originally sought. They argued that the 45-year-old was one of the leaders of the 41-day takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and one of the first to arrive with a gun in hand on Jan. 2, 2016. But U.S. District Judge Anna Brown ruled that Patrick wasn't as prominent as prosecutors contended. Patrick, however, did little to endear himself to the judge. He defended his participation in the occupation, saying he had to do what was "right and fair" and that he still believes the government was wrong to order eastern Oregon rancher Dwight Hammond Jr. imprisoned for five years for setting fire to public lands. The imprisonment of Hammond and his son, Steven, was a driving force of the armed takeover, occupiers maintained. But, Patrick said, he hadn't wanted the occupation to morph into what it did. "I regret that it turned into this big political event," he said. Andrew Kohlmetz, Patrick's standby lawyer, said Patrick didn't want to get in an armed battle with the government, like some other occupiers. That includes one occupier captured on video saying he wanted to execute federal employees and their families. Kohlmetz said Patrick "in the midst of -- for lack of a better term -- heavily armed psychopaths" had argued for sitting tight and remaining peaceful. Six friends of Patrick's traveled from Georgia, where Patrick used to live, to ask the judge for mercy. They said Patrick wasn't a dangerous person, had done much good in his life and was struggling with depression and disappointment over his 2013 divorce and failed roofing business. In court papers leading up to the hearing, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Patrick to three years and 10 months in prison. But they had to cut that request down to 2 1/4 years Thursday after Brown limited the range. Prosecutor Geoffrey Barrow said time and time again that Patrick has shown his "profound disrespect for the law." Brown agreed. She said Patrick has made it clear that he thinks "he's entitled to choose which laws he follows and which laws he won't." Directing her comments to Patrick, Brown added: "Until you choose to understand there are lines you cannot cross ... then nothing I say or do is going to change that. ... I don't think any sentence in the world will deter you." Even so, Brown said she wouldn't sentence Patrick to the revised 2 1/4 years because she didn't think it was in line with the sentence of similar defendants who occupied the refuge. She sentenced Patrick to 21 months. He's already served more than 16 months. Patrick also agreed to pay $10,000 in restitution, as part of his sentence. The judge urged Patrick to get involved in democracy to change the laws if he doesn't agree with them. Patrick, who had no prior history of criminal convictions, is now prohibited from owning guns because of his felony conviction in this case. -- Aimee Green A former state trooper who slapped his 11-year-old son across the face should be banned from Oregon law enforcement for life, a state oversight committee recommended Thursday. "I think that his conduct has demonstrated him unfit," said Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett, who is a member of the committee. The sheriff said he didn't think James P. Duncan has taken full responsibility for all of the things he did wrong. Duncan not only hit his son but also had hit his daughter in the past, according to a police report. Duncan deleted a video that his daughter captured of the slap and told his children not to mention the incident to their mother, according to the same police report. Committee members said they found those actions unacceptable. Then they voted to recommend he lose his state certification. It was a dramatic turn in the case of Duncan, who had come before Oregon police regulators before but walked away without any sanction. Duncan caught a string of breaks as he fought battle after battle to remain in law enforcement over the past two years. He dodged felony charges in the incident involving his son. He initially escaped banishment from police work. And when an assault conviction from the slapping barred him from having a gun, he was allowed to swap that crime out for another -- a move that protected his career. He's had the support of powerful allies in his efforts, including two retired Oregon Supreme Court justices. But on Thursday, things went another way. The committee didn't think Duncan should still be a cop. Duncan could not be reached for comment. The Police Policy Committee, an advisory group of police chiefs, sheriffs and union officers, first heard Duncan's case in August 2016 after the trooper was convicted of fourth-degree assault for slapping his son while he was questioning the boy about homework. Duncan pleaded guilty to the assault as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to 18 months of probation in Washington County Circuit Court. At the time of the sentencing, the prosecutor told the court that had the case been presented to a grand jury, Duncan could have faced three charges of felony first-degree criminal mistreatment and additional charges of evidence and witness tampering. Duncan requested, and the judge granted, a special probation condition allowing him to carry a gun while at work. Duncan had spent nearly two decades with the state police, working in training, on the SWAT team and as part of the agency's honor guard. He knew the Supreme Court justices because the tactical team sometimes provided security for the court. He also was assigned for three years as the driver for former Chief Justice Paul De Muniz. The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which certifies police officers in Oregon, reviews cases of officers who are convicted of crimes or who are fired or quit because of an investigation. When committee members heard Duncan's case the first time, they recommended to the department's board that Duncan should keep his certification. The department's full board agreed in October 2016. Committee members that time described the case as one of the hardest they'd ever decided. On Thursday, however, members did not hesitate to reverse course this time. Duncan did not appear before the committee, but in a letter to regulators, he called the second round of review unfair and akin to double jeopardy. W. Michael Gillette, a retired Oregon Supreme Court justice, also sent regulators a letter backing Duncan up. Duncan also told the certifying agency by email that he planned to challenge any decision by the committee that wasn't in his favor. On Thursday, Craig Johnson, an attorney for the Oregon Department of Justice, presented the case to the committee. Johnson told members he was handling the case in place of the police oversight agency's staff because it took such an unusual path. Regulators decided not to take action against Duncan while an internal investigation into the trooper was underway. But after they'd decided to leave his police credentials intact, Duncan was fired from Oregon State Police. Duncan's firing required regulators to open another case, Johnson said. Fired, But Fit for Duty Dozens of Oregon police officers stay eligible to carry a gun and a badge even after being fired for chronically inept police work or worse, an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive has found. Johnson told committee members not to consider the fact that Duncan was convicted of a crime as part of their review. Instead, he said, the committee should consider the underlying conduct -- the fact that Duncan slapped his son and injured him -- along with other facts that were not previously considered. Many of the details discussed during Thursday's meeting were included in the police report that the committee reviewed the first time around. But Johnson said during the first review, committee members only weighed Duncan's conviction in deciding whether to take away his state credentials. Committee members on Thursday considered documents from the internal state police investigation and a labor arbitrator's written decision upholding Duncan's firing. The committee concluded that Duncan's actions involved gross misconduct and dishonesty. Members weighed mitigating and aggravating factors. Sheriff Garrett pointed to the arbitrator's decision in favor of Duncan's firing. The arbitrator wrote that Duncan and the Oregon State Police Officers Association had argued that Duncan's slapping of his son was a reasonable use of corporal punishment under state law. "Mr. Duncan continued to maintain that the assaultive behavior was justifiable corporal punishment," Garrett said, noting that Duncan had pleaded guilty to a crime for his behavior. "And I think that's aggravating." Jeff Hering, a Tigard detective who chairs the committee, noted that people had sent letters in support of Duncan. Many praised Duncan for taking responsibility and suggested Duncan's ex-wife was to blame for stress in his life. One of the letters was from retired Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice De Muniz. In the end, the committee decided Duncan's behavior warranted ending his career for good. The department's full board will decide whether to approve the recommendation at its next meeting in April. -- Rebecca Woolington 503-294-4049; @rwoolington SALEM Oregon ethics officials voted unanimously on Friday morning to find that former Gov. John Kitzhaber misused his public office for personal gain, by clearing the way for his fiancee Cylvia Hayes to blur the lines between her privately paid advocacy and public role shaping green energy and economic policies. In total, the commission found 10 instances in which Kitzhaber violated state laws against public officials misusing their positions, accepting gifts and failing to disclose potential conflicts of interest. Private groups paid Hayes more than $200,000 during Kitzhaber's third term to promote environmental and economic policies. Hayes was only able to secure those contracts and perform the work, such as a paid speech she delivered as first lady and attending a meeting of West Coast governors, because she was first lady and the governor gave her extraordinary access to levers of power, the commission found. Kitzhaber appeared in person before the commission and lobbied hard against the idea that he intended to financially benefit himself or Hayes. "My concern is the assault on my integrity," Kitzhaber said. "I've made my share of mistakes, no doubt about it. But using my office for personal gain is simply not one of them." Kitzhaber and his two attorneys argued that any financial benefit he and Hayes might have gained as a household was unintentional on the governor's part. They said that due to the lack of intent, it would be incorrect for the commission to find that the governor violated the law against misusing public office. Ethics commissioners rejected that argument, saying that to accept the legal interpretation advanced by Kitzhaber and his lawyers would gut state ethics law and lay out a path for other public officials to flout it in the future. Kitzhaber could face up to $50,000 in fines based on the violations the commission approved, but officials did not consider that matter on Friday. First, Kitzhaber has the option to request a hearing before an administrative law judge to contest the commission's findings. He could also appeal to a state hearings officer and ultimately all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court. Last month, the commission approved preliminary findings that Hayes violated state laws on 22 occasions. The former first lady could ultimately face up to $110,000 in fines, but she also has the option to appeal. Commissioners decided not to find that Kitzhaber misused his office by allowing a staffer to care for Hayes' pets, after the former governor told commissioners that staffer was a longtime friend of his. Kitzhaber had referred to that allegation on Friday as "pet gate." -- Hillary Borrud; Twitter: @hborrud; 503-294-4034 Authorities are investigating the death of a woman found at a North Portland home that burst into flames late Thursday night. Fire crews rushed to the burning home on the 8200 block of North Wabash Avenue around 11:30 p.m., said Sgt. Chris Burley, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman. Rescuers soon discovered a deceased woman on the front porch of the Kenton residence, Burley said. Arson investigators with Portland Fire & Rescue requested homicide detectives arrive on scene to assist with the death investigation. Burley said the decision was made out of "an abundance of caution." "We won't know what the cause of death was until the medical examiner performs and autopsy," Burley said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Darren Posey at 503-823-0403 or Darren.Posey@portlandoregon.gov. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh skavanaugh@oregonian.com 503-294-7632 || @shanedkavanaugh Former Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea's mishandling of both his 2016 off-duty shooting of a friend and an employee's discrimination complaint against a co-worker show a "failure of leadership'' but don't warrant taking away his police certification, a panel of his peers ruled Thursday. The panel found O'Dea has suffered enough by losing his job as chief. The members mostly other police chiefs and sheriffs didn't find that his missteps rose to gross misconduct or dishonesty, despite city investigations that concluded otherwise. Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett called O'Dea's actions "regretful'' and "a failure of leadership,'' but said O'Dea's forced retirement while under investigation in June 2016 seemed like "sufficient'' punishment. Several questioned how O'Dea, a veteran police officer and administrator with 30 years of experience, couldn't have recognized immediately that he had shot his friend. One said he was bothered that O'Dea still hasn't taken responsibility for the negligent discharge of his rifle and that O'Dea and his lawyer continue to describe it as an accident. Having the barrel of a gun pointed at another person isn't an accident, said Bradley Robertson, a Multnomah County sheriff's deputy. O'Dea sat beside his lawyer Derek Ashton at one end of the large conference table facing members of the police policy committee of the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. He once was a voting member of the panel. He didn't speak but leaned back in his chair and drank frequently from a water bottle. His wife sat behind him. "This is not a happy day for Larry and his wife,'' Ashton told the panel. "Two years ago, he was at the top of his profession.'' Ashton said O'Dea's "camping accident'' resulted from a "defective firearm.'' It turned into a "salacious media story of drunken police chief shoots friend in the back'' that sold a lot of papers and "ruined a career,'' he said. Ashton derided a report by a Harney County sheriff's deputy, who wrote that O'Dea and his camping friends had a strong odor of alcohol on their breaths and that O'Dea appeared nervous with glassy, bloodshot eyes, shaking and quickly drinking a bottle of water as he talked. The lawyer played a grainy video from the deputy's body camera of that interview on April 21, 2016. Portland Police Chief Larry O'Dea, discredited for his delay in reporting his off-duty shooting of a friend in April 2016 and then lying about it to investigators while he was chief, is fighting to keep his state police certification. Posted by The Oregonian on Thursday, February 15, 2018 O'Dea retired while he was under criminal investigation for shooting Robert Dempsey with his .22-caliber rifle during a camping trip in Harney County. He also was accused at the time of not reporting an employee's discrimination complaint against the Police Bureau's equity manager. O'Dea and his friends were on lawn chairs, shooting at ground squirrels. A hollow-point bullet from O'Dea's rifle hit Dempsey in the lower back and fragmented. Dempsey was released from the hospital the next day, the bullet still in his body. The day of the shooting, O'Dea told the Harney County deputy that he thought Dempsey had shot himself. A subsequent investigation by the city's Independent Police Review office found that O'Dea delayed reporting the shooting and then lied to its investigators about the shooting while he was still chief. A separate investigation by city human resources officials found that O'Dea failed to follow reporting requirements when an administrative assistant in his office came to him with allegations that the Police Bureau's diversity manager, Elle Weatheroy, had made racist remarks to her. Investigators found that O'Dea lied about what he knew when they interviewed him. The administrative assistant and two assistant chiefs told investigators that they had shared with O'Dea the complaint that Weatheroy, who is African American, asked a co-worker of Pacific Island descent about why she was married to a white man and how she could eat lunch with "a bunch of white women.'' Committee members Travis Hampton, superintendent of Oregon State Police, and Portland Assistant Police Chief Chris Davis, who wasn't involved in the O'Dea investigations, were O'Dea's harshest critics. Both were among six of the 14 voting members present or participating by speaker phone who believed that O'Dea's actions showed gross misconduct, which could have led to the suspension or revocation of his certification. "I just felt there was an intent to minimize or possibly deceive the public by attempting to withhold information from the public eye'' about the shooting, Hampton said. O'Dea had his spokesman issue a brief news release about the shooting a month after the fact and only when reporters asked about it . He was indicted by a Harney County grand jury on a negligent discharge count, but a judge dismissed the case in a civil compromise. The city investigation also noted that O'Dea told his three assistant chiefs at the time that he had reported the shooting to internal affairs when he hadn't. Hampton noted that the assistant chiefs faced demotions as a result. "I was left feeling there was an intent to obstruct and through the passage of time, mitigate or damage control this event,'' Hampton said. "I believe it was gross misconduct. ... There was an air of dishonesty throughout this entire case.'' But Loren Cannon, the FBI's special agent in charge in Oregon, noted that O'Dea told his boss, then-Mayor Charlie Hales about the shooting, as well as his assistant chiefs and eventually the internal affairs captain. "Notification went sideways but it also went up,'' he said. O'Dea should have recused himself from his chief's position and placed himself on paid leave, but "it didn't seem to be a cover-up'' considering the number of people that O'Dea briefed, Cannon said. Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins faulted Portland police for not having clearer guidelines when their chief becomes involved in a such a critical incident. Davis, the Portland assistant chief, said the bureau policies require an immediate notification to a supervisor of an off-duty shooting and apply to all sworn officers. O'Dea could have followed up to ensure an internal investigation had started or questioned whether he should be placed on administrative leave but did neither, committee members said. "It might not be the standard of leadership you'd expect, but it's not overly dishonest,'' Cannon said. Cummins said it felt like "there may have been an air of dishonesty,'' but added, "I just will not point a finger at a man over a vague feeling and call him dishonest.'' In other action, the committee Thursday did recommend revoking for 10 years the police certification of former Portland police Officer Daniel Chastain, finding he engaged in both dishonesty and gross misconduct. Chastain was drunk when he crashed an unmarked police car into another driver in Happy Valley in 2016. In August 2016, he was sentenced to 32 days in jail, ordered to serve two years probation and have his driver's license suspended for a year. Chastain was off-duty but on call at the time of the accident. At the time of Chastain's crash, O'Dea was his police chief. The same day O'Dea first told his assistant chiefs of his off-duty shooting and asked them to not to talk about it, he had the bureau spokesman put out a news release about Chastain's off-duty wreck. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian WASHINGTON - The Justice Department announced the indictment Friday of a notorious Russian troll farm - naming more than a dozen individual suspects who allegedly worked there - as part of the special counsel's investigation into criminal interference with the 2016 election. The Internet Research Agency was named in the indictment, which officials plan to announce at Justice Department headquarters Friday afternoon. "From in or around 2014 to the present, defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other (and with persons known and unknown to the grand jury) to defraud the United States by impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful functions of the government through fraud and deceit for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016,'' the indictment states. The indictment charges that some of the suspects traveled to the United States to gather information to help in the scheme, and that they also impersonated Americans online in order to try to sway voters' opinions. The suspects are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. --The Washington Post Already day-dreaming of naked summer weekends, lounging on the Sauvie Island sand, drink in hand? Well, it might be time to revise that fantasy. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing a ban on drinking and possessing alcoholic beverages during the summer months on the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area. Sauvie Island's beaches are a popular destination for Portlanders looking to cool off in the summer. Parts of the beach are clothing optional. "Over the past several years, ODFW has documented an increase in alcohol-related problems at SIWA beaches, despite increased law enforcement, including saturation patrols," read a press release sent out Thursday by the agency. "Wildlife area management and OSP believe that an alcohol ban during the summer months will significantly reduce alcohol-related problems," continued the release, "and thus the need for additional law enforcement and emergency medical personnel." According to the release, 17 people were arrested for DUII as they were leaving Sauvie Island beaches in 2017. The agency said that for the last five years, approximately 488,465 people annually visit Sauvie Island beaches from May through September. When the weather gets exceptionally hot, the agency said, "the number of people on the beaches can exceed 16,000 people a day, exceeding the capacity of emergency services personnel to effectively respond to all the alcohol-related problems." If this ban messes with your life too much, you can always get involved. A public meeting to discuss the proposed ban, which would extend from May 1 through Sept. 30 of each year, is set for Feb. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sauvie Island Grange Hall. -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052 lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker UPDATE 10:23 a.m.: The teenager who started the Eagle Creek fire issued an apology Friday "to everyone in the gorge." He admitted that he was guilty of 12 misdemeanors and received 1,920 hours of community service and five years of probation. The boy, 15, who threw fireworks into Eagle Creek Canyon, also must write apology letters to people who suffered losses in the fire, including those forced to evacuate in cities lining the Columbia River Gorge. He listened to about an hour of testimony from people affected by the fire that raged for weeks on the edge of metro Portland, including forest workers, volunteers, transportation officials and people who live in Cascade Locks. He read this statement to in court: "I want to express how sorry I am for what I did. I know a lot of people suffered because of a bad decision that I made. I'm sorry to the first responders who risked their lives to put out the fires, I am sorry to the hikers that were trapped, I am sorry to the people who worried about their safety and their homes that day, and for weeks afterwards. I am truly sorry about the loss of nature that occurred because of my careless action. "Every day I think about this terrible decision and its awful consequences. Every time I hear people talk about the fire, I put myself down. I know I will have to live with my bad decision for the rest of my life, but I have learned from this experience and will work hard to help rebuild the community in any way that I can. I now realize how important it is to think before acting because my actions can have serious consequences. I, myself, love spending time in nature and now I realize how much work it takes to maintain the National Forest so people can enjoy it. "I sincerely apologize to everyone who had to deal with this fire, I cannot imagine how scary it must have been for you. I know I have to earn your forgiveness and I will work hard to do so and one day, I hope I will. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak. This has been a big learning experience for me and I take it very seriously. I apologize with all my heart to everyone in the gorge." Judge John Olson told the teen that his community service is intended to help "develop the love and respect for nature that you lacked last September." A lawyer also read a statement from the boy's parents: 'We want everyone to know our son understands the seriousness of his actions. ... He feels deep remorse." Prosecutors and defense attorneys said the teenager didn't intentionally set the fire and was with a group of friends who were solely "observers." The teen admitted guilt to eight counts of reckless burning of public and private property, two counts of depositing burning materials on forest land, one count of second-degree criminal mischief and one count of reckless endangerment of others. As a condition of his probation, he must not possess fireworks. A separate hearing will be held in May to determine restitution required in the case. Firefighting and other costs approach $40 million -- and are expected to rise as authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage and needed restoration work. The courthouse scene was relatively low-key, with no visible protests as some had expected and a courtroom with some empty rows. The spectator gallery was split about evenly between media and members of the public. UPDATE 9:35 a.m.: The teenager has admitted guilt. His lawyer said he threw one firecracker in the air and it exploded. He threw a second one with a longer fuse that exploded on the ground and sparked the fire. The judge said he isn't naming the teen, referring to him only by initials. His parents are in the courtroom with two interpreters. They emigrated from the Odessa region of Ukraine in 2000 and live in Vancouver. They sat right behind their son. Eagle Creek suspect pleads guilty The teen accused of starting the Eagle Creek fire appeared in court this morning, pleading guilty. Posted by The Oregonian on Friday, February 16, 2018 I think he felt remorse, you could hear it in his voice ... - Carrie Schenk, whose mothers home was burned in the fire. pic.twitter.com/U0GWnpBYdR Beth Nakamura (@bethnakamura) February 16, 2018 *** HOOD RIVER -- The Vancouver teenager accused of setting the Columbia River Gorge on fire last summer is expected Friday to admit guilt to reckless burning, reckless endangerment and other misdemeanors and face a sentence of five years on probation and nearly 2,000 hours of community service. He'll likely be ordered to complete the community service work for the U.S Forest Service, say sources familiar with the case. The federal agency oversees the gorge national scenic area and is dedicated to restoring the 49,000-acre burn that began over the Labor Day holiday and forced evacuations of hundreds of people, changing the landscape of the spectacular expanse. The teen, who hasn't been identified by police, also is expected to be ordered to pay tens of millions of dollars in restitution when he appears at 9 a.m. before presiding Hood River County Circuit Judge John A. Olson at the county courthouse. The boy, who was 15 when the fire started, is accused of up to a dozen counts, including depositing burning materials on forest lands, unlawful fireworks possession and criminal mischief. Hood River District Attorney John T. Sewell is the prosecutor in the case. The teenager and his lawyer will have an opportunity to make a statement, as are any victims affected by the fire. The fire began about 4 p.m. Sept. 2 after witnesses reporting seeing the teen throwing fireworks into the popular Eagle Creek Canyon. It trapped dozens of hikers on the trail and spread rapidly, fueled by gusting winds and tinder dry forest conditions. "I saw this shorter kid lob this smoke bomb down into the canyon," Liz FitzGerald, 48, of Portland told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "I was probably 4 feet away from him. I said, 'Do you realize how dangerous this is? There's a raging forest fire up the trail. This place is so dry.'" FitzGerald described his group of friends giggling and taking a cellphone video of it that afternoon. The wildfire prompted an extended shutdown of Interstate 84 and sent clouds of smoke billowing into Portland. Firefighters scrambled to save Multnomah Falls and other major landmarks. Legal experts say the judge is obligated to order restitution for the full amount of the damage. In similar cases, courts have worked out payment plans, typically a tiny fraction of what is owed. Oregon law states that parents also can be held liable for up to $7,500 per claimant for any intentional or reckless act of their children that has harmed people or property. Attorneys contacted by The Oregonian/OregonLive said that could mean that any of the thousands of people affected by the Eagle Creek fire could seek $7,500 apiece from the teen's parents. Public outrage spread almost as fast as the wildfire, with an outcry on social media on a scale and animus that one state police official said he had never seen before. As a result, police and prosecutors have kept the boy's name secret and released few details of their criminal investigation. Check back for updates as the hearing gets underway. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian #BTS BTS to hold online concert next month K-pop superband BTS will hold an online concert next month to meet fans across the world, its management agency said Wednesday. The concert, titled "BTS Permission To Dance On ... In the days following a mass shooting sales for disturbing items like bulletproof backpacks tend to surge, according to Yasir Sheikh, the president of Florida-based Guard Dog Security which produces protective products (including the backpacks). While he declined to share sales numbers, The Cut reports that he said the backpacks tend to sell themselves after massacres like Wednesday's shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It was the seventh deadly school shooting in the US this year alone, and the country's third deadliest after Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook. Two bulletproof backpacks from Bullet Blocker Sheikh began selling the backpacks five years ago after 20 young children and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. He reports that sales have been consistent since then, though there is typically a spike right after a shooting. "Sometimes we see it instantly, sometimes it's a few days afterward," he told The Cut. Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak-Biermann shared an Instagram on Wednesday evening saying the backpacks were "better than not having anything at all." TMZ also reports that a company called Bullet Blocker saw a 30% spike in sales of its bulletproof backpacks the day after the shooting, with most of the bags headed to Florida. (Its bright prink version is currently on sale). The company, which was founded by an Army Ranger following the Virginia Tech shooting, also reportedly sells luxury bulletproof items including a Gucci bomber jacket, Hermes bag, and an Armani "Wall Street Suit," which is about as 2018 as you can get, and we're not even 50 days into the year. For ways to help the victims of the Stoneman shooting, head here. Image via Bullet Blocker Harry Hudson may have first found fame as the hilarious kid who kept popping up in Kylie Jenner's snapchats, but the 23-year-old says there's far more to him and to life itself than the moments we've glimpsed on social media. In 2013, Hudson was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma and told he had less than a year to live, an experience which he credits with teaching him to let go of ego and pretense, and instead focus on embracing a message of love and positivity not in fear of death, but in a spiritual embrace of it. Related | Harry Hudson Joins Us in the PAPER Penthouse As Hudson prepares to release his debut album next month, he's been reflecting on how facing the thing humans fear most, death, has altered his perception of the world. His public-facing life, which began with his famous friendships with the Jenners and MSFTS bandmates like Jaden and Willow Smith and grew along with his artistic presence, has allowed him a front row seat to the pathos and obsessions of the current generation. In stark contrast to his embrace of an eastern-style philosophy and a mindfulness-centered approach to daily living, what he sees around him is the insecurity, jealousy and fear bred by social media and adjacent heavy reliance on external validation. Hudson's mission is to create music, like his new singles " Cry For Love," "Yellow Lights" and "Gone" that leads by example through sharing his own journey to peace. Hudson visited the PAPER offices during Fashion Week with his band in tow to speak about his work, depression, the cognitive dissonance of fame and why facing your fears is the surest path to clarity: You have a new short film coming out soon to accompany your album. What was the process of making that like? We filmed it in Lone Pine, which is like 5 hours up north of LA. It's like this modern day western love story. I'm just a huge fan of western movies. It just takes you to this nostalgic world. It was really important that the music and picture matched to make the perfect combination. It was just really exciting to make because it was a different way for me to tell my story of the album. The album is very much a tale of a dark point in my life to a light point in my life. It's dark the whole album, until the last song where I found who I am, what I want to do in my life, and my happiness. The movie represents the exact same feeling but told in a different story. Where does the darkness come from? It was actually after the fact that I beat cancer, I went through a really bad depression. I was just really lost and at a dark point in my life where I considered suicide or considered all of this bad shit, and it made no sense. Doing Xanax and all of that stuff all the time, because I just wanted to numb how I felt. Society was so numbing to me, and everyone was so fake and so insecure. It's not their fault, it's just that they're afraid to live. It's like you beat cancer and you're full of life and you're like, "I wanna live life!" You're going around to everyone hoping they have the same attitude but no one does, and everyone thinks you're so weird. Like, "Why are you so happy?" So that just made me really depressed, and it was like I didn't want to live in this society, truthfully. I didn't truly love myself. If I love myself I wouldn't care about society. I could wake up everyday, talk to somebody and you'll project an energy. Now, I can talk to anybody. I constantly always meet new people and always make new friends, but before I wouldn't go out of my way to have a conversation because I was prejudging people, like they're probably going to be an asshole. Until the point where I loved myself so much, but I had to find that love. Whatever you project, you're going to get it right back. Was there something that inspired you to make that change? Was it something you read or was it meditation? Meditation for sure. A lot of meditation. I was going to this place called Lake Shrine in LA, and I was reading this book called Autobiography Of A Yogi. During that whole time, it was just me figuring out what I wanted. Finding my peace, my stillness, my happiness, and actually coming to a point where I know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I know who I'm going to be for the rest of my life and I'm going to stay consistent because all I want to do is project love. I talk to a monk every Monday, and every night too. Really? What kind of monk? He's a yogi. He's been a monk but he doesn't practice as much any more. He's more of a yogi and a spiritual guide. I talk to him every Monday and he gives me new tasks everyday for prayer and meditation. I have to call him every night to talk about the realization that I came to. How long have you been doing that? I started this year. I had to train for three months before I got into it because it's very patience driven. You have to do the work every night. If you want to go out, you can't until you've done the work. Until you come to the realization of what he said. So he gives me notes everyday. [ A text pops up from the yogi] Literally, as we speak! [ Reading the text aloud]: "May your day be full and meaningful. There's a silence and stillness that is ever present. Go within and know this changeless state. Come from it as you speak today. Be in silence beneath your words, be in stillness under the movement of your body and vibrations of your thoughts. Enjoy your blessed life, your ability to live it. Text and call me when you're done. Love you." So, I have to understand what he just said. That is the perfect example of what it is. Everyday it's a new thing that he gives me. I'll call him at the end of the night and explain what I got from it. He'll say either yes that's it, or no that's not what you're supposed to get out of it. That's changed my life because I have someone who is literally guiding me. I know what actually matters. This is the shit that makes me happy so that's why I do it. Do you feel like people are responding to that? People do feel it. It's in my energy. Some people are like, "Dude you seem different, you seem more calm." I'm not worried with stress anymore, I'm good. I get to wake up and make music everyday and be with people I love to be around. I get to travel with them, make good music, have fun, and perform songs that we love. That's what life's about. We're always tested and we always grow. Everything's a test, life is just a lesson. That's the fun part. It's like a chess game where a negative thing might happen, but a positive always comes out. So much anxiety and depression comes from social media, whether that's the cause or the conduit. How do you deal with that? I try to do a little bit of both. I'm active because a lot of people who I genuinely want to help are on social media. That's why I have social media to represent love and positivity, and me searching for my own happiness and weirdness. I always post weird pictures of me smiling or me crying. I'll post something of me performing to show people to take a risk and do something that you love to do. But it's just really distracting too. It's really negative. I'll find like my ex hanging out with my friend, and I'm like why am I looking at this? Why am I upset when I could've been outside benefiting myself, writing a song, or going on a hike? Doing something more important than being on my phone. I could've been talking to somebody, but instead I am freaking out and now my energy's pissed off. Now, when a person says hello, I'm like, "Don't talk to me." I don't want to be that person, because I've been that person. We all have, I believe. That's the distracting part, but there are a lot of benefits too. Life is Yin and Yang and that's what social media is. I just posted something about World Cancer Day the other day. I was like, "If people know somebody that's going through it and need advice, or if someone's going through it and needs advice, DM me. I have so many DMs right now. I'm going to go through those DMs, but it's going to take a while because I didn't think I was going to get so many. That's why I like social media: connecting with people. I'm not different from anybody else. It's just that I'm actually executing what I like to do, and you're following me because you probably want to do the same shit. I'm telling you to love yourself through what I do. How does this newfound mindset that you have apply to your music? I think it just makes it more carefree. We'll have three songs done in one jam session. You say how you feel and you can really be honest with yourself. The more I'm honest with myself, the more I can be honest with everyone around me, and therefore a really good song can come out of it, because it's just an honest song. I don't look for anybody's validation. This is my honesty, this is my truth, and you can either fail or pass. I think you can pass if it's the truth. I feel like that's how music is for me. Who did you work with on this album? Are there any MSFT features or is it just a solo album? It's just a solo album, but I worked with producers like Teo who's a MSFT, he produced "Yellow Lights." Other than that, there's a producer Tim Suby, this guy Daniel Braunstein. There's a lot of just really good people that I had produce. These are guys that I met on my journey of life. Do you see yourself sticking with music for the long haul or you want to get involved with other things? Well music is going to be for the long haul because I think that's the foundation. That's what I love to do and through passion you find purpose. I want to build hospitals. I'm building a teen cancer center in Nashville. That should be like the end of this year. That's one of my dreams to do, so it's starting there. I think I was given that opportunity because of music, and I think there's just a bigger picture. I just want to help as many people as I can, and it starts with music. What will the cancer center be like? It's at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. They're building out a cancer center, and I get to design it and build it out with them. I raised money to do that. I'm super excited about that. With Teen Cancer of America and Kylie, we did that together. Me and Kylie kind of kept it under wraps, but she was there with me throughout my whole cancer experience. From that she's always wanted to do something in the cancer community and help. It's cool because we're not trying to promote it, it's just a thing that's going to happen. It's a thing that we're very proud of and excited for because we're just going to give kids the opportunity to express themselves while they're going through cancer. It's going to be fun when it's done. That's legit my dream. For me it's like, fuck everything else. I get to perform music and do something like that! That's my life and that's how I want to live it, where you just give with no intention to get back. I get to be with my friends and play music, can't really ask for more than that. What is the biggest misconception people have about you? I think people look at me like a social media kid and associate me with celebrity friends of mine. Imagine just growing up with normal people and somehow everyone starts looking at your friends. You're like wait, what's going on? Then you start getting established with people. I feel like that's where people think I come from a celebrity or money background. I just like making people happy and the people in my life are actually genuinely happy people. We actually all genuinely love each other. I think that's the misconception, they just put that label on it. So many of the headlines have been that you're "Kylie's best friend." Right, and that's cool, that is my best friend and I love that she's successful, but that's not me. I'm Harry, I have my own name and I have my own thing. It's so strange because I knew her before anything crazy, and you don't realize how relevant they are. With anything like that, with Jaden or whoever it is. People are their own people. How old were you when you met all of them? Because you moved to LA at a young age. I met them when I was about 17 or 16. Even like walking through Times Square today and seeing their whole billboards, it's just a strange thing to me. It's a weird concept. You can't have a normal fucking meal. It's just really confusing, but I want them to be successful because they deserve it. People don't know what's going on behind the scenes. You just want to judge because everybody is jealous and fearful. You're going to label me and I get it, because you're going to get more clickbait establishing me with the name but I'm just trying to live my life and be happy. I truly have people in my life who are genuine. People need to know that I'm just a normal person as fuck and we're all just normal people. Life is just the weirdest thing of all time. I think people outside of it just don't really understand how it works. People don't understand themselves. They just want to throw jealousy and hatred on people, but you don't know what anybody is going through. That's why I don't like phones and social media, because you just want to talk shit about somebody. That's why I'm just under the wraps, and I just make music and have my friends. My friends help me when I need it, and I help them when they need it. It's a family, because we don't have to talk to each other 24/7, but we just know at big moments of our lives we're all there to support each other. That's what friendship is. If something happens we all call each other up. That's anybody in my life. A lot of people are afraid to go after what they love to do in life. I know people who are 60 and 70 who are like I wish I did what I love and I had someone to push me. Everyone needs that one push. Henry [member of Hudson's band] was talking to a kid last night and he was like, "Give me your number, and I'm going to check in on you." The kid almost started crying and he was like, "No one ever wants to check in on me." That's what we're about! People need love at the end of the day. I've been through my biggest fear, which is death. I've come face to face with it. I had a life conversation with that, and that's how I grew as a person. So it's like okay, I embraced death, and I was prepared to die. I know what it's going to feel like when I'm dying. I'm blessed to feel that at 20 years old. Like "Oh whoa, I actually did die now I'm back again." Death is a beautiful thing for me. I think it is equally as beautiful as a birth. That's what people don't understand. Once you get to that point in your life, then you can understand a lot. We don't talk about death at all. It's a fearful thing. I sound crazy sometimes when I talk, but it's something that I truly feel. I've seen it. Death was my biggest fear in life. I was insecure my first 20 years of living. I was fearful and telling white lies, just wanting to fit in. I came from a weird background, so I would lie to people telling them I didn't. You're going through high school and middle school and you just want to fit in. You don't want to be bullied. It's just one of those things where everyone gets lost. I didn't fully truthfully live my life for myself those years, so now I get the rest of my life to do that. In the world of BDSM, the lack of representation of people of color persists as it does in many other pockets of American mainstream and underground culture. One man breaking the mold of the stereotypical white leather daddy is Ali Mushtaq, a Pakistani-American from California whose presence at leather events and in BDSM circles is something of an anomaly, given his Muslim background and in his words, "Punjabi" appearance. Having won the title of Mr. Leather at a competition in California last year, Mushtaq has been using his platform to drive forward the conversation around visibility, representation and equality in sexuality. Breaking down stereotypes that Muslims can't be into fetishes or kink, Mushtaq is a sex symbol for a modern age one in which religion, race and gender are no longer barriers to freedom of sexual expression. We spoke to Mushtaq on the phone about discrimination within the LGBTQ community, navigating multiple identities and what he loves about the leather world. Where are you from? I'm from Southern California, and I was born to a family of immigrants. My grandparents moved from Burma to Pakistan, and then they had my mom, and then eventually they came to the United States. And then my mom got married to my dad, who was from Pakistan, and then they had me. Do you feel connected to that part of your identity? Actually, it's really hard to say. There are things that I do for example I don't eat pork, but then I live with my grandparents. So basically, they feed me Burmese food. And I grew up with Bollywood and all of those Indian movies, so it was kind of one of those things where you're kind of involved in it, then at the same time you have to negotiate your ethnic culture with your sexual interests. Even though I have moments where I want to blast Punjabi music in my car, I can't really post that on Facebook, because nobody's going to understand what I'm talking about. "Look, I'm playing Daler Mehndi, I'm blasting it in my car, look at how cool I am." But oh, wait, no one understands. It's Punjabi ratchet-ness, basically. So, how did you get into the leather community and BDSM? I lived in San Francisco, and I was always really curious about my sexuality. And what ended up happening was I sort of fell into the Folsom Street Fair scene. All those kind of things and sparked my interest in the community and those kinds of events. So I eventually just started to go to leather events, started to go to places that sort of had a free sexuality, free acceptance kind of policy. So, like places where, for example, you can wear a jockstrap and a harness to a bar and that was acceptable. What's it like to be in the leather community and to be Muslim and South Asian? Do you find like-minded people? Do you ever feel isolated? It was kind of strange because you know you're going to be one of the only people in the room with this experience. These days, I'm seeing an emergence of people who are South Asian in these kind of spaces. If you were to look at me, I look like a Punjabi, and I'm the only one or probably one of the very few people in the room that look like that. It's really one of those things where I'm like, "Oh, so I'm a unicorn." It's hard to sort of articulate, like, okay, so these are what my problems are in racial identity. And actually, this is how I can legitimize my experience, as this kind of racial minority. Often, Asian Americans are discriminated in media and other forms of culture and representation. There isn't a Black Panther equivalent for the Asian community. There isn't a Superman for the Asian community. So, basically I'm basically trying to fulfill that role. Can I necessarily be this representation, because if not me, then who? Does it feel like a lot of pressure to representing all of these different identities? Well, the thing is, I have to be me. At the end of the day, I can't be like, "Oh my God, I'm not going to go to a sex party, because what are the other South Asians going to think of me?" This is who I am, this is what I do. As part of being in this leather community, being a BDSM cardholder, basically sex and kinky shit at the end of the day are a job. Looking like this sort of avant-garde sexual outlaw is part of the job. And it's a job that I love to express, simply because this is what I like. My goal is to tell people, you can be Asian, you can be South Asian, you can be whatever you want and still be yourself and still be involved in these kinds of activities. I know that there is a lot of anti-sex and pressure for a lot of people to alleviate the sexual part of their identity. Especially with first and second generation Asian people. Did you get pushback from your family and your community when you first got into this culture? My family didn't have so much of an issue. They were generally supportive, but I think a lot of the pushback has been online. If you look at the comments on the YouTube version of a full screen documentary I was in on gay Muslims, there's a lot of people saying, "You can't be gay and Muslim." So this is who I don't actually interact with. I don't really interact with people in the South Asian community because, well at least where I'm from in Orange County, it's a little different. And occasionally when I do run into them, again these aren't things that we talk about, and they know who I am and they know what I do, but these are not things that they're worried about. A lot of them are worried about living the "rags to riches" kind of motif. And for me, it's like, a lot of that rests on cultural representation as well. That's why I'm pushing so adamantly for greater representation in these kind of spaces. I'm a professor, but even now I'm still seeking active representation to be a model and really start to put my face out there. Simply because I want to show the world that you can be South Asian, you can be hairy, you can be gay and still project a positive image of sexuality. And I feel so much of it too is just the misperceptions that people have about Muslims in America and how that's gotten so distorted over the past few decades. I got this really interesting question when I was on a panel. They asked about homonationalism, and this idea of pink-washing and how places like Israel are always seen as the gay Mecca, whereas they still kind of commit these human rights atrocities. And it's fascinating because Muslims are always painted as a group of people that are not sexually liberated, that oppress women, and that are all about active regulation of their sexuality. But there are so many Christian cultures that do the same thing. Look at what we do to access to abortion, purity balls and stuff like that. So basically, for me, I want to provide a space or representation that says you can be sexual and you can be Pakistani and you can be Muslim. All of these things are not separate, you can be whatever you want to be, essentially. Related | The Femme Dominatrix Who Tortures Men For Money What is it about the leather and BDSM community that you like? What I do like about it is that the theory of the community is that we're supposed to be the sexual outlaws. We're supposed to be the ones that your mothers told you not to be like, because we have all of these crazy, perverted fantasies. And I think that's what what drew me to the leather community, and the fact that, for example, if somebody tells me, "Hey, I want to wear a diaper, and I want somebody to hold me and treat me like a baby," nobody's going to be like, "Oh my God, what are you doing?" I think that leather community gives space for that. So basically the sex positivity and the nonjudgemental aspect of it. But then it's interesting, because the practice ends up being respectability. Like, "Oh my gosh, as a titleholder, why did you just leave your sash on the chair? That's just terrible!" They do weird shit like that. But then again, the intersections of racism, misogyny, and transphobia, that sometimes happens. Have you experienced those things within the community? Well, I know that generally people of color, or any minority, they like to put us in service roles. For example, they like to put us in roles where we're constantly fundraising and we're constantly helping at events and stuff. You're good if you're working, but then you're bad if you're representing and talking about issues. It's a being seen and not heard kind of thing. Somebody was talking about HIV, and I was like, "You understand that black and transgender communities have the highest rates of HIV?" You know, this is well-documented, this is a public fact. And they're like, "No, well when I grew up in the AIDS era, it wasn't a race issue. You're making it into a race issue." And I'm trying to be like, "No this is not, this is now an inequality issue, because even if you have HIV and you're white, you're going to have a higher access to life-saving medications." It's very much a racial and a gender issue. Well, actually, since you grew up in the 80's you can actually talk to me about how access was framed basically against people of color, trans people, and how the media portrayed it as gay white men getting the illness. And gay white men were basically saying, "Oh, because we're not of color, you should be treating us equally." It's a strange place to occupy, because supposedly they lived it, they've seen it, so they keep on using the excuse of, "Guess what? We've gone through shit that you've never gone through." No, we understand that, but then at the same time you need to look at what's actually happening now in 2018. The picture is a lot different. It's also a localized experience. Their friends are mostly white. What would you ideally like to see happen in the leather community and society at large? Equal representation. People of all colors, shapes, sizes, identities, fitting together and being able to culturally represent how they choose. Being looked at as not being dissimilar. Being respected and actually being treated as a human being. Making sure that we acknowledge and we're aware of these problems that exist and are working to end these problems. If you're not going to acknowledge that the problem exists, then how do you actually fix the problem? What advice would you give to young people in the position you were once in? I've actually gone back and forth on this one. What I would say is, to a younger version of myself, is that one, you're good as you are. You don't need to pretend to be anybody, you don't need to do anything, you don't need to impress anybody. You just need to be yourself and people will love you. And there are spaces out there that people will take you and receive you really well just as who you are. It's okay to be who you are. And that can go for a general audience too, I feel like there are a lot of people who don't accept themselves. It's okay to be who you are, and regardless of what you might think, there are people out there that will accept you and will love you. As part of PAPER's month-long "Sexpress" series, New York-based sexologist Shelby Sells will be writing weekly columns that investigate modern sexuality. Dive into her sexpertise, below. Dating is a privilege and it's important to recognize your privilege in dating. When researching topics for this column, I asked my closest friends and respected peers what they wanted out of a sex and relationship column. While the topic of double penetration (threesomes in general) is an attention-grabber (and I encourage you to educate yourself on both!), most people wanted to know about how sex and relationships impact each other. How can we have better sex and how can we have better relationships? Dissecting the ins and outs of various forms of partnership brought up valid points about privilege, especially White, cisgender (people whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth), and straight (heterosexual) privilege. We need to take responsibility for our privilege by owning it and understanding it so we can help communities with lesser privilege. Related | How Do You Know If You're a Sex Addict? For instance, I am a White, cisgender, straight woman. I hold a lot of privilege. The only thing that would grant me more privilege would be if I was male. White ignorance, especially around race, needs to cease. White people need to take responsibility their privilege and acknowledge it in order to fully understand it. This means means addressing the question, "What does it mean to be White?" and being fully aware of White racial identity development and how it may intrude on people of color. We need to acknowledge systematic racism, sexism, and transphobia/homophobia/non-binary and intersex prejudice along with the microaggressions that result from them. A microaggression can be defined as "subtle insults (verbal, nonverbal, and/or visual) directed toward people of color, often automatically or unconsciously." Simply stated, microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that send belittling messages to people of color because they belong to a racial minority group. We see this translate to all minority groups of race, gender, and sexual identity. Microaggressions take a toll on us both psychologically and physically. An example of a microaggression is color blindness. Color blindness is a major form of microinvalidation (characterized by communications that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color; a form of microaggression) because it denies the racial and experiential reality of people of color and provides an excuse to White people to claim that they are not prejudiced. Another example of a microaggression is a person telling a member of the LGBTQA community they don't "act gay" or "look trans" as if it's an accomplishment. We also see microaggressions when women are sexually assaulted or harassed the police, the media, and the people around them tell them they must have done something (wear a slutty outfit, drink too much alcohol, etc.) to cause it or deserve it. Related | Anxious In Love: How to Cope and Cuff So how does this relate to sex and relationships? Knowing and owning your privilege will help you create better relationships, not only with yourself, but with friends, at work, and in romantic relationships. It's important to be aware of how your actions affect other people. Something that might be a regular practice of yours in the bedroom, whether it's BDSM or any other kink, may translate to something completely different for your partner and trigger them in ways that may be unfamiliar to you and extremely hurtful to them. Having a willingness to understand (while also being sensitive to) your and your partner's background, the ways you do and don't relate, and the impacts of the patriarchal, white supremacist society we live in is extremely beneficial. Developing a foundation of communication and trust as a couple (and individually as a single person dating!) will unlock doors of physical and emotional intimacy we all dream of. Remember, being loved by someone is not a right it's a privilege! Under Apple's late CEO and Co-Founder Steve Jobs, the company was deadly focused on the consumer side of the market. Unless you've been living under a rock, Apple's current CEO has been steadily moving the company deeper into the enterprise market with partners like IBM, Cisco, SAP, Deloitte, GE, Accenture and others. You could also check out Apple's business page that focuses on iDevices in Business through testimonies from businesses around the world like Capital One, British Airways and Tokyo Metro. This week HP announced they've expanded Device as a Service (DaaS) to now offer Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod and Macs) to enterprise customers. If you're not familiar with HP's DaaS, it boils down to businesses being able to purchase hardware via a subscription rather than making all the outlay upfront to offer Apple devices as well as its own. HP provides the Apple hardware service as well. At the moment this service is only available in the U.S. market, with HP stating that they'll expand the service to more countries over the course of the year. To learn more about this development and service, check out HP`s specialty page / announcement here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, Tejaswi Yadav, while attending a function organized by the Dhanuk community as Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna on Thursday, once again batted for raising the reservation limit to 70%, a talking point he made last week during a similar function organized by the Nonia community. "Bihar should follow the example of Tamil Nadu that has raised reservation in jobs and education to 70% so everyone has a shot at employment and getting admission in good schools and colleges. If Nitish Kumar takes up this issue, we will support him all the way," the former Chief Minister of Bihar who has been entrusted to run the party by his father Lalu Prasad Yadav who remains behind bars in Jharkhand after being convicted in an offshoot of the fodder scam, said. Yadav wasted no time in training his gun on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat saying the Modi government was trying to modify the constitution so as to take voting rights from a large section of the society. He further said that the RSS chief was camping in Bihar for the past two weeks to promote end of reservation as we know it today. "They want to take away reservation from you and they want to take away your voting rights from you. With your support, we can get rid of this corrupt government," Yadav said adding he would be Bihar Chief Minister today had his party joined hands with the BJP. "But we are the party of policies and we do not compromise with our principles," the former Deputy CM thundered. Moving on to Nitish Kumar, Yadav said that 'some people' had insulted the mandate of the people in Bihar who had voted for the Mahagathbandhan in the last Assembly polls. "Those who were all up in arms earlier to free India from the Sangh Parivar are now sitting in the NDA lap vowing to make India Congress-free. Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister of Bihar in name only, the real rulers are the BJP and the RSS who are pulling the strings of Nitish Kumar. The fact that Nitish Kumar is not fielding any Janata Dal U candidate at the three seats where by-polls are to be held should be enough indication of who is controlling whom," Yadav said. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Five people have been killed following an accident involving a cement truck and the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential motorcade. The three soldiers and two civilians died as President Joseph Kabila was returning to the capital, Kinshasa. Another 11 people were injured, a presidential spokesman confirmed to news agency AFP. The spokesman said the accident was caused by "heavy rain", although early reports suggested speed was a factor. Witnesses told Radio Okapi [in French] speed was "the main cause" of the incident, which happened 220km (110 miles) south of Kinshasa. Communications official Yvon Ramazani told AFP "a vehicle in the presidential motorcade was hit on the Matadi highway at Kimpese by a truck carrying cement" on Tuesday evening. Mr Kabila, who had been opening an oil rig and administrative building in the port city of Matadi, "stayed on the site until the emergency services arrived, and personally supervised the ambulance evacuation of dead and injured". The president, who has been in power since 2001, when his father was assassinated, is facing mounting pressure to stand down - his term of office expired in November 2016. Source: BBC 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 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday Thursday January 15 highlighted some of the problems that are retarding development and progress in Africa and said the only way for the continent to move forward is to make sure that there is good governance as well as respect for the rule of law. Speaking on the topic, How To Make Democracy Work For Africa, the president reiterated the need for African governments to build strong institutions and reduce corruption for the continent to move forward. He made the suggestions when he delivered a lecture on democracy in Africa. It was organized by a policy think-tank, The Kukah Centre, based in Abuja, Nigeria. Speaking at the Yaradua Conference Centre in the Nigerian federal capital, President Akufo-Addo stressed the need to encourage African Union (AU) member countries to demonstrate a commitment to strengthening and protecting institutions of state and the culture of democratic governance. He said there should be respect for human rights, religious freedoms, women empowerment, individual rights, minorities rights, build strong market economies and facilitate free movements of people, goods and services across member states. Concerns The president was of the firm conviction that Africas small countries will continue to struggle if they do it alone, but the accelerated economic integration of committed nations will breathe new life into the AU, and deliver the benefits of African integration to the doorsteps of the African peoples. It is time to make sure that we have genuine separation of powers between the various arms of government. Our parliaments, the legislative arms of government, must grow into their proper roles as effective machineries for accountability and oversight of their executives. Our judiciaries must also inspire confidence in the citizens, so we can all see the courts as ultimate, impartial arbiters when disputes arise, as they would. President Akufo-Addo articulated, It is only when our public institutions are working as they should, that we would be able to confront and deal effectively with the canker of corruption which has been the bane of our development. According to him, The systematic targeting of corruption, a central feature of the administration of His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, deserves the support of all well-meaning Nigerians and Africans. It is appropriate that this years AU theme, Winning the Fight against Corruption A Sustainable Path to Africas Transformation, should have President Muhammadu Buhari as its champion. He said President Buharis crusade against corruption should be emulated by other leaders on the continent. Though he admitted the fact that it was early days yet, President Akufo-Addo noted, Our institutions are growing, and the self-confidence of our people is becoming manifest. He said currently, the greatest challenge for us in Ghana, and for the entire continent, remains the creation of sustainable jobs, stressing Our young people must see and feel the dividends of the democratic system of governance. Pride He claimed, In the one year that I have had the privilege of leading my country, I have tried to be honest with the people of Ghana. We are nowhere near where we should be, and where we all want to be, but there is a feeling we are all in this together, and we shall get out and prosper together. He added: We have good reasons to be proud of who we are, and the beautiful continent that is ours. Today, the Peoples Republic of China calls itself, and is regarded as a world power. Over thirty years ago, Princeton University, one of Americas most prestigious Ivy League Universities, offered a course in Mandarin, which, for years, had virtually no takers. Thirty years ago, China was nowhere near where it is today. China does not ask anyone for respect now, she does not need to. Stop Begging President Akufo-Addo noted, If we work at it, if we stop being beggars, govern ourselves intelligently and honestly in freedom, and spend Africas monies inside the continent, Africa would not need to ask for respect from anyone. We would get the respect we deserve. We have a responsibility to take care of our environment. We have the most spectacular natural surroundings, grandest rivers and mountains; we have minerals that the world would kill for. We have a dynamic and young population. We bring humanity alive. Let us make this continent the prosperous and joyful place it should be. He charged, Friends, we do not have to look far back into history to see that stable period of constitutional government and intelligent management of the economy lead to prosperity. Brazil has shown us that these are not theoretical arguments. He said in the last two-and-a-half decades, Brazil has transformed its economy and the lives of its people, lifting some thirty million people out of poverty during the last decade alone. We, in Africa, can identify with Brazil, and we can learn lessons from them. I believe in Africas immense potential for greatness. I believe that stable democracies in Africa can help unleash energies to drive the transformation of the continent. There is a lot of talk that this will be the Asian century, the Chinese century but take it from me: the 21st century holds excellent prospects for Africa. This can be Africas century. We can claim it, if we believe in ourselves, he entreated. Dignitaries Present at the well attended ceremony were Nigerias Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo; former Nigerian military ruler, General Yakubu Gowon; Ghanas High Commissioner to Nigeria, Rashid Bawa; Ghanas Deputy Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye; Senators and Governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop for the Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, who is also the founder of The Kukah Centre. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has said that Ghanas doors are open for investors to do business in the country. She said government had created a conducive and an enabling environment for investment and business to thrive and was encouraging all to do business in Ghana. Hajia Mahama was speaking at the Ghana Business and Investment Forum, a side event organized at the just ended 2018 Ninth Session of the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum (WUF9) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the theme: Ghanas Industrialization Programme: Opportunities and Transformation Partners in Trade and Industry. It was organised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the Ghana Free Zones Board, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre as well as the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce. The WUF9, which was on the theme: Cities 2030, Cities for All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda, focused on the New Urban Agenda as a tool and accelerator for achieving Agenda 2030 and the SDGs It is the key platform to discuss the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the urban dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and one of the most open gatherings in the international arena. The WUF9 mobilises urban actors in national governments, sub-national and local governments, civil society, private sector and academia to share knowledge and solutions for sustainable urban development; facilitates stakeholders inputs to monitoring and reporting on the New Urban Agenda and also a strong multi-stakeholder partnerships. The New Urban Agenda was adopted in October 2016 at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador. She said the World Bank has indicated that Ghanas economy this year will growth by 8.5 per cent and this was an indication to all investors that there was economic stability in Ghana. Hajia Mahama, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nalerigu/Gambaga, said good things are happening in Ghana and that calls for more investors to do business in the country. She said her delegation also include Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, who are eager to learn and share experiences from other countries and adopt into our urban planning. She thanked the Malaysian Government for the opportunity and called on the business community to take advantage of Ghanas conducive business atmosphere to invest in the country. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) will be six years on the 25th of February 2018. And as part of preparations towards the anniversary, founder member of the party, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, will tomorrow, Saturday, February 17, 2018 speak on the formative period of the party and how it has stood the test of time. Dr Nduom will be looking at the PPP on his programmeGhana, Great & Strong, which is carried live from 7:00 P.M.,8:00 P.M., every Saturday on ATV and all GN radio stations across the country. The partys Progressive Youth Movement will also mark the anniversary with a NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE on the theme: Creating a viable Alternative Government; The Role of the Progressive Youth. This will come of on Sunday, February 25, 2018. Source: today 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 A nonprofit organization that helps families move from homelessness to home will soon have a new home itself. Family Promise Harrisburg Capital Region will have a new home in East Pennsboro Township at 56 Erford Road. The organization will relocate from its current location on Hummel Avenue in Lemoyne. The new 2,370-square-foot facility is currently being renovated and the organization held a ceremony last week to mark the beginning of the renovations. The organization plans to open the new facility in mid to late June. Family Promise is a nonprofit agency that serve families who recently lost their homes and provides assistance for families to gain employment, housing, and relevant social services. A network of congregations in its interfaith hospitality network rotate providing overnight lodging, meals, and support for the families. The day center is the hub of the program where families can shower, do laundry, meet with case workers and more. The organization provides case management services for each family and also runs budgeting, parenting, and life skills programs. Families also have access to computers and the internet and work toward stability goals. The centers hosts a weekly house meeting where families come together for a discussion. The new site will include the organization's day center, meeting spaces and a large yard for children who are in the organization's program to use for play and for outdoor activities. There will also be more parking at this facility. The organization received funding to purchase the building through the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Family Promise is a nationwide organization with more than 200 Family Promise affiliates in more than 40 states. Family Promise Harrisburg Capital Region was founded in 2010 and works with families in Cumberland, Dauphin, and York Counties. If you live in New York and want to run to Wegmans at 2 a.m., you will soon be out of luck. The chain announced Thursday it is ending 24/7 hours at some stores in upstate New York, specifically two stores in the Syracuse area and three near Buffalo. The stores will be closed from midnight to 6 a.m. Fortunately, for shoppes living in the Harrisburg region, the Wegmans in Silver Spring Township remains open 24 hours a day. "We are open 24 hours and we have not talked about changing that. Most of our PA stores are open 24 hours," said Bob Finn, store manager, by email. Wegmans spokeswoman Michele Mehaffy told the Buffalo News the shaved back hours will allow the stores to better align employee resources to when the majority of customers shop. "Bottom line, there are just too few employees and too few customers overnight, and it makes sense to operate more efficiently during the overnight hours," she said. Here in central Pennsylvania, Wegmans is hiring for its new store in Lancaster County at The Crossings at Conestoga Creek. The store is scheduled to potentially open by early fall. Annika Dean survived last year's mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport by hiding behind a luggage cart. Her 14-year-old son, Austin, survived this week's shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school by hiding in a classroom. "I am in disbelief; I really am," Dean said in an interview with WPTV in West Palm Beach. Her brother told her: "You're one of the luckiest people on the planet or you're one of the unluckiest," she told WPTV. She told him, "Both." At about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, a gunman went on a rampage, killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Austin texted his mother from his hiding place in a classroom. He typed, "Mom, there's a school shooting drill going on. It's really scary, they got a gun and fired it . . . IT'S NOT A DRILL," she said in the interview. "As soon as I realized that it was an actual shooting, my heart just sank," Dean, an art teacher, said. In his texts, Austin told her people had been running and screaming, but he was, thankfully, safe. "He said, 'But just in case, I love you,' " she told WPTV. "I was grateful for every text he was sending me," she said in the interview. "It's different when it's your kid. And I wasn't with him. He was on his own." Austin, a freshman, was tucked with 30 other students in a JROTC classroom, WPTV reported. Dean said two of her closest friends were not as lucky as she was. One had a daughter who was killed at the school, and another has a child who was wounded. She said she knows both of the teens. "I'm their Sunday school teacher," she said. She told WPTV she, unbelievably, was able to relate to her son's fear as he hid in the classroom. "I definitely had a sense of what he was feeling and what he was going through," she said. On Jan. 6, 2017, Dean was at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when a gunman opened fire, killing five people. She hid behind a luggage cart and was shielded by a stranger, according to WPTV. "As soon as I heard the gunfire, I knew it was gunfire," she told the station at the time. Now, she said she feels grateful she is alive and her son is alive. Somehow, they both escaped physically unharmed. "The moments I have with my kids may not have been," she said. "I'm grateful for every moment I have with my kids." (c) 2018, The Washington Post. Story by Allison Klein. The Washington Post's Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report. Alexander Whitlock moved to Harrisburg in 1968 after serving two tours in the Vietnam War. He joined the Harrisburg police department and lived next door to a young Thomas Carter. As Whitlock worked his way up the police ranks, he displayed a different side of policing that Carter had not yet seen. Whitlock was one of a few black officers on the force at the time. He also spent time talking to Carter, explaining police procedures and telling him that police officers work for the people in the community. "He talked me into joining the force," Carter said. "He inspired me. Now as chief, I get my open-door policy from him." Whitlock, 78, who served as Harrisburg's first black police chief from 1988 to 1991, died Sunday after a battle with cancer at his home in Michigan. Whitlock came to Harrisburg a war veteran with solid credentials. He was part of a battalion that survived a harrowing showdown in North Vietnam that was made into a movie called "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson. "He would always tell me how frightening it was," said his daughter Sebrenna Whitlock, "but there was no time to show fear. He was responsible for not just himself, but for the brave men that he fought along side of." Whitlock's military service impressed police officials. "He was a very honorable guy. He excelled in everything he did," said Richard Vajda, who conducted the background check and later served as police chief before Whitlock. "I'd put my life in his hands, that's the way I felt about it." Whitlock served as a detective and caught one of the department's most difficult assignments: investigating the homicide of a Harrisburg police officer in 1978. The officer, John Robert Christian, 35, had been working off-duty when he responded to a robbery and was shot while trying to arrest the suspect. The suspect fled to New Jersey, where Whitlock and another detective tracked him down. The suspect shot at Whitlock and the other detective, but they survived the shootout at an apartment complex and drove him back to Harrisburg to face justice. "I know it was a very difficult case," Vajda said. "Both of them worked with John Christian. That in itself would be very difficult to swallow." Whitlock gained a positive reputation by building solid relationships in the community. He knew how to talk to people and residents trusted him. When it came time for Vajda to retire in 1988, Vajda knew just who to recommend. He suggested Whitlock as his successor to then Mayor Stephen Reed. Although the appointment was noteworthy since Whitlock represented the first black officer to achieve the department's top job, he earned it, Vajda said. "He was well-respected throughout the department," Vajda said. As chief, Whitlock worked nights and weekends. He attended community meetings and went on patrols. He never wanted to lose touch with the community, co-workers said. He helped the department earn national accreditation for the first time by establishing a set of written policies and procedures for officers. While some officers liked the idea of not being tied to printed rules, Whitlock believed it enhanced accountability and credibility. Whitlock also was instrumental in creating a black police chiefs association, an affirmative action office and community policing centers. His leadership of the department was cut short in 1991, however, when his mother fell ill in their hometown of Pontiac, Mich. Whitlock retired to move home and take care of her. While in Michigan he started his third career, working at a nursing home as the security director and later, the director of environmental services. He worked there 19 years until retiring in 2011. In his recent years, Whitlock enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, reading newspapers and keeping up with politics and watching the Western Channel, preferably while eating Hickory Farms sausages. "He gave so much of himself," said his daughter Sebrenna Whitlock. "If you look from the very beginning, he got back from Vietnam, served the public in Harrisburg for 23 years, then worked another 19 years at the nursing home, making sure the residents had what they needed. "He was such a hard worker," she said. "Anything that he did, he was committed 100 percent." Whitlock is survived by his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services were still being prepared for Arlington National Cemetery, where there is a four-week waiting list. For a little longer, the waiting continued to be the hardest part for some Pennsylvania residents who have waited years for medical marijuana. Before 10 a.m. on Friday, they stood in line outside Organic Remedies in Cumberland County, one of a handful of medical dispensaries that opened for business this week. The 10 a.m. opening was delayed until 11 because of apparent technological glitches, and progress was slow once the dispensary began admitting small groups of people. Some grumbled as they stood or shared folding seats and umbrellas in a cold drizzle. But few if any decided it wasn't worth the wait. "It's a big event. A lot of people are going to get medical help that they really need. Something that is not addictive and that does not destroy lives -- a safe alternative to the standard narcotic pain medications," said Ginger Nolder, who had traveled from Gettysburg to the location near the Wertzville Road exit of Interstate 81 in Hampden Township. Nolder said she was hoping medical marijuana will provide better treatment for her chronic pain stemming from arthritis and for her high blood pressure, and help her feel more energetic. By around noon things seemed to be flowing smoothly. Although a staffer said the intake area, waiting room and consultation rooms could accommodate 13 people, everyone was eventually invited inside to escape the rain. Organic Remedies became one of six medical marijuana dispensaries approved to open in Pennsylvania this week. The first opened Thursday, with the rest opening on Friday and Saturday. It comes less than two years after the state legalized medical marijuana and began the task of writing regulations, licensing growers/processors and dispensaries, certifying doctors, issuing cards to patients, and building an electronic system to track medical marijuana "from seed to sale." "It means getting off the opiates," said Leanne Armold of Marietta in Lancaster County when asked what the availability of medical marijuana means to her. Sitting in her wheelchair, Armold said she has taken opioids for chronic pain but worried about addiction and that increased tolerance that could make her vulnerable to overdose. She said she suffers from additional conditions including PTSD, high blood pressure and diabetes and her doctor believes medical marijuana might provide benefits that were previously unavailable. "He said there are a lot of things this works for," Armold said. At one point, an Organic Remedies staffer came outside to ask everyone to make sure they had a valid medical marijuana card. The card of the one of the first patients in line, it turned out, had an effective date of Monday. She won't be able to purchase medical marijuana until then. The state this week said about 17,000 residents have begun the process of obtaining a medical marijuana card, and about 3,000 have cards. To obtain one, the patient must have one of 17 approved medical conditions, as confirmed by one of about 700 doctors who have been trained and certified. Inside Organic Remedies, patients filled out an intake form of medical-related information then met with a doctor or pharmacist who advised them on a form of medical marijuana, which includes pills, oils, liquids that can be vaporized, and lotions. There are many variables that will affect the price of medical marijuana, which isn't covered by health insurance or government programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. These include: production costs related to the specific form, such a lotion or oil and the concentration of active ingredients. According to news reports from dispensaries that opened this week, prices range from about $30 to $95, depending on the form. Tony Aleshire stood in line on Friday morning on two crutches and next to his service dog. The 35-year-old Mechanicsburg resident said one if his legs is mostly paralyzed and that has led to great pain in the other, and that he has neurological ailments as well. Of traditional medications, he said "everything has done nothing or made more complications." He said he used medical marijuana with great benefit in a state where it is legal, and is "overwhelmed" and "relieved" that it's now available in Pennsylvania. Providing a safe environment for students has become as much a concern to school officials these days as educating them. "It dominates just about everything we do right now," said Central Dauphin School Board President Ford Thompson. "It's an evolving daily process almost - training, reviewing." When horrific school shootings occur like the one in Broward County, Florida Wednesday that left 17 dead, Thompson said it causes district officials to go back and check to see if something might have been overlooked. "Our mission is the education of almost 12,000 students but their safety is paramount," he said. Florida school shooting: what we know about victims, shooter, more Central Dauphin, like other schools, issued letters to parents on Wednesday and Thursday, expressing their sympathy and support for their counterparts in Parkland. They also discussed how the tragedy serves as a reminder of the need for vigilance on everyone's part to keep schools safe and steps they have taken to prepare for emergencies. "I want to assure you that the safety of our school community is our top priority and that our schools have comprehensive crisis plans in place to guide us through a variety of emergency situations should the need arise," said West Shore School District Superintendent Todd Stoltz in his letter to parents. Still, despite all the stepped-up security measures that schools have made over the past two decades -- such as limiting access to a single point of entry, requiring visitors to wear ID badges, and training students and staff about what to do in emergencies -- they can't help but look to see if they can do more. Even state lawmakers are doing that. Last year, the Legislature passed a law that allows schools to conduct active shooter drills but doesn't require them. Rep. Gary Day, R-Lehigh County, who sponsored the bill, said his bill started out making annual security drills a mandate so students and staff would be armed with information about what to do in an emergency situation. The Senate changed the wording to make it optional for schools to conduct such a drill, a change he said he went along with just to get at least a portion of what he had hoped to achieve on the books. After what happened in Florida, he is considering introducing legislation that makes these drills a requirement. "It has been reported that somebody who was involved in the event in Florida stated that their training from a security drill was imperative in limiting the scope of the damage in that event," Day said. "Therefore, us here in Pennsylvania, we should consider changing that." He, along with Reps. Craig Staats, R-Bucks County, and Sid Kavulich, D-Lackawanna County, also have moved up their plans by weeks to talk about other legislative next-steps to enhance school safety, Day said. Wednesday's mass school shooting triggered the urgency. Among their ideas are creating a statewide hotline for people to report information that could bring harm to others as well as possibly looking into safeguards around mental health to try understand ahead of time what might prevent a tragedy. The state Department of Education has an Office for Safe Schools to offer guidance to districts and encourages them to identify a team and use a process it has develped to improve school climate, said department spokeswoman Casey Smith. Additionally, grants to provide funding for security equipment and personnel are available. The letters that West Shore and Central Dauphin sent to parents remind them that school counselors are available to talk with students about their fears and grief arising out of the Florida school tragedy. They also note that resources are available on their websites for parents to help them discuss it with their children. This time, the dateline is Florida. Dropout with an assault-type rifle, at least 17 dead. Across the nation, everyone's upset, demanding action. Next week, they'll move on. How do I know? Well, I've been doing this a long time. So long, in fact, that I decided that rather than write a reaction to the Florida shootings, I'd just pull out my own words from years gone by. The first is from November, just a couple of months ago. Shooting in a church in Texas. Remember? "Nobody should be allowed to own a gun that can shoot 450 rounds in a matter of minutes. "Before you disagree, look at the pictures of the eight children and teenagers killed while attending church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. "Before you disagree, know that nobody wants to take your hunting rifle or the handgun you keep for protection. "Before you disagree, keep in mind that in addition to the 26 people killed, another 20 were wounded. That's 46 people knocked down in a matter of minutes by one gun. "You do not need a gun like that. Nobody needs a gun like that. Any lawmaker with half a brain should know that." Or how about this one from December 2015? "Madmen with guns shoot up holiday parties and movie theaters and classrooms and shopping centers. Everyone looks for a reason. But can a reasonable excuse exist for mindlessly killing groups of people? ... "That's the burden the rest of us carry. We seek reasonable answers to unreasonable acts." Here's an oldie from April 2007, just after a mass shooting at Virginia Tech: "We keep asking all the wrong questions in this country. "The killer had two guns that fired bullets in rapid fire succession. Why? "Why does anyone -- other than someone in the military -- need a gun like that? "Gonna use it to take out Bambi?" And from the same column: "I'm embarrassed by reporters asking questions that try to put the blame for this tragedy anywhere other than where it belongs. "A gunman caused it. "A man with a gun. "Remember that the next time your kid leaves the house." I had to dig back to March 2001 to find the following: "Ours was a more practical time, a time when kids who did something wrong were judged for what they did, not by what was done to them. "I'm sorry, but if your kid takes a gun and shoots someone, it's your kid who has a problem. I don't care who said what to them. Pointing a gun at another human being signals a severe character flaw. "If you suspect your kid has a problem, if your kid is unpopular, harassed or depressed, and you leave a gun around so that kid can put the weapon in a backpack and head to school, you have a problem, too. "It's called not paying attention." Consider that kids now in high school weren't even born when I wrote this in 1998: "I can't understand how a society that belts everybody in his car, forces people to wear motorcycle helmets against their will and gets perfectly hysterical about kids being exposed to a whiff of smoke can be so cavalier about guns lying around people's houses and cars. Once upon a time, kids at school had to worry about a bully shoving them in the school yard or punching them in the nose. Now they have to watch their backs for some brat in camouflage who has access to an arsenal at grandpa's house... "It's as if we are collectively too dumb to see that the Secret Service, the FBI and a lack of security aren't the problem. The proliferation of guns is. "You can screen gun buyers all you want, but once the gun leaves the store, the question becomes who has access to it? A kid? A loony relative? Your cousin Harry with the bad temper?" And finally, for the perfect ending, I jump back to April 2000: "The following sentence is brought to you by Million Mom March: 'Since 1968 more Americans have been killed by guns on American soil than all the American soldiers killed in Vietnam, Korea and both World Wars...' "Sooner or later, you'll scream, 'Enough.'" Gee, here I sit in 2018, wondering when that will happen. NANCY ESHELMAN: columnist1@verizon.net State police in Berks County are continuing to search for a missing 13-year-old girl who was last seen almost four weeks ago. Destinee Merryfield was last seen on Jan. 20 when she walked away from the Bethany Children's Home along the 1800 block of Bethany Road in Heidelberg Township, police said. Two other girls who left the home with Merryfield were later located in the Lebanon area, police said. Merryfield is described as being about five feet tall, 120 pounds, and having brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing jeans and black sneakers. She is known to frequent the Flourtown area of Springfield Township, in Montgomery County. Anyone with information about Merryfield is asked to call Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS. A 74-year-old Mount Joy man is accused pointing a gun at a woman who helped him carry bags from a local store. John Christian Lewis Sr. offered to give the woman a ride home because she helped him carry his bags to his car at the CVS on Locust Street in Columbia, police said. The woman accepted the ride from Lewis, but Lewis later told the woman he wasn't going to take her home unless she helped him put the bags inside of his home. When the woman said she didn't want to stop at Lewis' home, he pointed a black pistol at her, police said. In turn, the woman used pepper spray on Lewis, forcing him to stop his car. The woman got out of the car and a passerby who was jogging in the area stopped with her and called the police. The passerby saw Lewis orange 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt and reported it to police. Lewis was arrested later that day without incident, police said. Authorities later learned he was not licensed to carry a firearm. Lewis is charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault and terroristic threats. He is free on $50,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 5. House and Senate Republicans made one last pitch to try to forestall a fast-approaching state court takeover of Pennsylvania's Congressional maps, but were rebuffed by Gov. Tom Wolf. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, told reporters he and his House GOP counterpart Dave Reed, R-Indiana County, asked Wolf Thursday to make a joint appeal with them to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for more time. Under the GOP's offer, the 2018 election cycle would proceed under the existing maps that the state court last month found in violation of state constitutional guarantees of "free and equal" elections. The leaders and Wolf would then commit to a redraw -- after a full, legislative process that would by definition require both major parties' buy-in -- that would take effect for the 2020 campaign cycle. Corman said Wolf rejected the offer, though that could not be immediately corroborated by Wolf's office. The court, of course, had given Democrat Wolf and the Republican-controlled General Assembly about three weeks to approve a fast-tracked plan in its initial Jan. 22 order. Neither side was able to take advantage of that window, which sets up the next, and very controversial, step in the court's order: Its own imposition of new district lines by Feb. 19. Corman said if that happens, there will then likely be another legal fight over that aspect of the case. "This is far more important to me than Congressional redistricting," Corman said. "The separation of powers and the duties of each branch of government is laid out by the framers of our Constitution. And I am going to stand up for the powers that have been vested in the legislative branch," Corman continued. "This is an issue of one branch taking over the other two branches and I think that's completely unacceptable." The case arose from a lawsuit filed last summer by 18 registered Democrat voters and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, who alleged that partisan cutting of the Congressional lines after the 2010 census amounted to "viewpoint discrimination" against Democratic voters. In a December trial, they presented evidence that a series of 500 maps built on traditional redistricting principles and past vote counts never replicated the current 13 Republican- five Democrat split in Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation. Defenders of the 2011 map -- drafted by a Republican-controlled General Assembly and then-Gov. Tom Corbett -- have said it checks all Constitutional requirements, and argued the Democrat plaintiffs are simply seeking guarantees of proportional representation that do not exist. The court, however, held in a Feb. 7 majority opinion that far from making a reckless power grab, they were honoring Pennsylvania's longstanding tradition of representative democracy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in an armchair discussion as part of a lunar new year celebration with Liberal members of parliament, supporters, and community leaders, in Markham, Ont., on Thursday, February 15, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov Minister of Transport Marc Garneau gestures as he speaks to reporters following Question Period in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. Garneau has instructed his officials to explore "all possible options" to crack down on the dangerous practice of aiming laser pointers at aircraft. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang A Facebook ad linked to a Russian effort to disrupt the American political process and stir up tensions around divisive social issues, released by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, is photographed in Washington, on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. The ad, with the words "Hillary is a Satan, and her crimes and lies had proved just how evil she is" was listed as an excerpt of political advertising in the indictment charging 13 Russians and three Russian entities in an elaborate plot to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) In this courtroom drawing, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, seated center, speaks to his attorney, Eduardo Balarezo, after a judge denied his request to speak directly to the court, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in New York. The notorious Mexican drug lord and escape artist is eager to go to trial, his lawyer said Thursday after a U.S. judge set Sept. 5 for jury selection in his drug-trafficking case. (Elizabeth Williams via AP) In this Feb. 14, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump speaks about domestic violence during a working session regarding the opportunity zones provided by tax reform in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The New Yorker has obtained an eight-page, hand-written account written by a former Playboy Playmate who said she had a nine-month extramarital affair with Donald Trump beginning in 2006. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Deniz Yucel, a Turkish-German journalist working for German newspaper Die Welt who was detained in Turkey for more than a year, walks with his wife Dilek Mayaturk Yucel, after being released from jail, in Istanbul, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018,(Can Erok/DHA-Depo Photos via AP) In this picture taken on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, exiled former Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in London. Russian oligarch-turned-dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky says heAos not interested in replacing Vladimir Putin as president. Khodorkovsky told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that he might line up behind TV star Ksenia Sobchak in next monthAos presidential election _ or he might just cast a spoiled ballot.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Indians take advantage of miscues to claim first victory St. Vincent found itself down two scores midway through the third quarter, and despite the deficit, coach Tim Schumer was calm.The game was not over at that point, you have to play four Rushing attack leads Pirates to win over Owls The Perryville football team is quickly turning into a M.A.S.H. unit. With several players already nursing injuries from the previous week, they also threw in other players who were in quarantine. Guyana's opposition party prepared to meet Government on ExxonMobil contract flaws By Kaieter News GEORGETOWN Petroleumworld 02 16 2018 The People's Progressive Party (PPP) said yesterday it is prepared to discuss the flaws of ExxonMobil Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) should Cabinet decide to move forward with renegotiating the deal through a bipartisan approach. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, made the disclosure at his weekly press conference, a day after President David Granger announced that the 2016 PSA has engaged Cabinet. Assuming they review this contract and they have an approach on it and they want to approach it in a bipartisan manner, we would be willing to talk with [Government], said Jagdeo. The Opposition Leader was not willing to state support for renegotiating the contract citing political implications of Government accusing the PPP of being against foreign investors. He said that two approaches can be taken once Government decides to renegotiate the contract. One is for an amicable route where both parties agree to renegotiate. The other approach ends in a dispute if one party does not agree to come back to the table. In this circumstance, I believe an amicable approach is the best suited one, Jagdeo noted. He stated that ExxonMobil has to do what is best for its shareholders, while the Government's team must seek the best for Guyanese. Jagdeo stated that the government should first agree that there are elements of the contract that they could have done better on by admitting also that they did a bad job negotiating the contract. According to Jagdeo, the problem is that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, has repeatedly made asinine defenses' of the contract although Government incompetently sat at the table and was not prepared enough to negotiate the contract. He repeated a previously held view that expertise was lacking on Guyana's side of the negotiating table, suggesting that Politicians should not be involved in the future management of the oil and gas sector. That is why we called for a nonpartisan approach. Take all the politicians out of the Petroleum Commission. Let's be arm length. The Petroleum Commission should be purely technically managed and that would be good for long term relations between the country and ExxonMobil, Jagdeo noted. He also noted that the PPP would support a Motion brought to the National Assembly which seeks to have the contract renegotiated. We were elected to defend Guyanese; nobody else, and Guyana's interest. The 800,000 or how many of us live in this country and those who live abroad too from the diaspora, we are elected to defend them. No one else! No company, nobody else and that would guide us on what is best for Guyanese and Guyana, Jagdeo outlined. On Wednesday, Granger stated that further decisions on the matter will depend on what Cabinet arrives at. He further stated that the contract is an agreement between two parties and these things' have to be approached very carefully. Since the PSA was made public in December, there have been daily revelations in the media over clauses in the agreement that raise several burning questions relating to the offers ExxonMobil received, including 2% royalties, zero taxes on oil production, uncapped tax concessions on imports and the limited powers of related institutions and government agencies to effectively oversee Exxon's operations. Social and political commentators have pointed to glaring flaws that led to the conclusion that Guyana got a poor, lopsided oil contract deal by international standards. Story from Kaieter News Kaieteurnewsonline.com 02 16 2018 Copyright 1999-2017 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. 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Any question or suggestions, please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels No penalties exist if ExxonMobil shirks Guyana's Local Content responsibilities By Kaieter News GEORGETOWN Petroleumworld 02 16 2018 Guyana's Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with US oil giant, ExxonMobil, has been criticised for having limited or rather, mediocre provisions in place for local content. But even with the inadequate provisions in place, no penalties exist if ExxonMobil turns out to be negligent in this regard. On the other hand, there are several nations which after experiencing the effects of such disregard by oil operators, opted to include in future PSAs, inescapable penalties. Uganda is just one of the many countries in this regard. Uganda's move towards penalties was due to the findings and recommendations of the Global Witness in relation to PSAs there. The Global Witness is an international body that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide. According to the body, local content obligations in contracts and laws seek to ensure that companies employ nationals, train local staff and procure local services. It notes that the intention is that local industries benefit directly from the oil sector and that local people develop the skills to manage the oil sector in future. The Global Witness noted however, that none of the contracts it examined prior to 2008 for Uganda, set benchmarks or penalties for failure to comply with the local content obligations. The International body noted that other countries have included stricter provisions for the procurement of local goods and services in their PSAs and required that they are verified by the relevant government agencies. After revealing this, the government of Uganda made swift moves to include penalties in PSAs for failure to comply with local content provisions. GUYANA'S LIMITED PROVISIONS Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-law, Christopher Ram, was one of the first local commentators to denounce the provisions for local content in the PSA that Guyana has with ExxonMobil. Ram has highlighted several aspects of the contract which deal with Local Content. He noted that Article 18 of the contract which deals with local content has been subject to a number of modifications when compared with the 1999 Agreement. He said that one of the obvious changes one recognizes is that the activities regarding local content will be carried out not by the Contractor but by an Operator appointed by the three companies making up the Contractor. The Three Companies that make up the Contractor ExxonMobil are: Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited, and Hess Guyana Exploration Limited. In respect of goods and services, Ram noted that Article 18 requires the Operator to give preference to Guyanese goods and materials of a quality and quantity, timely delivery and competitive prices. However, when it comes to Guyanese Sub-Contractors, Ram was careful to highlight that the contract says that preference is to be given if they are commercially competitive and meet financial and technical requirements. Furthermore, the lawyer points out that Article 18.2 requiring the Contractor to establish tender procedures remains unchanged for the acquisition of goods, materials and services which shall ensure that Guyanese suppliers and Sub-Contractors are given adequate opportunity to compete for the supply of goods and services. In this regard, Ram said that there is also a requirement in the petroleum agreement for the Contractor to train Guyanese suppliers and Sub contractors in the procedures for participating in tenders and competing for contracts to be offered in the Operations. Ram said that under the 1999 Agreement, The old Article 18.3 required the Contractor, within 90 days of the end of the year, to provide the Minister with a report outlining its achievements in utilising Guyanese resources during that calendar year. That has now been replaced in 18.4 with a provision that requires the Contractor and the Minister (sic) to prepare a yearly plan for the utilisation of qualified Guyanese resources for the upcoming year. Further, the sub-Article requires the Contractor and the Minister to meet and consider the effectiveness of the plan (which they have prepared!). Within thirty days of each half-year, the Contractor is required to provide a report to the Minister outlining its achievements in utilising qualified Guyanese resources during the previous half-year and to make appropriate adjustments to the yearly plan to better accomplish the local content goal. The attorney said that apart from the amateur drafting of this highly important Article, it seems that once again, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman has gone outside of the legislation which requires proposals on local content to be part of the application for a prospecting and a production licence. Ram stressed that these licences are usually issued on condition that such objectives are achieved. EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING Ram pointed out that Article 19 of the contract which speaks to Employment and Training has been amended. In this regard, Ram said that at Article 19.2 of the 1999 Agreement, the Contractor was required to employ to the maximum extent possible, employ, and encourage Sub-Contractors to employ Guyanese citizens having appropriate qualifications and experience. He said that the words maximum extent possible have, rather unfortunately, been deleted while instead of encourage, the Contractor is required to contractually obligate sub-Contractors to hire appropriately qualified Guyanese. Additionally, Ram states that Article 19.3 of the 1999 Agreement required payments ranging from US$30,000 to US$45,000 during each of the two phases of the Initial, First and Second Renewals to be applied to designated purposes. That sum has now been increased to US$300,000 annually to be paid directly into bank accounts held and controlled by the Government. The use to which this money can be put as set out in the Agreement are: (a) to provide Guyanese personnel nominated by the Government with on-the-job training in Contractor's operations in Guyana and overseas and/or practical training at institutions abroad; (b) to send qualified Guyanese personnel selected by the Government on courses not exceeding one year at universities, colleges or other training institutions; (c) to send Guyanese personnel selected by the Government to conferences and seminars related to the petroleum industry; and (d) to purchase for the Government advanced technical books, professional publications, scientific instruments or other equipment required by the Government. The Chartered Accountant said, It seems rather embarrassing for a Minister of the Guyana Government to repeat in the 2016 Agreement, the stipulation that the Contractor will provide funds to a sovereign Government to buy technical books for the Government. Clearly mendicancy is firmly planted in our emerging petroleum sector. It also seems a paltry sum to pay for courses in training at universities on the job training abroad and to send officials to conferences and seminars. Furthermore, a new Article of the Contract, 19.4, requires the Contractor and the Minister to provide, within sixty days of a new year, a yearly plan for the utilisation of qualified Guyanese personnel for the upcoming year. Ram opined that in what appears to be a cut and paste job, the Minister and the Contractor will meet and consider the effectiveness of their plan, while the Contractor is required to submit half-yearly reports on how their plans are working out. TUESDAY 2/20 UPDATE: After "11 days without service," TD Bank customer Mark Gindele of Bensalem reports his TD Bank Bill Pay account is working again as of this morning. Though it's still a bit buggy: "When you log out, you get an error message." He adds that TD Bank "did 'prepare' customers for the change, but never said it would take more than 10 days. This software rollout is a disaster." Gindele says he may switch to another bank. South Jersey resident Chris Baekstrom, an IT veteran who has personal, business, and checking accounts with TD Bank, gave the company some credit for warning customers of the upgrade to come: "But it was supposed to be down two days. It's been 10 days and I still can't get online! This is awful. If switching wasn't so much work, we'd be gone now." "Totally unacceptable," says TD Bank customer Marty Connolly, of Philadelphia's Spring Garden section. He says he's been fielding "multiple different responses from customer service" since the upgrade disrupt began last week. "All testing should have been successful before a go-live of this magnitude," he told me. "They sent me a survey yesterday regarding customer service, and I suggested that perhaps this may not be a good time to ask. Argh!" "They failed at IT 101," writes Dave Thorn, a retired IT professional and TD customer who says he and his wife got back online Monday after a week without access. "There was no word to customers, other than a weak mention of 'problems'. When changes go as poorly as they did, the first thing they should have done was back out the new stuff while they figure out what went wrong. But no, they make customers suffer. There's no way the fix should have taken as long as it did. No way. There must have been massive confusion." "You wrote that TD Bank defended its efforts by saying in part that they 'emailed communications weeks before the upgrade took place.' I received one email notification a couple of days before the change," said Andrew Sherling of Cherry Hill, who was steamed he had to take "precious time" from helping his wife adjust to her nursing home to deal with TD Bank on the phone, online, and at the branch to keep their account working. "As for the new site adding 'intuitive navigation, useful tools, and improved security,' I have to say that I had to jump through hoops to properly access the site." Harry McCullough's TD Bank personal and business logins both failed, from last week until today, when "the 'Personal' (account) just allowed me in to pay a bill," said the Society Hill resident. Then "it logged me out without warning." He was able to access his account using the Edge browser, but "I have had less luck with Chrome." He added that "staff and services at the TD bank branches are fine. The web site has always been clunky. Dated." McCullough said TD's warnings failed to advise users how long the outage could last. As to the "upgraded" TD site, "if there are enhancements," he told me, "I'm not seeing them. Even old-fashioned Bryn Mawr Trust shows more transactions than TD's 60-day limit." Before this snafu, "I have been very happy with TD Bank." MONDAY 2/19: A difficult systems upgrade at TD Bank frustrated some customers and branch staff on Monday, a week after the bank began fielding reports that users were getting locked out. "Their online banking login, using a computer, is broken, period," in his case, said John D. Lalli, of Malvern, after his wife broke out with an uncharacteristic "four-letter cursing event" at another failed attempt. Visiting TD's Paoli branch, he found the staff pleasant, including a greeter to handle "potential irate customers," but they proved unable to get the couple back online. A "half-baked" smartphone app gives his payments some visibility, Lalli added, but the display is limited: "We cannot see all of our auto-billing payees." Customers accustomed to fast, digital updates complained that they didn't feel informed. TD Bank defended its efforts: "To give our customers sufficient time to plan for the disruption as well as alternative means to bank, we notified customers about the upgrade via online/mobile banners, a microsite, social media posts, and emailed communications weeks before the upgrade took place," the company said in an email Monday. "We ran into some technical difficulties and, as a result, some customers had trouble accessing our online banking and bill pay services." By Monday, "the majority of customer challenges have been resolved." TD and rival Wells Fargo are the dominant retail banks in the Philadelphia region: Each manages more than $25 billion in loans and other assets through more than 100 Philadelphia-area branches. "I spent more than an hour in the [TD] branch" on Route 202 on Sunday without regaining access to his account, Chadds Ford resident Fred Krumm told me. "I had gotten through to the help line Saturday afternoon. They told me I needed to go to the branch to have my ID verified. So I go to the branch, and they tell me I need to go through the help line! Can't make this stuff up." The bank's local staffers "were helpful as they could be," he added, noting they rely on the same centralized phone and computer assistance as customers. After an 80-minute wait, "the branch worker verified my ID, and we went through some procedures with the corporate folks." But in vain: it all "failed to get me into my online account." He's hoping he'll be able to reconnect "today," he said Monday morning. "Maybe tomorrow." Krumm checked TD customer notes on the Down Detector website. The site shows TD customers logged more than 80 complaints from Feb. 12 through early Feb. 19, mostly from people who said they couldn't check their accounts or transfer funds remotely. That compares to 10 in all January. Last Friday, TD spokesman Matthew J. Doherty said the bank "apologizes for any inconvenience." He said the upgrade promised "to enhance our customers' online- and mobile-banking experience," adding "intuitive navigation, useful tools, and improved security." Reader Mike Artz said that, after his account went down last week, TD met its own Sunday-night mobile service reconnection target, for his account. Artz sent me a TD statement advising customers they'll need to update their browsers for the new system, and giving instructions for downloads and cache-cleaning. As part of the update, "we've transferred over all your account information including payment and transaction history, scheduled payments, and access to statements and notices" to the new system. But "you may need to reenroll in online banking," using "a onetime security code" which the bank will send by "SMS text or voice message whenever we need to verify your identity," for example, from a new device. "They claim it was a software update, but it took almost the entire week," said reader Gary Harman, of Cherry Hill, who regained his account late Friday. "It crashed," he added. He was glad to learn, after the fact, that TD paid his taxes and made other online payments on time. But he disliked not being able to confirm that for several days: "The real issue here is a lack of communication. TD Bank has an active Twitter account, they could have used that to alert customers to what was going on." A message acknowledging "Something's not working quite right" greeted Jay Beckerman, of Schuylkill Township, Chester County, when he tried to log in last week. The toll-free number left him on hold "at least 15 minutes," he added. "The customer service was awful." His service was back by Monday. Beckerman has a suggestion: "Honesty would have resulted in a screen message saying the computers were down." Campbell Soup Co. on Friday reported disappointing financial results for the three months ended Jan. 29. ?Shown is a display at a supermarket in Englewood, N.J., in May. Read more For years, the phrases "stabilize U.S. soup" and some combination of the words "V8" and "weak" have been heard during Campbell Soup Co.'s quarterly earnings conference calls with analysts. Now, "turn around Campbell Fresh" is threatening to join the repertoire. Campbell Fresh, a unit the Camden company established for Bolthouse Farms and other acquired refrigerated-food brands, was supposed to help Campbell speed revenue growth by moving the company into categories that are more in line with what chief executive Denise Morrison called "consumer preferences for fresh and healthier food." But Bolthouse has had a string of disappointing results dating back more than two years. That did not change in the results reported Friday for the quarter ending Jan. 28. "The anticipated improvement in Campbell Fresh's performance did not materialize as we expected, with sales declining 1 percent," Morrison told analysts. "While we are making progress in addressing several execution issues, we face new challenges in the quarter with headwinds in the super-premium juice segment." To counter the latest "headwinds" which Morrison described as consumers' increasing aversion to added sugar and their migration to "functional beverages that deliver benefit such as protein, gut health, energy, and hydration" the company is introducing 19 beverage items, including Bolthouse Farms B Strong, a protein drink with 70 percent less sugar than other brands, the company said. During Friday's conference call, Robert Moskow, food analyst with Credit Suisse, asked: "Why does beverage belong with a food company and maybe not with another beverage company?" His thinking was that in soup, Campbell can always compete, but he wondered what Campbell's competitive advantage is in beverages, where the "competitive environment is changing all the time." In defense of Campbell's strategy, Morrison said the company has a competitive advantage with V8. "I feel really good that we're on top of the consumer trends," she said. Campbell's Fresh, which includes some of the beverages Moskow asked about, had an $11 million operating loss in the quarter. Its sales of $257 million were down 1 percent. Overall, Campbell's quarterly sales were flat, at $2.18 billion. Operating earnings were $410 million, down 8 percent from $445 million in the comparable quarter the year before. Campbell shares closed on the New York Stock Exchange at $46.14, down $1.56, or 3.3 percent. . , . ""- . , , . ... Dr. Thomas Farley, Health Commissioner of City of Phila. (left) looks on as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announces the filing of a lawsuit, against 10 pharmaceutical companies for their role in creating the city's opiod epidemic, during a press conference at the D.A's office in Phila., Pa. on February 15, 2018. Read more Philadelphia is evolving into a safe haven for cannabis consumers even as arrests increase across Pennsylvania. Newly-elected District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Thursday that he would drop any marijuana possession cases brought to the court by police. A 2014 decriminalization ordinance allowing tickets caused common weed arrests to decline by more than 85 percent. Still, I reported last year that hundreds of racially disparate cases were still being brought to Philly courts each year for less than 30 grams of buds. Krasner isn't the only DA to make such a move: Brooklyn's Kenneth Thompson dismissed thousands of possession cases, and Kim Ogg in Houston, TX recently stopped charging weed possession as a crime. Outside of Philly, the police and prosecutors of Pennsylvania are turning a little bit of green into a lifetime of problems for a big group of young adults. There were 27,133 arrests for cannabis last year, and fewer than 20 percent were for the more serious charges of growing and selling. The commonwealth saw 20,392 adults and 2,269 juveniles charged during 2017 for low-level marijuana possession, according to the Pa. Uniform Crime Reporting System (UCRS). That means police were arresting 55 adults every day, simply for the act of having cannabis in the Keystone State. The number nearly equals all other drug possession arrests, combined. The cost? A RAND Corporation study commissioned by Vermont put the cost of one weed arrest at $1,266. In Philadelphia, each misdemeanor case was estimated to cost $1,000 to process. That means about $46 million taxpayer dollars were spent just last year to prosecute average consumers for having less than an ounce of cannabis. People under age 30 comprised a huge portion 71 percent of all Pa.'s low-level marijuana arrests. Millennials alone those between the ages of 21 and 29 made up nearly half (43 percent) of those caught. Our young adults who should be getting their lives, degrees and careers underway bear the brunt of this harsh policy. Each number in the total is a person; someone whose entire life was upended. Fines and probation are almost always assigned. Judges often use Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) for first time charges, but the out-of-pocket expense to an offender is often more than $2,000. Factor in hiring a lawyer, possibly losing a driver's license or even a job, and that marijuana arrest can turn into a financial tragedy. Once in the system, cannabis abstinence is enforced through urine tests. Failing for THC while on probation can force the offender into mandatory drug treatment or even jail. During 2016 there were 3,507 free treatment admissions in Philadelphia paid for by Single County Authority funding. And 640 about 20 percent were administered for "marijuana." These resources are desperately needed for the opiate crisis. Males were also more commonly caught: Women were 9 times less likely to get arrested for marijuana. Parents can often face custody or family court issues over a few grams of cannabis. After all the court requirements are satisfied, each offender is saddled with a permanent record that can lead to a lifetime of job discrimination. The arrests are in stark contrast to Gov. Tom Wolf heralding a limited number of medical marijuana dispensaries that are opening across the state. It also goes against much of the bipartisan sentiment to clear criminal records. Erie recently joined York, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, State College and other cities by enacting a local ordinance to downgrade these charges to a summary, but still count them as a crime. Only Philadelphia's 2014 decriminalization ordinance punishes possession with a civil fine, keeping offenders out of the courts and never starting a record. Some politicians in Harrisburg are looking for answers. Rep. Jordan Harris (D., Phila.), Rep. Ed Gainey (D., Allegheny), and Rep. Barry Jozwiak (R., Berks) have active legislation to downgrade or decriminalize marijuana possession statewide. Full legalization is also coming into clearer view on the political horizon. Today, New Jersey and Delaware are both poised to cross the threshold to regulated sales, yet the Keystone State is still plowing forward with the bulldozer of prohibition. Until legislators in Harrisburg stop marijuana arrests I hope that District Attorneys in every Pa. county consider taking Krasner's approach. Black History Month wasn't created for white people, so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that it has colossally failed to foster a broader understanding and appreciation among whites for how African Americans helped make this nation great. But that doesn't make it less disappointing. Historian Carter G. Woodson came up with the idea of Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the week that included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 12, and Frederick Douglass, Feb. 14. Initially, only North Carolina, Delaware, West Virginia, Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., signed on to the idea and only for their black schools, which is exactly what Woodson wanted. Segregation, by law or tradition, was prevalent in the 1920s. Woodson never envisioned white students learning black history. His concern was that black students, deprived of a thorough education about their ancestors, would grow up accepting the yoke of inferiority that white people insisted they wear. READ MORE: Counterpoint >> Black History Month: An opportunity for truth about black peoples existence, experience and contributions "If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself," Woodson said in his book The Mis-Education of the Negro. Woodson criticized segregated black schools for not teaching students about the accomplishments of their race. "If you teach the Negro that he has accomplished as much good as any other race he will aspire to equality and justice without regard to race," he said. "Such an effort would upset the program of the oppressor in Africa and America." Black educators took Woodson's criticism to heart. By the time I started school in the early 1960s, Negro History Week had become an integral part of the curriculums at most black schools. At mine in Alabama, we wrote book reports, illustrated posters, and held assemblies featuring musical and dramatic productions to remind us that we, as a people, had a glorious history that overcame slavery. Negro History Week was ours alone, but Black History Month became something else. Inspired by the black power movement, black students at Kent State University organized the first Black History Month in 1970. The idea caught on and in 1976 President Gerald Ford included Black History Month as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration. With segregation gone, more schools reserved time each February to study the contributions of prominent African Americans in history from Denmark Vesey to Thurgood Marshall to Barack Obama. But unfortunately, learning names, dates, and events was typically as far as their studies went. Too often the necessary attention to context and relevancy was missing from the lessons. That lack of historical context was evident in the results of a study released in January by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which showed only 8 percent of high school seniors knew slavery was the main cause of the Civil War. Two-thirds didn't know it took a constitutional amendment to end slavery. That's a sorry testament to how history is being taught in America's schools Instead of going beyond Woodson's original idea to focus on the positive contributions of individual African Americans, too many schools use Black History Month as a vehicle to teach a catalog of events and people without making tangible connections to the status of black Americans today. One result is white Americans who don't believe slavery has anything to do with today's United States. Neither their regular history classes nor any additional study they may have done during Black History Month helped them connect the dots among slavery, segregation, and the poverty found in too many black communities today. Woodson wanted to help black teachers overcome the distortions of textbooks written by white historians, which misrepresented slavery as benign and blamed the Civil War on the avarice of Northern aggressors who coveted the South's agricultural wealth. Those textbooks didn't mention slave uprisings, the Ku Klux Klan, lynching, poll taxes, separate but equal, redlining, or white privilege. During segregation it was up to black teachers and parents to fill in the gaps to prepare black children for what they would face as they grew up. You can't deny the truth forever. I'm reminded of a visit to Germany last year that included a sightseeing trip to the Birkenkopf war memorial in Stuttgart, a city bombed relentlessly by the Allies during World War II. After the war, the tallest hill overlooking the city was topped with tons of rubble from the bombings, raising its peak to 511 meters. That pile of bricks, stones, concrete, and plaster is the memorial. On one piece is a plaque with an inscription that roughly translates as: "This mountain piled up after World War II from the rubble of the city stands as a memorial to the victims and a warning to the living." Instead of denying their history, the people of Stuttgart have embraced it. So too have the people of my hometown, Birmingham, Ala. After decades of cringing at TV film footage and old newspaper photos of snarling police dogs biting civil rights demonstrators in the 1960s, they decided it was better to accept the city's history than try to deny it. That led to creation of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which opened in 1992. Black History Month has had a different effect. Too many schools, rather than using the annual observance to acknowledge the nation's history of racism and confront its remaining tendrils, go through the motions without taking the time it takes to put that history in context. You can't properly study the history of African Americans in one month. Maybe it's time to shelve Black History Month and instead encourage school districts across the nation to follow Philadelphia's lead, which in 2005 began requiring all high school students to take an African American history course to graduate. Do that and Woodson's goal to teach black students to be proud of their past would be achieved and white students would learn what really caused the Civil War and why it still matters. On the heels of a lawsuit filed Jan. 17 by Philadelphia city officials against 10 pharmaceutical companies claiming that misleading marketing methods have fueled the city's opioid crisis, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Thursday that he had filed his own lawsuit against the companies Feb. 2. "The city of Philadelphia has been hurt more than any other city in the nation by the scourge of opioids," Krasner said. "The time for us to act was yesterday, and it is now." Meanwhile, at a news conference at the same time just a few blocks away, district attorneys from around the state who are partnering with the U.S. Attorney's Office in a regional Opioid Law Enforcement Task Force suggested they would continue to go after street-level dealers, stressing they have as much to fear from law enforcement as drug traffickers and pill-mill doctors. Krasner also is participating in the task force, officials there said, but he had a scheduling conflict his own news conference announcing the Big Pharma lawsuit. When asked why the suit was being announced almost two weeks after it was filed, Krasner spokesman Ben Waxman responded: "Iggles!" The DA's Office wanted to wait "until people were paying attention," he said, so the news conference was scheduled for after the Eagles' Super Bowl victory and parade. Krasner praised the city's earlier actions against pharmaceutical companies and said his suit complements them. But he said his predecessors should have taken action: "There was not quite as much interest in going after people who wear white collars as there was in going after people who wear T-shirts when it came to drug enforcement," he said. "Make no mistake, it isn't just going to be the kids on the corner," he said. "It's going to be Big Pharma, it's going to be doctors, it's going to be pain centers, it's going to be pharmacies, and to the extent we have an opportunity, it's going to be distributors who think that money is more important than lives." At the other news conference, acting U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen said the Justice Department had ordered him and his counterparts across the country to form regional task forces combating the opioid epidemic, and spoke of seeking mandatory minimum sentences against drug traffickers who cause someone's death, cracking down on pill mills, and sharing intelligence on drug operations among police departments around the region. "How do we tame the rough beast that is the opioid epidemic?" asked Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. He stressed the importance of getting people in addiction into treatment and diversion programs. But he also held up a pair of handcuffs and, addressing drug dealers, intoned: "These are for you." During his campaign, Krasner emphasized diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders and advocated "using discretion to avoid unduly harsh sentences," decrying Attorney General Jeff Sessions' praise for mandatory minimum sentencing, which fell out of favor during the Obama years. He's also supported safe injection sites, which Lappen called "safe suicide sites" at Thursday's news conference. Earlier this week, Krasner dropped charges in more than 50 marijuana possession cases. He said that about 90 percent of such cases already end in citations rather than arrest, but that his office will drop charges in the 10 percent that do result in arrest. He said studies have shown that opioid overdose deaths have decreased in states that have legalized marijuana. "There's a direct relation between reducing opioids and opiate deaths and making marijuana available," he said. It's unclear how those approaches will dovetail with those of other district attorneys on the regional task force, or the federal government, which, under Sessions, have rescinded Obama-era guidance against prosecuting states that legalized marijuana. Waxman, Krasner's spokesman, declined to comment, saying the DA's Office hadn't had time to review everything from the other news conference. Krasner called the opioid crisis "an obscene situation that must be adjusted," attributing it "almost entirely to a rapacious pharmaceutical industry." "We have three to four Philadelphians dying every single day from fatal drug overdoses, probably 80 percent of them from opioid-related deaths," he said. He said the suit, a public-enforcement action filed under the state's consumer protection law, was as thick as a phone book. The 10 drug companies named in the suit are: Purdue Pharma LP; Purdue Pharma Inc.; Purdue Frederick Co.; Allergan Finance LLC; Cephalon Inc.; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.; Endo Health Solutions Inc.; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Johnson & Johnson. Artist Ivben Taqiy stands for a portrait in front of his tribute mural to Derrick Rowland along North 52nd Street in West Philadelphia on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Taqiy painted the mural in November for Rowland's family. TIM TAI / Staff Photographer Read more Artist Ivben Taqiy sometimes imagines what happens when people come into contact with his work. He hopes they feel inspired and moved. To show black faces, black stories, black joy in a culture that often ignores them, the West Philly native hopes he's offering a chance for visibility. "It's giving a conversation to the people without having to have a conversation with the person," said Taqiy. Having grown up in a religious family that restricted photography, he was inspired to become a portraitist. He paints on canvas, but he also gets commissions for murals what has become a Philadelphia obsession of sorts. In black enclaves, these murals have become ubiquitous, thanks to Mural Arts Philadelphia's projects and a long-established folk art tradition. In them, artists argue, people can reconnect with historical figures, pay tribute in times of loss, record political resistance, and share community culture. Taqiy creates commissioned paintings for anniversaries and birthdays, but business owners also call him for murals at their hair salons, day-care centers and retail stores. By his count, he worked on more than 35 R.I.P. paintings and murals last year. Murals may have a unique place in Philadelphia's landscape, but as the reactions to the recently unveiled Obama portraits shows, portraiture is in the middle of a resurgence. Even after the art form fell out of favor in fine-art circles by the 1950s, a focus on portraiture remained in African American art. Last week, Valerie Mercer, a curator at the Detroit Institute of Arts, explained on the WDET show Detroit Today that this tradition owes its origins to the Harlem Renaissance and has been a vehicle to raise questions about representation. By painting a face on a wall, there's an opportunity to express black identity, but also the impulse to present a manicured version of black life in the face of caricatures and racist portrayals. The artist Shawn Theodore, who also goes by the name xST, has noticed that many walls in Philadelphia are influenced by notable black artists over time. The faces might follow the tradition of Horace Pippin and be wide-set. Light rays might beam like artist Aaron Douglas dreamed them up. And then there's the "hyperreal depictions [where it's] super-important that they're very correct and accurate, but they're highly stylized," said Theodore. "The highly stylized pieces are necessary, because we see ourselves highly stylized." Taqiy's murals often have a storybook look his subjects are often cheery people who appear as if they're stepping out of a shadow. "It definitely is a responsibility, because you're now a history-maker," said Taqiy. "You have the responsibility of saying what shade you're going to make that person, what height you're going to make that person, what weight you're going to make that person." Street art is a mode for self-expression, but more than that, it's a way to memorialize someone on a budget. "It's much easier to have paint than to find yourself in the midst of casting bronze or masonry," said Theodore. Camilo Jose Vergara, an urban photographer who shoots murals around the country, put it this way: "If you have money, you buy a whole building and donate it to the University of Pennsylvania. Other folks have other ways to leave their imprint, to be remembered." For Mural Arts, Willis "Nomo" Humphrey has painted about eight tribute murals, including of the Roots on South Street, a grinning Kevin Hart near Broad and Erie, and Richard Allen with the likenesses of other heroes at the A.M.E. Church's headquarters, among other homages. The design for his Octavius V. Catto mural will be unveiled next week. "There's a lot of stories that have to be told," said Humphrey. "A mural is a way to have that front and center." Mural Arts produces around 75 to 100 artworks annually. Last year, the tally was 101, with 41 projects stemming from community proposals. Mural Arts received 300 applications in 2017. The approval process varies: An application from a community group might spur a roundup of neighborhood stakeholders. A proposed mural of a jazz musician might inspire the organization to reach out to arts advocates. If artists have a concept, they'll research the community's leanings to make sure it's a good fit. Some public art advocates say new construction is getting precedence over old murals in gentrifying neighborhoods. (For his part, Theodore photographs folk murals as a means of preserving them.) Others, they say, are deteriorating, as the city's aging building stock contends with blight. Theodore and Vergara said Mural Arts might choose an artist from outside Philadelphia, and include people in the decision-making process who aren't from the neighborhood. "The neighborhood does not speak through someone coming in and having that person's idea filtered through a committee," said Vergara. "It tends to be patronizing and sort of boring sometimes." Golden said projects call for finding "the sweet spot" between community hopes and an artist's perspective. "I see our work as a nexus of the public, the private, the social, the civic and the aesthetic." Humphrey acknowledged that working for Mural Arts calls for compromise. "I don't think I'd be able to make inroads into the schools and into the prisons on my own," he said. He approaches projects understanding that at times, "my voice is going to have to be lowered, and I have to willing to be flexible. I think it's a balance." An early example of black empowerment murals is inside the sanctuary in North Philadelphia's Church of the Advocate, where artists Walter Edmonds and Richard Watson spent three years in the 1970s reinterpreting biblical passages into scenes of black history and resistance. Watson, now an artist-in-residence and exhibitions manager at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, looked around the sanctuary on a recent Tuesday afternoon. He based the murals on his own experiences as a civil rights activist who'd been raised in a Baptist church. "That's the only perspective I could come from," said Watson. Initially, he said, he remembers wondering, "How I could tell a story that could be perpetual in this church?" But today, he realizes that their significance will always evolve. "It's an ongoing process, and the murals touch people where they are right now." Food flows in and out of the Philabundance warehouses, one of the citys largest non-profit food banks. Read more A little-known trust the city administers is a reminder of the importance of philanthropy for promoting the common good. It's especially timely this time of year, when many Philadelphians face great needs. And it offers a reminder of what it takes for our nation to rebuild its frayed culture. The provision is called the Boudinot Fund, and it's named after a Philadelphia native and Founding Father, Elias Boudinot, whose life demonstrated public service in action. Boudinot served the Army as a commissary of prisoners caring for American prisoners of war, whose British captors often kept them in wretched conditions. He later became president of the Continental Congress, and he was the official who received the news that the Peace Treaty with Great Britain had been signed in Paris. After the Constitution was ratified, he served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, then followed David Rittenhouse as director of the U.S. Mint. Besides his political service, Boudinot was a savvy businessman who turned his income from law into smart investments in land in western Pennsylvania. That allowed him to be generous to the public both during his life and in his will. In his retirement, Boudinot supported many causes, from schools in Connecticut to hospitals in Philadelphia to gifts that helped Princeton College improve its natural history holdings and create fellowships for students. In 1816, he also helped launch the American Bible Society the same organization that recently relocated to Fifth and Market Streets on Independence Mall serving as the first president of that nonprofit publisher of the Scriptures. As he wrote his will in 1821, Boudinot drew on land he owned along the Susquehanna River and willed its entire income to the poor inhabitants of Philadelphia who needed fuel in the winter at a subsidized price. This bequest formed the nucleus of the Boudinot Fund. Today, it has become a $2 million investment that helps city residents defray heating expenses. But in his will, Boudinot also called on others to join him in philanthropy. In his donation to Philadelphia, Boudinot hoped that "persons of generous and tender feelings for the distresses of their fellow creatures may be found" to continue caring for the needy. Such voluntary contributions would demonstrate "heavenly employment." Boudinot's motivation as he stressed in his will and in the several books he published during his lifetime was a heartfelt faith rooted in his Christian identity. This prompted him to demonstrate Golden Rule care for his neighbors. To accomplish these goals, Boudinot used several strategies. He gave directly, and he encouraged his family to give directly to others. In an act to empower generosity, he designated $200 (approximately $4,200 today) for his daughter to give to 10 needy widows of her choice. He also set up institutional mechanisms to continue donations much like foundations today. In donating to the city of Philadelphia, he illustrated a public-private partnership that is still benefiting the city. (And, such models of cooperation are still going on. Recently the city celebrated the opening of a new facility for the homeless in Suburban Station. In a public-private collaboration, Project HOME joined with SEPTA to find a permanent space to many services, resulting in a beautiful 11,000-square-foot Hub of Hope.) In his generosity, Boudinot demonstrated an important principle. He realized that political liberty was not sufficient for the new nation; for the young republic to succeed, the citizens needed to demonstrate practical care for others especially the weakest and neediest. He argued those who were blessed with wealth had a special responsibility to demonstrate care for others. For Boudinot, liberty was much more robust than a lack of governmental interference. It entailed civic responsibility. This call echoes today. How can each of us demonstrate generosity in our own communities? Which institutions we know best serve those in need? How can we get involved, offering both time and resources? As we answer those questions, we will be responding to Boudinot's call of what it takes for our city and our nation to thrive. Anthony Wright, convicted in 1993 of raping and murdering an elderly woman in Nicetown, was freed from prison two years ago when new DNA evidence unraveled the prosecution's original theory of the crime. Now at least two other Philadelphia men serving life sentences for separate and unrelated murders may have a new shot at freedom thanks to the fallout. Attorneys for Andrew Swainson and Willie Veasy each convicted more than two decades ago have seized upon 10,000 pages of police documents turned over in a civil lawsuit Wright filed against the city and the homicide detectives who investigated him. The lawyers contend the records show that the same detectives involved in Wright's case also failed to disclose evidence that may have proved Swainson's and Veasy's innocence in the crimes. At a minimum, the attorneys have argued in newly filed appeals, their clients had unfair trials and deserve to face a jury again without the deck improperly stacked against them, they say. But the attorneys also contend that the documents suggest an investigation should be launched into whether the detectives who investigated murders during the crack wars of the 1990s routinely placed their thumbs on the scales while locking people up during one of Philadelphia's most violent eras. "I would have some strong hesitation about any conviction that that group of detectives had secured," said Marissa Bluestine, attorney for Swainson and Veasy and executive director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. Wright accuses 11 now-retired detectives of abuses, and it remains unclear how many cases ultimately could be called into question should new District Attorney Larry Krasner launch a wider investigation into their work. Krasner, in an interview last week, declined to say whether he planned to pursue such a probe. But he praised Chicago's top prosecutor, Kimberly M. Foxx, for exonerating 15 inmates last year after questions surfaced about the conduct of police officers there who had helped convict them. The exonerations "took place because that office was courageous enough and willing to look at people who'd been in jail for [decades] when substantial questions emerged," Krasner said. This month he named Patricia Cummings, a lawyer from Texas, to lead a unit dedicated to reviewing problematic old cases. And he has pledged to give the unit which was criticized for a perceived lack of production under former District Attorney Seth Williams more staff members and seek additional funding from City Council. Cummings, who led a similar unit in Dallas, said identifying and examining patterns of potential misconduct was "absolutely" the approach she hoped to take in Philadelphia. "This work is all about trying to figure out: 'How do we correct the mistakes of the past?' " she said. "And we do that by learning what they are and how likely they were to have reoccurred time and time again." READ: An accomplice will die in prison while the killer goes free: The strange justice of Pennsylvania's felony-murder law Bluestine said the unit already has agreed to review Veasy's case, which has been featured on the podcast series Undisclosed. It was not clear whether prosecutors also would review the investigation of Swainson, but they could face pressure to make such a decision because of the documents released in Wright's case documents they never intended to fall into the hands of lawyers for other convicted men. Accidental sharing Attorneys for the city began sharing material on other homicides with Wright's lawyers in March 2017 as part of the discovery process in his civil suit. Wright had alleged that his wrongful conviction stemmed from the city's "deliberate indifference" toward homicide detectives so desperate or willing to manage heavy caseloads that they routinely beat false confessions out of suspects, imprisoned witnesses for days to coerce their statements, and played fast and loose with the law themselves. In his own case, Wright said officers including former Detectives Martin Devlin and Manuel Santiago held him for hours while trying to force a confession out of him, then, when he refused, typed one up for him to sign anyway. After Wright declined to sign it, his lawsuit states, Devlin threatened to "rip [Wright's] eyes out" a claim Devlin and Santiago have denied. But Wright eventually relented and signed the document on a false promise that he would be allowed to go home, his lawsuit says. To prove that similar tactics were applied outside of Wright's case, his lawyers requested the files on eight other homicide investigations handled by Devlin and the other detectives who investigated him. The city, in handing those files over, failed to mark them confidential, which would have barred Wright's lawyers from giving others access to them. The District Attorney's Office, realizing the mistake, later tried to claw those documents back but the damage had been done. By that time, Wright's team already had shared them with lawyers for the other convicted men. In the cases of Veasy and Swainson, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project discovered that the files contained information that not only might help Wright's civil case, but also could help their own clients' chances on appeal. Two new appeals In Swainson's case, the Innocence Project claims the files obtained from Wright's lawyers show that police and prosecutors withheld key evidence before Swainson's 1989 trial, in which he was convicted of killing Stanley Opher in a drug-related shooting in West Philadelphia. The undisclosed materials, according to defense filings, included the identity of two other potential suspects; additional witnesses who contradicted the prosecutors' theory of the crime; and the fact that one witness failed a polygraph test when asked to identify Swainson. The information, Bluestine said, furthers the argument that Swainson could not have formed a proper defense because so much of the investigation led by Santiago was hidden from him. "Can it be honestly said that Mr. Swainson got a fair trial?" Bluestine asked. "We think clearly no." Swainson, now 52, has maintained his innocence since his arrest, and defense attorneys previously claimed that the case's two key witnesses recanted their testimony. One of them, Paul Presley, said that Santiago, when asking Presley to identify the shooter, only showed him photos of one person: Swainson. Presley also admitted giving statements to Santiago under a promise that drug-related counts against him would be dropped, according to defense filings. Swainson's trial attorneys were unaware of the arrangement, the filings claim, because Presley had been charged under a different name. Veasy, too, repeatedly has said he is innocent. Convicted in 1993 for a double shooting in North Philadelphia which left one man, John Lewis, dead Veasy signed a confession, but later said that Devlin wrote it and assaulted him until he agreed to put his name on it, according to defense filings. Trial prosecutors, seeking a first-degree conviction and a death sentence, presented the confession to the jury, as well as testimony from an eyewitness, Denise Mitchell. And even though Veasy's lawyers presented evidence that he'd been working at the time of the crime at a Houlihan's restaurant in Jenkintown, jurors voted to convict him of second-degree murder sparing him from death row but triggering an automatic life sentence. No one else has ever been charged. Mitchell, meanwhile, has recanted her testimony, defense filings claim. And the Wright documents, according to Veasy's lawyers, include a previously undisclosed statement from Mitchell's stepsister casting further doubt on the accuracy of her trial testimony. Veasy's appeal also includes another curious claim: The victim, Lewis, and several witnesses in the case had been suspects in the murder of another man an investigation Devlin had also been involved with. That information, defense filings claim, also never was disclosed to Veasy's attorneys. What's more, the filings say, the man whom detectives eventually arrested, Shaurn Thomas, was freed from prison last year when the District Attorney's Office found another set of previously undisclosed homicide files raising questions about his guilt and agreed to vacate his conviction. Bluestine said she was shocked when she discovered that key figures in Veasy's investigation also had turned up in Thomas' case files. But so far, she's been unable to determine if it's simply an odd coincidence or something more. "Was there a connection between these two [investigations]?" she said. "I certainly have that question." It may now be up to Krasner and Cummings to seek an answer and determine whether any more connections exist among other cases handled by prolific detectives. Zakiyah, 11, of Chester, Delaware County, shows marks on the right side of her face after a fight on a school bus Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. Darby Borough Police arrested Zakiyah, handcuffed her, and held her at Darby Police Station. ( Courtesy of Jawania Browne ) Read more After a call came in about a disturbance on a bus Tuesday afternoon, Darby Borough police went into action. An officer arrived on the scene in Delaware County, did some interviews, and determined that he had probable cause to make an arrest. So he handcuffed an 11-year-old girl. Yes, you read that correctly. A fifth grader at Chester Community Charter School, Zakiyah is small for her age. She stands about 4-feet-5 and weighs just 55 pounds. A cellphone video taken before she was taken into custody shows her sitting on a school bus. She appears calm. Still, she was cuffed with her little wrists behind her back and placed in the back of a police van. Zakiyah (I'm not giving out her last name) was understandably terrified and told NBC10 that she thought she would never be able to see her family again. Her mother told me Thursday she was still trying to wrap her head around the situation. "I never thought that I had to give my 11-year-old 'the police talk,' " said Jawania Browne, referring to warnings that African American parents have been giving their children for years about staying safe around police officers. "I was thinking more so my son, and he's only 1. But as he grows up, I was thinking that I've got to really drill it into my son but not my daughter. But I guess none of us are exempt." Authorities took Zakiyah to the Darby police station and placed her in a juvenile holding area. Zakiyah was presented with a non-traffic citation that alleges "defendant did, with the intent to cause public inconvenience or alarm, create a physically hazardous or offensive condition by actions which served no legitimate purpose to the actor." Mind you, this drama started because she and a schoolmate had gotten into a fight on a school bus. I don't know what happened, and frankly I'm not all that interested. To me, what started the dispute doesn't matter. Children fight. They're kids. I'm concerned about that little girl. She's traumatized. Her attorney, Joe Montgomery, says it was "the worst day of her life." Zakiyah's mother says that since being taken into custody, her daughter who already had been in counseling for emotional issues hasn't been sleeping well and has had nightmares. This isn't how elementary-age kids are supposed to be treated. Max Tribble, a charter school spokesman, declined to release details of the incident, citing privacy concerns. He said the school, in Delaware County's Chester Upland School District, hadn't yet been contacted by Darby police. I also reached out to Chief Robert Smythe at home, where he was recuperating from a bad case of the flu. He said the arresting officer had merely been following established protocol. "I understand that it sounds harsh," Smythe told me between coughs. "She was in custody for an assault of which we were processing her. There were wounds to the other child. I understand how it sounds, but that's the policy. "She was being processed because she committed an aggressive assault against another person," Smythe continued. "We had her in custody for 57 minutes. It's not like we put her in a cell and held her for hours. There are police policies that we try to follow. If you are in custody, you are in handcuffs. That's the policy." As for her being detained in a juvenile holding area, he said, "She just can't walk the hallways." Well, what about her being put in the back of a police van? "The officer that responded, that was his vehicle for the day," Smythe said. Yeah, tell that to her mom. Browne is understandably upset. She's keeping Zakiyah home from school for now, taking her to counseling, and also considering private school options. "I would never have thought that they would have locked up an 11-year-old child and treated her like that," she said. Nor would I. Extras and crew members wait outside Parc in Rittenhouse Square during the filming of a scene for M. Night Shyamalans Glass. Read more M. Night Shyamalan officially wrapped filming on his upcoming film Glass here in the city back in December, but today, the production is in town to film a scene in Rittenhouse Square. Filming shut down Locust Street between 17th and 18th Streets, and 18th Street from Walnut to Manning Street. Crews filmed inside Stephen Starr's Parc restaurant, which had its windows blacked out for filming, as well as outside in front of Rittenhouse Square. Production began around 8 a.m. today, and is expected to last until about 3 p.m., Greater Philadelphia Film Office executive director Sharon Pinkenson told Philly.com in an interview. Glass will continue its production in the Philadelphia suburbs this weekend. Today's shoot features no big Hollywood stars, Pinkenson said, and will have Philadelphia standing in for a scene set in Paris. To that end, crews set up a small fruit stand opposite of Parc. Background actors gathered around the cart as vendors and customers. A hot dog cart also appeared on 18th Street for the shoot, right next to the fruit vendor. The scene featured a large group of extras, many of whom came streaming out of Parc just before noon as the production made its lunch call. Other background actors milled about outside during the scene, including one woman who was tasked with pushing a fake baby down the street in a stroller. Glass serves as a followup to Shyamalan's past hits Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016). The film follows Unbreakable protagonist David Dunn, played by Bruce Willis, as he pursues Split's Kevin Wendell Crumb, played by James McAvoy. Samuel L. Jackson's Unbreakable character, Elijah Price, meanwhile, holds secrets relevant to both characters, a plot synopsis says. Glass will hit theaters on Jan. 18, 2019. I wasn't going to write this column. There were many reasons not to. I'd already done a lot of reporting on a different topic, timely if less emotional. Besides, more than five years has passed since the gun debate "ended" after America chose to do nothing about the slaughter of 20 little kindergartners and first graders in Newtown, Conn., so what words were left for this? A 19-year-old with an AR-15 semiautomatic shooting up the Florida high school he'd been kicked out of, snuffing out 17 mostly young lives. That "our remaining shreds of humanity compel us to beg them to do something about the very real terrorism of gun violence in this country"? That's what I wrote after a madman with no discernible motive murdered 58 outdoor concert-goers in Las Vegas. How'd that work out? People in America have lost faith in the notion that words and deeds are stronger than bullets. Mine has wavered. But then Wednesday night I watched scratch that, there was nothing to watch. Wednesday night, I read President Trump's hollow Twitter thoughts and Twitter prayers and also read that the least empathetic president in American history had initially rejected the advice of his top aides that he speak to an emotionally fraught nation about what had just happened in Parkland, Fla., to at least attempt to share our grief. The president did eventually turn up Thursday morning with teleprompter consolations and no mention of how a 19-year-old gets a semiautomatic rifle in America. Trump's initial "opting out" of his moral duty as president reminded me of the evil banality of saying nothing, and of the words that are attributed to Martin Luther King Jr., that "our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Do the families and the other mourning people of Parkland need time to heal before we can talk about how this happened and what needs to happen next? They didn't seem to think so; indeed, one thing that was both striking and sad about Wednesday's massacre was how little shock we now feel to learn that 17 kids and teachers have been gunned down in their classroom, and that the conversation so quickly turns to our utter frustration. "We have trained for this," Mellisa Falkowski, the heroic teacher who shielded 19 kids in her classroom closet, told CNN on Wednesday night. "We've trained the kids what to do, and the frustration is that we did everything that we were supposed to do and still have to have so many casualties. It's very emotional." She then added: "I feel today like our government, our country, has failed us and failed our kids, and didn't keep us safe." She's absolutely right. There were so many ways this 19-year-old killer could have been stopped, with stronger, saner policies that wouldn't have stripped anyone of cherished Second Amendment rights. The type of weapon that he used the AR-15 semiautomatic, which has been used in most recent mass-casualty shootings was, essentially (with loopholes that can be closed the next time around), banned in the United States as recently as the early 2000s. The gunman was able to legally purchase high-powered weapons despite documented treatment for mental health issues and when he's not legally old enough to buy a can of beer. Trump, tweeting Thursday morning from his bathrobe or whatever, said Americans "[m]ust always report such instances to authorities, again and again!" apparently unaware that the shooter's bizarre conduct had even been reported to the FBI and nothing happened. I'm not going to go chapter and verse here about the small, medium, and big things our political leaders could do that wouldn't end gun violence in America but would at least reverse things, back toward the right direction restoring (and improving) the assault-weapon ban that was in effect from 1994-2004, banning high-capacity magazines that are only really useful for mass murder, strengthening background checks, outlawing bump stocks, etc. There's no need to discuss these in detail because none of them will happen as long as our discourse about guns is held hostage by an organization that has metastasized from a special-interest group into a hate group with an agenda that is fundamentally anti-American. I'm talking, of course, about the National Rifle Association. The NRA. It's sad, because in a nation with a constitutional amendment that's been interpreted as guaranteeing gun ownership we could use an advocacy group for responsible gun training and safety. The NRA started out as exactly that, and in 1968 after guns were used to assassinate King and presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy the group endorsed legislation with the now politically incorrect goal of "gun control." But as the 1960s ended, the NRA joined the rest of America in going off the deep end riding both the cultural backlash against liberals and the unfettered capitalism of highly profitable high-powered gun-makers to market a brand of fear and paranoia only loosely connected to the issues surrounding gun legislation that the organization now uniformly opposes. That sounds extreme, but listen to the NRA's latest batch of hype videos, usually narrated by its right-wing mouthpiece Dana Loesch; one from last summer seems to incite violence against the left, proclaiming that "[t]he only way we stop this, the only way we save our country and our freedom is to fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth." In case you doubted whether the NRA has become an odious lifestyle brand, where stopping any and all gun legislation is just the loose justification for right-wing rebellion, listen to its boss, Wayne LaPierre, rail against what he calls "America's greatest domestic threats," which he describes as "academic elites, political elites, and media elites."What's that got to do with bump stocks? Not much, but the NRA does cash in on its popularity as a brand that drives liberals crazy the exact same brand that propelled NRA supporter Trump all the way to the White House. It's a bond that's increasingly sealed with money. The top gun lobby spent a whopping $30 million in untraceable "dark money" to drive Trump's narrow victory in 2016, and in arguably the most 2018 thing ever the FBI is reportedly probing if some or all of that $30 million came from Russian sources to evade U.S. scrutiny. It would make sense. With its contempt for a free press, academic liberty, and rational discourse, the NRA was already fighting to undermine American democracy even before Russia came along to help. And now Trump is paying back the NRA with interest. His first favor to the gun lobby was signing a law overturning Obama-era regulations aimed at making it harder for people who are mentally ill to buy guns, the kind of situation that just played out in Florida with lethal consequences. His administration has massively defunded gun background checks. Indeed, as Trump was taking office, his people at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were working closely with an NRA lobbyist to craft a rollback of our already weak gun regulations. No wonder Trump was so slow to anger his big-money sponsors by making a public condemnation of the mayhem in Florida. In the meantime, dozens of lawmakers most but not all of them Republicans raced to Twitter on Wednesday to hurriedly post their obligatory "thoughts and prayers," hopefully before anyone looked up their lengthy histories of accepting the NRA's blood money and cowering in fear from pro-gun lobbyists. The biggest reason the NRA's insanity continues to flourish is because it's built up an air of invincibility. That happens when you win a lot, but there's no rational reason for this. Poll after poll has shown the American people even Republicans and even the rank-and-file NRA members support stronger background checks and other gun regulations that are opposed by the NRA leadership and its multimillionaire death merchants. The truth is that, when it comes to gun sanity, we outnumber them. And two things need to happen. First, we need to acknowledge the NRA for what it really is: a hate group that uses its immoral tolerance for gun violence for profit and power. The result of that is a nation unlike any other in the world, where children go to school in the morning and there's no guarantee they'll return, living day-to-day in a climate of "shelter-in-place" fear. For the politicians and others who feed at this sordid trough, accepting the NRA's blood money and doing its bidding needs to be seen on the same moral level as an official who associates with, say, white supremacists. Indeed, as the corpses pile up, I believe a day will come although I may not live to see it when the pro-NRA politicians of today are seen by history with the same mix of curiosity and contempt that we view Washington's filibustering segregationists of the 1950s and '60s. Which brings us to Step Two. You can end the NRA's reign of terror with one simple, powerful act. Vote. Vote as if your child's life depends on it because it does and vote the NRA and its handmaidens out of power. All it would take is one massive turnout this November to at least flip the U.S. House toward gun sanity. And what if a politician in your own party takes the NRA's tainted dough? Support his or her primary opponent who won't. What if there is no primary opponent? There's still time to circulate petitions and run yourself. That's not pragmatic? Yes, both Democrats and Republicans have shown a "pragmatic" fear of the NRA at the polls, and too many rank-and-file voters have bought into this. Pragmatism has only gotten our kids killed. It's time for voters to be bold and courageous, and elect a brand-new Congress that will reflect the will of the people and not fight for the profits of gun manufacturers. America's children get this. They want to live. This is what Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student journalist David Hogg told reporters Thursday morning: "Please, take action," David said. "Ideas are great. But what's more important is actual action saving thousands of children's lives. Please, take action." We grown-ups have let David and his generation down, terribly. But we can fix this, and the solution begins on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Meet me at the ballot box for the beginning of the end of a hate group called the National Rifle Association. This is a thing that matters. Mayor Kenney and Council President Darrell L. Clarke: at odds over the the new school board? Read more Once in lockstep over the process of returning control of Philadelphia's schools from the state-dominated School Reform Commission to a local school board, it appears Mayor Kenney and City Council President Darrell L. Clarke are at odds, setting up a potential power struggle with significant fallout. The Council, with the mayor's blessing, had always planned to pass legislation allowing voters to consider a City Charter change that would give Council approval power over the board members. A charter change is likely to be on the ballot this spring. But with Clarke's backing, a bill to change the charter was introduced Thursday that would make it more difficult for Kenney to remove school board members a move seen by some as the Council president's attempt to wrest authority from the mayor. The City Charter says plainly that school board members "serve at the pleasure of the mayor." The proposed legislation would amend that to say board members "may be removed by the Mayor for cause, including, but not limited to, neglect of duty, misconduct in office, conflicts of interest, inability to discharge the powers or duties of office, or serious violations of law." This would give school board members at odds with the mayor due process and turn the process for removing them into a protracted affair. On Wednesday, Kenney sent a letter to the Council urging its members to reject the change. In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer and Daily News, the mayor said the proposed language change in the charter leads the city down a dangerous path, allowing potentially dangerous situations to fester. He cited the case of former state Board of Education president Larry Wittig, who has been accused of past sexual misconduct but still serves as president of a local school board. "Students, parents and our communities expect the return to local control to mean those who oversee the School District will be more accountable to them ," the mayor wrote. "Simply put, for-cause removal takes from the public something we owe them in abundance: accountability. And it offers them nothing in return." But some Council members, including Clarke, view Kenney's wish to have sole authority over removal of school board members in a dark light. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who introduced the legislation Thursday, said she understood the mayor was opposed to it, but she believed it would pass anyway. "If the mayor came to Council and said, 'This person has committed this crime [and should be removed], we would support him,'" Blackwell said. "I think that the mayor and City Council would think alike on someone trying to do the right thing by the schoolchildren of Philadelphia." Jim Engler, Kenney's policy and legislation deputy, rejected the suggestion that Kenney was trying to assert power, since he has it now: The City Charter as it now stands gives the appointing authority the mayor the power to remove board members for cause. "It's just the law as it stands," said Engler. "That's the process we'd like to return to. We've been working closely with members of Council over the past few months on these amendments, and we had no awareness of this until Tuesday. We're honestly surprised." Kenney has been clear since he publicly announced his intention to take back the city's schools from 16 years of state control: Split accountability, the model under the SRC, has not worked. "When the SRC dissolves itself, and we return to a school board appointed by the mayor, you can hold me and future mayors accountable for the success or failure of our schools," the mayor said in introducing his intention to push for SRC dissolution in November. "The mayor is willing to put his position on the line and be held fully accountable for the future of our schools," Engler said. "Why anyone would want to strip that from him, I have no idea." Late Thursday afternoon, Clarke shot back with his own letter to Council, emphasizing that the proposed change would guarantee an independent board. He wrote that the for-cause requirement would "provide some assurance that the members of the Board of Education can make independent decisions that they believe are in the best interest of the City's children even if the Mayor or Council disagrees." That Kenney and Council are already at odds before a single school board member has been selected could be a sign that district governance might not run as smoothly as initially billed. Larry Ceisler, a longtime city political observer now working in public relations, said that it is "obvious that Council wants to be an equal partner in the formation and composition of the school board," but in the pre-SRC days, "it was never the intention for Council to be an equal partner." Ceisler said he understood Kenney's move in writing the letter. "This is his political bet," Ceisler said. "This is his legacy. He needs to have some unilateral authority here." While Council and the mayor tussle behind the scenes, the process is moving forward. A nominating panel has been vetting applicants for the new nine-member board, which officials have said will be selected by the end of March and take over governing July 1. Kenney alone now has the final say in who gets the board seats; any charter change could not be introduced in time to affect the first board selections. The bill introduced Thursday would also change the rules for who could serve on the board. Under the current law, school board members must be residents and registered voters in the city. The charter change would keep the residency requirement but remove the voter clause essentially opening up the possibility of board service to those not eligible to vote, for reasons of immigration status or otherwise. Paloma was homeless and 19 years old when she joined the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU). By the time I met her nearly a decade later, the energetic, witty, 28-year-old mother of three young children had a secure home because of KWRU's help in getting her a housing voucher. This provided Paloma and her family with a measure of stability and allowed her to pay it forward by helping others in need. But the program that changed Paloma's life is now under threat. The 2019 budget released by the White House calls for deep cuts, $8.8 billion, or an 18.3 percent reduction, to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This would reduce the availability of subsidized housing and vouchers, like the Housing Choice Voucher Program that allowed Paloma to rent a home, even with her very low income. These proposed cuts would come at a terrible cost to the country's poor. And they will hit Philadelphia especially hard. The need for groups like KWRU, a unique group of and for poor people in Philadelphia, never seems to lessen. While the national poverty rate has declined, Philadelphia's poverty rate has not. It is the poorest big city in the United States, as it has been for a decade. Nearly 26 percent of people in Philadelphia live under the poverty line, compared with 12.7 percent nationwide. Being in poverty means struggling to meet basic needs and cover fundamental costs. Housing insecurity is common. Even a one-bedroom rental is out of reach for people living in poverty. The national average to afford a one-bedroom rental is a household income of $17.14 per hour. In Philadelphia, it's $19.29 per hour. This makes the need for affordable housing particularly extreme here. Stable and affordable housing for a family in poverty can be deeply transformative. I interviewed and spent time with dozens of women and their families living in poverty in Philadelphia. Those with housing vouchers were better positioned for work and their kids were less likely to switch schools. Better yet, they could help others in need and build supportive relationships. People often come to KWRU when their situations are dire, as Paloma did, when they desperately need a place to live and feel they have nowhere else to turn. CC was homeless as well, having fled an abusive relationship, leaving behind her youngest children. She needed stable housing to make a home and regain custody of her children. While helping her navigate the bureaucracy to get a housing voucher, KWRU also provided her with a temporary place to live. Sometimes longer-term members with stable housing, like Paloma, allow new homeless members to stay with them temporarily, offering them companionship and advice as well as a safe place to stay. These stories point to the need for more funding, not less. While the White House proposes major cuts to affordable-housing programs, 8.3 million households nationwide qualify for housing assistance but can't get it. There are already long waiting lists for housing vouchers, so long that today in Philadelphia the list is closed to new applicants. There is nowhere in the country where someone making minimum wage can afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment. And there are only 12 counties where a minimum-wage worker can rent a one-bedroom. Yet only about one-quarter of very low-income renters receive housing assistance. Seeking a place to sleep every day expends emotional and mental energy; stable and affordable housing allows people to invest in developing meaningful relationships, finding work, and caring for their children. A housing voucher was transformative for Paloma and her children, but its benefits also had ripple effects. Beyond a place to stay, Paloma provided homeless KWRU members temporary peace of mind, home-cooked meals, an ear, and the shoulder of someone who had faced the same difficulties they had. If HUD cuts are implemented, those who already have vouchers will see rent increases they can't afford. And there will be fewer opportunities for poor families to help one another and develop supportive social ties. Homelessness and housing insecurity are likely to rise as a result. The effect in the poorest big city in the United States will be profound. Joan Maya Mazelis is associate professor of sociology and an affiliated scholar at the Center for Urban Research and Education at Rutgers University-Camden. Her book, Surviving Poverty: Creating Sustainable Ties Among the Poor, is available from NYU Press. Follow @JoanieMazelis The Bogleheads, a national movement of low-cost investors, named after Vanguard founder John Bogle, meets through chapters in different cities. Here, the Philly chapter meets at Champps restaurant in King of Prussia (Credit: Erin Arvedlund). Read more This year, the Bogleheads movement turns 20. These folk follow the thrifty advice of Vanguard founder John Bogle, known in their circles as "Saint Jack," and they meet regularly around the country, sharing investment knowledge, flinty bargains on everything from coffeemakers to long-term care policies, and functioning as a support group for the low-cost investor. So just who are the Bogleheads of Philadelphia? It all starts with their inspiration and patron. Bogle still speaks every year to the Bogleheads at their annual conference here, which is closed to the media and non-members. Legions of investors and financial advisers call Bogle their "hero" because his ideas about low investment fees have saved investors mountains of money over time. Befitting its namesake, membership in the Bogleheads chapter in Philly is free, but you do have to log on to their online forum, Bogleheads.org. It's an old-fashioned-looking website, but delivers on themes steeped in Bogle lore: the importance of low-cost investments and diversification, the power of index funds, and permission to give up timing the market. (Another way in: the Bogleheads.org Facebook page). The local chapter meets roughly four times a year, attracting Bogleheads from all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The next one is on May 12 at Champps, next to the King of Prussia mall. Jim Boxmeyer, 64, joined the local Bogleheads chapter recently, has come to a few meetings, but considers himself a "newbie. We're very frugal and believe in living below our means." On Feb. 10, he took his wife for the first time to the Bogleheads' meeting at Champp's, where roughly 30 people ordered lunch (separate checks!) and heard presentations on topics such as Roth IRA conversions, Medicare supplemental insurance, and the wisdom and perils of long-term care policies. All materials are then posted to the Bogleheads.org website. Members do research for the group and aren't experts; there are no sales pitches allowed. "I'm getting ready to retire in a year or so, and I want my wife to understand more, too," said Boxmeyer, who lives in Mayfair. "She'll question me about buying tomato soup, but says 'oh, I guess that makes sense' when I move $60,000 from one fund to another. She got a lot out of the Bogleheads, too; she sees other people like ourselves." Their namesake is thrilled that his original idea of low-cost investing has overtaken Wall Street. Vanguard, the mutual fund firm based in Malvern that became a beacon for his ideas, attracts $1 billion a day and is closing in on $5 trillion in investor assets. After the financial crisis of 2008, active management where a portfolio manager oversees your assets in exchange for a fee took a hit, and American investors switched in droves to low-cost index funds, which save investors money and cut risk by mimicking a broad basket of stocks. Vanguard's new CEO, Mortimer "Tim" Buckley, has hinted in public appearances that the burgeoning advice business, known as Personal Advisory Service, could drop below its current price of 0.30 percent a year of assets, doing to the investment advice business what Vanguard has already done to index funds. "The whole idea of the Bogleheads started kind of informally in Florida," Bogle recalled. The original Bogleheads forum member, Taylor Larimore, now 94, invited Bogle to a get-together after an investment conference. Larimore lived full time in south Florida, where Bogle was speaking at a mutual fund conference. At the time, in early 1998, Larimore called his group the "Vanguard Diehards." "We got together in his apartment in Biscayne Bay. There were 12 Bogleheads, Taylor and his wife. We sent out a memo to those who couldn't be there. That turned into a regular thing. That was Bogleheads One, like Super Bowl I. Now it's 20 years later." Beside chapters in cities around the country, the Bogleheads hold an annual meeting for the national chapters. Every year, it sells out in a few minutes because it features the man himself. Bogle schedules his appearances around his travel; sometimes when he planned to be in Denver, or Chicago, the group would hold a meeting there. "One year, a decade ago, I had to give my talk by phone from the intensive-care unit of Bryn Mawr Hospital!" recalled Bogle, who had a heart transplant in 1996. But since 2009, the Bogleheads hold their annual meeting here in Philadelphia to accommodate the 88-year-old founder. The last one took place in October 2017. "I give a presentation of some length. The first day, I do an annual review, an update on data, I showed some of the stuff in the press this year, and on the markets. And then I talk about what I've been writing and speaking about, and some of it is very personal and braggy," Bogle said with a laugh. After that, he does a Q&A, answering everything from his recollections about founding the first index fund to signing copies of his books, such as an updated edition of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing. This bible for low-cost investors posits that outperforming the stock market is an illusion, and indexing delivers the greatest returns. If you can't attend the local Philadelphia chapter meetings, there's always the website. It's still a popular investing site, despite its clunky bulletin-board menu, with about 1.5 million views a month. The Bogleheads forum online is a collaborative enterprise run by volunteer members of the Bogleheads Forum, such as "LadyGeek," a Boglehead who declined to give her name. "I'm one of the administrators for the website, and I value my privacy," she said at the Champps meeting. "I started out knowing nothing about investing, and this forum really helped me. My advisor meant well, but he wasn't paying attention to my accounts and my husband's accounts. Then I found Bogleheads." The website has a Wiki, an online encyclopedia for Boglehead Forum members and readerswith the usual disclaimers: "Although every effort has been made by the contributors, we cannot guarantee the validity of the information found here. If you find any information to be inaccurate, help us in correcting the page by bringing it to our attention at the Bogleheads forum." It's modeled after Wikipedia. And of course, diehards.org, bogleheads.org and the Bogleheads Wiki are not affiliated with Vanguard or Morningstar, although some of the annual meeting content does show up on Morningstar's website. Everything the Bogleheads do is "a 100 percent volunteer effort," said Mel Lindauer, one of the Boglehead leaders; his Twitter handle is @bogleheads. There is no paid staff. For online resources, visit Bogleheads.org. For discussion threads, it's sometimes useful to start at the last page, which is the most recent post. Visiting Machu Picchu requires strong lungs, steady legs, and mighty decision-making skills. Among the questions you must ask yourself: Trek or train? Day trip from Cuzco or overnight in Aguas Calientes? Pisco sour or Inca Kola? And now, morning shift or afternoon? In an effort to protect Peru's most popular attraction from overcrowding and degradation, the Ministry of Culture issued a raft of rules last year that aims to protect the Inca site by modifying visitation practices. The regulations touch on many pillars of sightseeing, such as when you can visit, where you can walk, and whether you can bring an umbrella. "Machu Picchu is a great attraction, but we are worried about its sustainability," said Sandra Doig, incoming tourism deputy director of Promperu, the Commission for the Promotion of Exports and Tourism of Peru. "It is being affected by too many people at the citadel at the same time." Tourist numbers have been creeping up. Between January and July of last year, nearly 610,000 people tread on Machu Picchu, including an estimated 242,000 from the United States, a 3 percent rise from 2016. To decongest the crowds, the government enacted several rules that it will test and tweak through July. For instance, visitors can no longer linger at the citadel from sunup to sundown but must choose one of two entry periods 6 a.m. to noon or noon to 5:30 p.m. and depart at the stated time. However, if they wish to visit for the whole day, they can purchase a morning and afternoon ticket for $70 each. Adventurers who bought a combo ticket for Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountain or Machu Picchu mountain can enter between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. They must complete the trek in four hours or less. Tourists must be accompanied by a certified guide, who can lead no more than 16 participants. (Guests returning in the afternoon or the following day are not required to have an escort so long as they possess a ticket stub from their first guided visit.) The guides and their charges must follow one of three circuits no straying allowed. Circuit 1 is the most extensive and hardest on the quads; Circuit 3 is the easiest, though you will miss those epic panoramas. Finally, to mitigate damage, visitors are not permitted to bring umbrellas; bags larger than 15 by 13 by 8 inches; food and drinks, with the exception of bottled water; baby strollers; walking sticks or poles, unless the guest has special needs; tripods without a permit; drones; and shoes with spiky soles or sharp heels. The rules aren't hammered in stone. Over the next few months, Doig said, officials "will be looking at the results and improving the system little by little." She said one of the most pressing concerns is the congestion on the outskirts of the complex, especially at the shuttle station. The majority of visitors catch a round-trip bus from Aguas Calientes, and long lines are common. "One of the biggest problems is outside the citadel the queue to take the bus," she said. "We have to improve that service." Of course, tourists can do their part without the government's nudge in the ribs. Doig reminds visitors to pack out any garbage, especially water bottles, and to never deface the UNESCO World Heritage site. She also urges tourists to venture beyond Machu Picchu. Kuelap, for instance, is a nature-rich archaeological site in the north that the Chachapoyas, or Warriors of the Cloud, built in the sixth century. "Kuelap is a mixture of what you find at Machu Picchu," Doig said. For even more adventure, Choquequirao is an Inca site three times the size of Machu Picchu. Officials are considering installing a cable car to help guests reach the top, but for now, the fortress is accessible only via a grueling two-day trek from Cusco. "It's more hardcore because of the altitude," she said. But what you lose in oxygen, you gain in elevation bragging rights: Choquequirao is nearly 2,000 feet higher than Machu Picchu. Wyatt Evans (left) and brother Reid have served 37 years of their life sentences for a robbery that turned into second-degree murder after the victim died of a heart attack. The ringleader in the crime was approved for parole in February. Read more On July 14, 1991, a drug kingpin was standing in the hallway of a North Philadelphia apartment building when he was riddled with gunfire coming at him through a closed door. The man, Tomas Vasquez Jr., was holding a loaded gun; depending on whom you believe, he'd just purchased it from a resident of the building, Efrain Gonzalez, or he'd stolen it from Gonzalez's apartment. What's not in dispute is that Vasquez, acting on panicked reflex, fired back, taking Gonzalez's life. Vasquez's brother, Francisco Mojica, was also on the scene. He heard the gunshots, rushed out to help his brother, and drove him to a hospital with assistance from a police officer he flagged down on the way. The two brothers were tried separately. Vasquez was convicted of third-degree murder, a homicide without intent to kill, and sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison. As for Mojica, he was convicted of second-degree murder, a charge incurred when an individual participates in a felony in this case, the burglary of Gonzalez's apartment that "intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently causes the death of another human being." Today, Vasquez, the gunman, is a gaunt 63-year-old man living on Social Security disability in Juniata. His brother is serving Pennsylvania's mandatory sentence for second-degree murder: life in prison with no chance of parole. Vasquez was confused when he ran into his brother in custody and learned of his fate. "How did they give you life? Who did you kill? I am the killer," Vasquez remembers telling his brother. He says he even wrote a letter to his brother's judge: "If you feel you did justice with a life sentence, give him my sentence and let me have his." That, of course, is not how it works in Pennsylvania, where more than 1,100 people are serving life sentences for second-degree cases. Some were lookouts during botched robberies. Several participated in burglaries in which an elderly victim later suffered a heart attack and died. A few, it seems, just happened to be present when a friend or family member made a terrible choice. In an untold number of those cases because of a more favorable judge, a better deal with prosecutors, or some other quirk of Pennsylvania's legal system the principal perpetrator has long since gone home. Last year, State Sen. Daylin Leach proposed legislation aimed at rolling back the felony-murder rule, which has its origins in a 1794 Pennsylvania law, but it has not advanced. Now, though, some see hope in an unlikely place: Philadelphia's District Attorney's Office. Progressive DA Larry Krasner and his newly appointed chief of conviction review, Patricia Cummings, said the office will examine not just innocence claims but also sentencing issues. READ: Could one Philly convict's exoneration prompt Krasner to examine other decades-old murders? "We believe conviction integrity also encompasses fair sentencing," Cummings said, though she declined to give specifics. For example, she said, "if we see a situation where someone is serving a life sentence for first degree and they ought to have been convicted of third degree and we can do something about it, we ought to." Advocates such as Bret Grote, a Pittsburgh-based lawyer with the Abolitionist Law Center, say they intend to push the DA's Office to look at disparate sentences, in particular. "That one fact alone would be a very substantial factor for some sort of negotiated resolution in an appeal, if someone is serving life and the codefendant got third degree." That's a rare source of hope for George Trudel, who was 20 years old in 1986 when he and his friend Robert Barrett were hanging out at a party in Frankford. Barrett left on a cigarette run; soon, Trudel heard shouting outside. He rushed out and found Barrett arguing with a neighborhood man they knew, Casimir "Kaz" Barowiec. "I saw the knife fall out of Kaz's hand and I picked it up and I can't remember if Bobby said give me that or he just snatched it," Trudel said. Barrett stabbed Barowiec. Then he and the others ran inside. Later, they learned Barowiec's wound was fatal. Trudel said Barrett and his family asked him to get rid of the knife, and later to lie at Barrett's trial for third-degree murder. He did, not knowing he could also be charged with murder. "Bobby Barrett did seven years for killing that man with his own knife. I've done his sentence four times over," said Trudel, who in December 1988 was convicted of second-degree murder. "I'm on my 30th year now, and there is no end to my sentence." Trudel, now a 51-year-old man with a long scar bisecting his face from when a man attacked him in prison, said all that's left of the arrogant kid he was back then are the barbed-wire and skull tattoos that still cover his forearms. "I think about my actions that night and what it's done to my family and Kaz's family. I never thought that I would be hurting people that weren't even born yet: my daughter, my grandkids, my nieces and nephews." It's a familiar story at state prisons such as Graterford, where Trudel is incarcerated along with Wyatt and Reid Evans, brothers from West Philadelphia also serving life sentences for second-degree murder. They had no idea how much was at stake when their friend Marc Blackwell took an interest in an inoperable, sawed-off shotgun Reid had lying around the house. "I bet we could get a stickup with this," Reid, then 19, remembers Blackwell saying. So, the three drove up to City Avenue, with no real plan. Then Blackwell spotted a man named Leonard Leichter a 68-year-old grandfather and owner of a beloved Center City bar called Pop Edwards getting out of a shiny, new black Cadillac Seville. Wyatt and Blackwell waited for Leichter to come back. Reid had wandered across the parking lot when he saw Blackwell point the gun at Leichter and order him into the backseat. Reid jumped into his car to follow them. He wasn't that worried. "The gun I gave them wasn't loaded and it didn't work anyway," he said. "And I never knew them to do anything violent." What he didn't know was that Leichter had a heart condition. Blackwell and Wyatt drove into Fairmount Park and dropped him off a mile and a half away, at a pay phone, so he could call for help. The whole thing took 15 minutes. But within hours, Leichter died of a heart attack. (His family chose not to participate in this story.) The brothers were offered deals for 10 to 20 years in prison but rejected them. That was 37 years ago. The Evans brothers are still no closer to being released. Blackwell was found guilty of third-degree murder and sentenced to 37 to 75 years. He recently was granted parole. He plans to move in with his wife in Brookhaven, Delaware County, and to work as a barber. "One of my parole restrictions is I cannot have contact with my co-defendants. It was a crushing blow for me, because I am unable to even help them once I am out," he wrote in a letter to the Inquirer and Daily News. "Reid and Wyatt Evans was blindly following me and do not deserve to stay in jail doing life." With no avenue for release, lifers such as Trudel and Mojica are finding redemption where they can. Trudel who had been a truant, then a high school dropout obtained his GED, then his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude from Villanova. It took him 17 years. He sent the diploma home to his mother: her dream for him, finally realized. Mojica, who was a heroin addict when he was locked up, cleaned himself up and dedicated his life to helping others. He helped start a faith-based reentry project and another program, Fathers and Children Together, to help incarcerated fathers connect with and support their kids. His own sons are addicted to heroin just as he was; because his wife doesn't drive, there was no one to take them to see him when they were younger. He also volunteers with the Graterford prison hospice program, sitting up nights with dying inmates; he knows he someday may require that same care. Despite efforts to revive clemency as an avenue for Pennsylvania's more than 5,000 lifers, Gov. Wolf has signed only two life-sentence commutations since taking office in 2015. The Evans brothers have applied for commutation five times between them; Trudel has applied once. Mojica has applied twice. Im going to be honest with you: I dont believe in the system, Mojica said. But Im going to fill out the paperwork and see what happens. I leave it in Gods hands. Dontia Patterson (center) with his daughter Samarah, now 11, and her mother, Shannelle Allen. Read more Dontia Patterson has spent 11 years in prison for a murder he insists he didn't commit. On Friday, he moved a step closer to vindication. During a brief hearing at the Criminal Justice Center, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office vacated Patterson's conviction and his life sentence, agreeing that his trial lawyers were ineffective and that he deserved to be retried. Prosecutors stopped short, however, of dropping the charges against Patterson, and he remains in custody as an accused murderer. He is due back in court in March to begin the process of preparing again to potentially face a jury. His appellate attorneys, led by Center City lawyer Hayes Hunt, are hoping for a quicker resolution. Hunt said he and his colleagues, including the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, have been working with the District Attorney's Office over several months and have been shown previously undisclosed information supporting Patterson's innocence claims, including documents identifying another possible suspect and a different potential motive for the killing. Hunt said he was grateful for the cooperation shown by prosecutors but hoped new District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has pledged sweeping reform to the criminal justice system, would direct his office to let Patterson become a free man. Vacating the conviction, Hayes said, "is a minimum. It's wrong to continue" with prosecution. Ben Waxman, Krasner's spokesman, said prosecutors would continue reviewing Patterson's claims of innocence before deciding whether to dismiss the charges. "This is a first-degree murder case, so we're going to do our due diligence and make sure we come to the right conclusion," Waxman said. Patterson, 28, was arrested in 2007 and charged with fatally shooting his friend Antwine Jackson on the 800 block of Granite Street, in Crescentville, according to court documents. Two eyewitnesses identified him as the shooter, the documents say. Patterson's first trial in 2008 ended in a hung jury. He was convicted at a second trial in 2009. His appellate attorneys, citing expert witnesses, wrote in their appeal that the eyewitnesses could not have identified the shooter because they were standing too far away. They also wrote that Patterson was at home when the shooting occurred and visited the scene only after learning his friend had been shot. And they argued that Patterson's defense attorney, Lee Mandell, did not sufficiently pursue leads that could have helped Patterson's defense. Attempts to reach Mandell for comment Friday were unsuccessful. Patterson remained in prison at the State Correctional Institution-Chester, but will be moved to a Philadelphia facility while awaiting a potential trial. His attorneys were planning to file a motion for him to be released on bail something Judge Steven R. Geroff denied Friday, because Patterson remained charged with first-degree murder. Three males in their late teens were wounded in a street shooting Thursday evening in South Philadelphia, police said. The shooting occurred about 6:15 p.m. in the 2100 block of Etting Terrace. One victim, described as in his late teens, was shot twice in the back. Police took him to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. Another male in his late teens was shot once in the left calf. He also was taken by police to Penn and listed in stable condition. The third victim, a 19-year-old man who was shot twice in the left leg, was taken by medics to Penn. His condition was not immediately available. No arrests were reported, and no other details were available. Howard Unruh is taken into custody after killing 13 and wounding 3 in Camden on Sept. 6, 1949. Read more When the first mass shooter in modern American history stormed into a Camden pharmacy firing a handgun on Sept. 6, 1949, Charles Cohen's mother rushed him upstairs and shoved him into a closet. His father was already dead, and Cohen, just 12, watched his grandmother be gunned down before the door sealed him off. Seconds later, Cohen's mom was fatally shot, too, his whole world snuffed out by Howard Unruh, who killed 13 before he was done that day. On Wednesday afternoon, in a nation where mass shootings now seem commonplace, a terrible irony connected Unruh's infamous "Walk of Death" to Nikolas Cruz's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Charles Cohen's granddaughter Carly Novell hid in a closet at the school to avoid being shot, just as her "grandpa" had done nearly 70 years ago. Novell, a 17-year-old senior at the school, tweeted out a photo of her grandfather after the incident, marking the sad irony. On Friday morning, Novell's mother, Merri Cohen Novell, said in a telephone interview while preparing for a Douglas student's funeral that she grew up watching her father carry a heavy burden, always trying to smile through the scar Unruh had left on his psyche. Charles Cohen, who died in 2009, was protective, his daughter said. He didn't want her to go running, or to venture off on ski trips. By day, he was a jovial salesman, knocking on doors with cases full of beauty products. At night at their home in Cherry Hill, he locked the doors. "He was like a nervous grandmother," Novell told the Inquirer and Daily News. "He was a very loving, very caring man. He didn't walk around angry. He walked around with a heavy sadness." Novell said her family's tragedy came "full circle" Wednesday when she received a text message from Carly: "Mom, I'm hiding in a closet. There's a code red. There's an active shooter in my school." Novell ran to her car and drove to the school, talking to her dead father along the way. Not again, she told herself. "Nothing has changed since 1949," she said in the interview. When Charles Cohen was stuffed into the closet, he just waited, silently, nearly suffocating. "I lay in the closet until I didn't hear any more shooting," Cohen told police after the shooting, according to an Inquirer report at the time. "When I tried to open the door, I couldn't. I started to suffocate. I pushed and kicked until I forced the door open. Then I ran downstairs and out the side. The police were there and they put me in their car." Novell, a graduate of Cherry Hill High School West, said her father didn't talk about the shooting too often, although he did revisit the Camden neighborhood for a television report in 2000. He rarely shared that day with his grandchildren. "My grandpa heard everything, and after that he lived with his cousin until he went to military school, I believe, " Carly Novell told HuffPost. "He never really talked about what happened, and I didn't find out until after he died. But family was so incredibly important to him because of what happened. He wasn't as lucky as me." Carly's brother Alex Novell, 21, who lives in New York, said he discussed Unruh with his grandfather just once, during a car ride shortly before he died. "When he told it to me, he said his parents were killed by someone who was deranged," he said Friday. "Since he didn't have parents and moved around a lot, it was very important that he have a family of his own." Also a Parkland graduate, Alex Novell said he recognized Cruz on the news from seeing him in a store in Florida. Cruz, he said, followed his sister on Instagram. When she texted him from school Wednesday, Alex believed that his sister was being protected by their grandfather. "The first thing I thought of was my grandfather," he said. Cohen, according to an Inquirer report from 1949, was sedated because of his "overwrought condition" and handed over to a cousin. Another daughter, Robin Cogan, 56, of Cherry Hill, said her father visited his parents' graves at Roosevelt Memorial Park in Trevose, Bucks County, but rarely discussed the tragedy. "He was a great guy, people loved him, the life of the party. He told really bad jokes," Cogan, a nurse in Camden, said Friday. "If you dug a little deeper, though, he was sad. He lived his life. He felt he had to give meaning." Howard Unruh lived the rest of his life in a psychiatric hospital in Trenton. Like Cohen, he died in 2009. "I'd have killed a thousand if I had enough bullets," Unruh allegedly told police. For many years, Charles Cohen and his family attended hearings at which Unruh unsuccessfully lobbied to be transferred from a maximum security hospital. "You get through it, but you never get over it," Charles Cohen told the Inquirer in 2009. "I think about my parents every day." Merri Cohen Novell and Cogan said every shooting in the nation, large or small, took a toll on their father. He never purchased a gun. "He really felt that was one of the biggest problems," Cogan said. "It's been 69 years of the same thing, over and over again." When Merri Novell, 49, made it to the school Wednesday, she stood with a mother who couldn't connect with her daughter. Novell was going to attend that girl's funeral service Friday. "It could have easily been my daughter," she said. "It shouldn't be anyone's daughter. It needs to stop." Novell said more children will scramble for closets if elected officials don't enact gun control and pay greater attention to mental health care. Some, like her dad and daughter, will make it. Many won't. "It's the same scenario as Camden. Everyone was a little scared of him. He didn't seem right. He was mentally ill, " Novell said of Unruh. "He wasn't getting the mental care he needed. The same thing is going to happen again if we don't fix the mental health crisis or the gun crisis. We shouldn't have guns in civilized society." Burlington County has banned Confederate flags at the local farm fair where two men stirred emotions last summer by displaying the stars and bars during a tractor parade at the end of the five-day event. The Burlington County Board of Freeholders immediately reached out to fair organizers in July after hearing complaints, Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs said Thursday. All agreed to work on a policy barring the flag from future fairs while still considering free-speech rights. "We're not going to take away anyone's free-speech rights," Gibbs said. "But when that speech turns into hate speech, we're not going to tolerate it." The move comes as organizations and governments across the nation have been removing Confederate flags and statues following the 2015 Charleston, S.C., church massacre in which a gunman known to have carried the rebel flag killed nine African-American parishioners. That summer, amid protests, legislators took down the Confederate flag that had flown at South Carolina's capitol for more than 50 years. Similar controversies erupted across the nation from big cities to small towns. In Philadelphia, the Kenney administration announced in November, also after months of protests, that the bronze statue of former Mayor Frank L. Rizzo would be relocated. To some, Rizzo was seen as an oppressor of blacks while police commissioner in the 1960s and mayor in the 1970s. In New Jersey, Haddonfield received complaints about a historic Georgia flag with stars and bars that has been carried in the Fourth of July Parade by antiabortion activists. Tom Fox of Marlton said his group had no intention of offending anyone, but he understood the concerns. "It never dawned on us that it should not be there. After I thought about it, I realized there must be a good reason why it had been removed in other places," Fox said in an interview Thursday. "Rest assured the flag will not be in the parade anymore." Rosemary Kay has managed the Burlington County fair since 2012 and said she had never seen a Confederate flag at the fair in previous years. Last year, she said, its display was impromptu and "we took offense to it and asked them to take it down." One of the men told officials the flag was meant to honor his great-grandfather and was not meant to promote hate, Gibbs said. She thinks both men understood the broader implications and will respect the new policy that exhibitors must read and sign when they register for the event. "This is supposed to be a fun family event where none of our residents or visitors feel uncomfortable," Gibbs said. Although the fair is run independently of the county, it is held on county property. If the Confederate flags return in July, fair officials will request they be removed and officials can receive police assistance if needed. The ban, Gibbs said, will be "vigorously defended." Instead of setting cash bail, New Jersey courts now release or detain defendants after an analytic assessment of their risk to the community. Read more One year into New Jersey's nationally watched overhaul of its bail system, the state's pretrial jail population has dropped 20 percent as courts have all but stopped setting cash bail. Instead, judges are deciding whether to release or detain defendants before trial after reviewing a scored assessment of their chances of not showing up for court or endangering the public. The system, which has been held up as a model by advocacy groups who say poor offenders are too often stuck in jail because they can't afford bail, "is working as intended," said Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the New Jersey Courts. "No pretrial release system can be perfect," Grant said in an interview last week. Court officials are considering how to better address domestic violence in the new system, he said. But "this one removes the unfairness of relying upon money. That is the most significant accomplishment." The bail changes, which took effect Jan. 1, 2017, have some vocal critics. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka last week called on officials "to fix the serious flaws in bail reform" after a woman was killed in a domestic-violence incident as did the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association. And the bail bond industry is fighting the changes in court. But court officials say statistics show the law is playing out as hoped. Just 44 defendants in New Jersey had cash bail set last year, according to a report released last week by the judiciary. The state is largely meeting the law's time frame for determining whether defendants should be released or detained: Courts made decisions for 81.3 percent of jailed defendants within 24 hours, and 99.5 percent within 48 hours, according to the report. "People used to sit in jail for days weeks," said Roseanne Scotti, New Jersey state director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "It's just an incredible achievement." But some questions remain unanswered. While the judiciary's report broke down the numbers of defendants who were released and detained, advocates are awaiting data on the demographics of those defendants. They also want information on how often released defendants failed to appear in court. "We're really in a situation where all eyes are on New Jersey. Everyone wants to see how reform is working, and these are critical parts of that question," said Alexander Shalom, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. Also unclear is how the state will pay for the system going forward. In making release decisions within 48 hours, judges must consider the recommendations issued by a newly created Pretrial Services Program, which uses an analytic tool that considers a defendant's criminal and court history and assigns a numeric score to their risk of skipping court or endangering the public. That program, which also monitors released defendants, is going to run a "significant financial deficit" by the fiscal year starting in July 2019, Grant said. He noted that the gap was anticipated. While the program costs $35 million a year, court fee increases that were implemented to pay for it only net about $22 million. The state's 21 counties are also dealing with added costs, because prosecutors' offices have had to hire additional staff, said John Donnadio, executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties. While the pretrial jail population has dropped, "that hasn't translated to cost savings as of yet," Donnadio said. "It may, two or three years down the road" as jail staffs shrink through attrition, he said. A spokesman for Gov. Murphy did not respond to a request for comment on the governor's opinion of the bail changes and whether he would include funding in his budget proposal. New Jersey's bail changes passed with bipartisan support in 2014. In addition to replacing cash bail with the risk-assessment system, lawmakers and then-Gov. Chris Christie backed a constitutional amendment later approved by voters that let judges order defendants jailed until trial. The idea was twofold: Keep poor, nonviolent defendants unable to pay even nominal amounts of bail from languishing in jail, while at the same time giving judges new power to keep potentially dangerous defendants behind bars without the option to make bail. Of 142,663 defendants charged with crimes last year, 44,319 were issued arrest warrants. Of that group, 8,043 about 18 percent were ordered detained by courts, according to the report. That detention rate varied by county: from 7.7 percent in Bergen County, up to 34.4 percent in Atlantic County, according to court statistics. Prosecutors must file motions to detain defendants; judges then decide whether to detain or release the person, and under what level of monitoring. Shalom said that "some prosecutors' offices are seeking detention too often, and some judges are granting detention too often." Grant said detention rates vary among counties because crime varies among counties, and prosecutors have discretion in what charges to bring. "The public-safety assessment is just a recommendation," Grant said. "The system is designed to be run by humans." The assessment was developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, a philanthropic organization. It scores a defendant based on nine factors, including the person's age at time of arrest, whether the charge is a violent offense, whether the person has prior disorderly persons or indictable convictions, and whether the person has failed to appear in court pretrial before. The factors are "the best predictors" of whether a person will commit a new crime or fail to return to court, according to the foundation, which analyzed 1.5 million cases across the United States to develop the analytic tool. The tool is also being used by Arizona and Kentucky and a variety of counties and cities. While assessments are still conducted, New Jersey defendants charged with escape, murder, rape, or robbery automatically get no-release recommendations. The New Jersey Supreme Court revised the recommendation process several times last year, including so that defendants charged with certain weapons offenses also would receive no-release recommendations. The state Attorney General's Office had asked the court to make changes that flagged more defendants as high-risk. The assessment doesn't specifically address domestic violence, Grant said an issue the judiciary is currently grappling with. Modifying the tool "requires money and resources," he said. "I hope to be able to say we've worked on a way to incorporate domestic violence as a factor in this." A teacher at the Jersey Shore became the 14th person to admit to a role in a $50 million health benefits scheme when he pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud in federal court in Camden on Friday. Shawn Sypherd, 46, of Marmora, defrauded New Jersey health benefits programs and other insurers of more than $2 million by submitting fraudulent claims for expensive and medically unnecessary prescriptions, and by receiving kickbacks to recruit other government employees to do the same. The scheme involved pharmaceutical sales representatives and doctors who processed phony claims on behalf of teachers, firefighters, police, state troopers, and other public employees, who in turn were paid for submitting false claims to a Pennsylvania compounding pharmacy, federal prosecutors said. The pharmacy would mail specialty pain, scar, anti-fungal and libido creams, and vitamin preparations, which cost more than $1,000 for a one-month supply, to members of local and state public health benefits plans in New Jersey that offered coverage for these medications, authorities said. Authorities have not publicly identified the pharmacy. Prosecutors said compounded drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration but are prescribed when doctors determine that such a drug would be more effective for a patient than an FDA-approved medicine, and if there are concerns about allergies. Sypherd appeared before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler and admitted he served as a recruiter between January 2015 and April 2016. He received about $354,264 from the scheme after paying cash to health-plan members who agreed to participate in the fraud. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he may be ordered to pay more than $2.4 million in restitution when he is sentenced on June 1. Sypherd also faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Thirteen other conspirators Matthew Tedesco, Robert Bessey, Michael Pepper, Thomas Hodnett, Steven Urbanski, John Gaffney, Judd Holt, George Gavras, Richard Zappala, Michael Neopolitan, Andrew Gerstel, Timothy Frazier, and Michael Pilate await sentencing after entering guilty pleas starting last August. Authorities identified Tedesco, a Linwood pharmaceutical representative, as the ringleader. Tedesco pleaded guilty in August to receiving more than $11 million from the pharmacy, a portion of which he passed along to other co-conspirators. Interim U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited agents with the FBI, IRS, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and state Attorney General's Office for helping with the investigation. President Donald Trump, left, greets Rep. Lou Barletta, R.Pa., before a speech at H&K Equipment Co. on Jan. 18, 2018 in Coraopolis, Pa. Barletta is running for U.S. Senate. Read more WASHINGTON In a mail piece that reads as if it could have been spoken or tweeted by President Trump himself, Rep. Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania declares that "America is at war" with "violent criminal aliens" flooding the country. Barletta, a longtime hard-liner on illegal immigration, is the leading Republican seeking to challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania. His mailer shows how Trump's rhetorical style on a signature issue has filtered down to fellow Republicans, experts said. Democrats call it extremism. "With every day that passes more Americans are killed or victimized whether by violent criminal aliens who are untouchable within the 'Sanctuary Cities' of the left," the mailing continues, "or by radical terrorists who sneak across our border or walk right through the front door via liberal schemes like the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program.' " It also touts Trump's personal praise for Barletta, uses the phrase America is at war three times, and says that in response the congressman is seeking to build a conservative "army." "You mobilize through fear, and this is a rhetoric based on fear," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an expert on political communication although she added it can backfire if it spreads beyond the intended audience. A few years ago, this kind of language would have been limited to the most extreme voices or direct-mail advertising that couldn't be directly tied to a candidate, particularly when it came to someone running in a swing state like Pennsylvania, said Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Trump has changed that. "There's nothing in there that isn't consistent with what President Trump has said as president or as a candidate," said Jamieson, "It's now been normalized. This is a person who is signaling identity with Donald Trump." Indeed, Barletta rose to prominence by taking a firm stand on illegal immigration as the mayor of Hazleton and then by vocally backing Trump in 2016. He stood by the letter but in defending it used narrower framing. "I believe we're at war with drug dealers here in America, with illegal drugs coming into the country," Barletta said in an interview Thursday. "Yes, I believe we're at war with gang members who are recruiting our children, 9 and 10 years old." The mailing did not use such specific language, although it did single out "terrorism." Republicans, including Trump, have emphasized individual cases of illegal immigrants who have been accused of terrorism or serious crimes, like rape and murder, blaming immigration policies and "sanctuary city" rules, like those in Philadelphia. Federal statistics and several studies by groups that favor immigration have concluded that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans, although there is debate about some of the studies' methods. "I never say that everyone that comes into the country illegally is a terrorist, criminal drug dealer, gang member," Barletta said in the interview. "What I'm saying is: If I gave you 10 grapes and two of them had poison in it how many grapes would you eat?" Max Steele, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, called the mailing the work of "a desperate, extremist candidate." "Rather than working to find common ground and actually reform our immigration system, Barletta is doing what he always does: stoking fear and grandstanding," Steele said in a statement. Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College, noted that Barletta needs to improve his fund-raising to show national Republican groups that his race is worth investing in. The letter seeks donations of up to $2,700, the maximum allowed for an individual. "I've seen some strongly worded fund-raisers. This goes to the top of the list," Madonna said. "They recognize they are trailing in fund-raising and this is a major appeal at a critical moment in the debate over immigration." Barletta had $1.1 million on hand as of his latest report and raised less than $500,000 in the last quarter of 2017. Casey had $8.7 million. Madonna said he expects Barletta to make immigration a central piece of the campaign. On Thursday, Barletta attacked Casey for voting against a proposal from Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) to withhold some federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities like Philadelphia, where local police do not aid deportation efforts or detain suspects longer than they otherwise would based on their immigration status. "Bob Casey is thumbing his nose at the rule of law and putting Americans last," Barletta said in a statement after Toomey's bill was blocked. Casey noted that he supported a bipartisan immigration bill in 2013 that offered both tougher border security and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. "There would be no sanctuary cities if Republicans in Congress would enact comprehensive immigration reform," Casey said in a statement, adding that "anyone who commits a violent crime should go to prison, no matter who they are." Immigration proved potent for Trump in 2016, although Toomey took a narrower approach as he won reelection, targeting sanctuary cities while generally avoiding harsher rhetoric about the issue overall. Donald Trump with former Playboy model Karen McDougal in a photo she shared on Twitter in 2015. Read more A former Playboy playmate has confirmed to investigative reporter Ronan Farrow that notes from 2006 describing a sexual affair with President Trump when he was a television celebrity, and also married, are hers. The revelation comes as President Trump prepares for possible fallout from new details about another alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Karen McDougal, a former Playmate of the Year, claims she had a nine-month affair with President Trump just three months after First Lady Melania gave birth to their son, Barron. McDougal outlined most of the details about the alleged affair in eight pages worth of contemporaneous notes obtained by the New Yorker. McDougal told Farrow the notes were hers but that she could not publicly speak about them because of a previous agreement she had signed. McDougal claims she and Trump began their affair after she filmed an episode of "The Apprentice" at the Playboy mansion. She recalled Trump as "a polite man" on their first date at a private bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "We talked for a couple hours then, it was "ON"! We got naked + had sex," McDougal wrote. "This is an old story that is just more fake news," an unnamed White House spokesperson said in a statement to the New Yorker. "The President says he never had a relationship with McDougal." The White House has also denied claims the president had an affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, despite that Michael Cohen, the president's personal attorney, acknowledged he paid her $130,000 to not discuss her allegations publicly. Maggie Haberman, the White House correspondent for the New York Times, pointed out an interesting shift in the language used by the White House in their denials of both stories. "The WH spokesperson here is unnamed but there's been a shift in what people defending him say it's not "the president didn't do XYZ," it's now "the president says he didn't do XYZ," Haberman wrote on Twitter Friday morning. McDougal told the New Yorker she wanted to go public during the election and sold the lifetime rights to her story for $150,000 to the National Enquirer, owned by Trump ally David Pecker. The Enquirer never ran the piece, a practice known in the tabloid industry as "catch and kill." The tabloid parent company, American Media, said it didn't print McDougal's story because it didn't find it credible. According to the Wall Street Journal, which first broke the news of the $150,000 payout to McDougal, the former model had been in negotiations with ABC News to tell her story about the affair before the Enquirer stepped in. According to documents reviewed by the Journal, if McDougal tells her story elsewhere, the tabloid is entitled to at least $150,000 in damages. "Her account provides a detailed look at how Trump and his allies used clandestine hotel-room meetings, payoffs, and complex legal agreements to keep affairssometimes multiple affairs he carried out simultaneouslyout of the press," Farrow wrote. In a conversation with Farrow, McDougal declined to discuss details about her relationship with Trump due to the agreement she said. She also said she regretted signing the contract with the tabloid. "It took my rights away," McDougal said. "At this point I feel I can't talk about anything without getting into trouble, because I don't know what I'm allowed to talk about. I'm afraid to even mention his name." Pecker also had a close relationship with Weinstein. According to the New York Times, Pecker offered to purchase the rights to the story of one of Weinstein's accusers in an attempt to silence her. Farrow, the New Yorker reporter, first broke the stories about sexual abuse claims against Weinstein. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. State Rep. Bill Keller is pictured at the Packer Marine Terminal in November 2008. Read more Another longtime politician is calling it quits. Bill Keller, a member of Pennsylvania's House of Representatives since 1993, announced Friday that he is not running for reelection. The South Philadelphia Democrat is best known for being a vocal proponent of upgrading the city's port and dredging the Delaware River. A former longshoreman, he is a close ally to John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, the powerful leader of the city's building trades unions. "I fought all of my career for the Port of Philadelphia and am delighted to see its long-held promise finally being fulfilled," Keller said in a statement. "I am proud to have played a role in caring for our senior citizens and providing them safe, affordable housing in the only neighborhoods they've ever known." Keller, 67, said he feels that he has "much more to give" to the city, but that "it's time to step aside and allow the next generation to lead." Some political insiders worry that Philadelphia will lose more clout in Harrisburg when Keller, the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, leaves office. His resignation comes as power in the Capitol, even among Democrats, is increasingly centered outside the city. But like many elected officials nationwide who have recently announced that they are not seeking reelection, Keller faced a potentially challenging race in 2018. At least four Democrats had launched campaigns against him: Elizabeth Fiedler, a former WHYY reporter; Tom Wyatt, a Dilworth Paxson lawyer; Bill Ciancaglini, a defense attorney; and Nicholas DiDonato Jr., a retired police detective. According to campaign finance reports filed this month, Fiedler has raised more than $53,000, while Wyatt has raised about $27,000. Keller's office was raided by the FBI in 2010. In 2013, his business partner pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. Keller was never charged with any crimes. Keller's 184th District includes several rapidly gentrifying areas, including the Pennsport and East Passyunk Crossing neighborhoods. Some observers speculated that the changing makeup of the area could make Keller, a decades-long politician with strong ties to the Democratic machine, vulnerable to progressive newcomers. District Attorney Larry Krasner won several parts of the 184th District, while a candidate supported by Dougherty finished behind him. Keller referenced his district's shift in his announcement Friday, claiming responsibility for an upswing. "I take pride in transforming a modest, working-class district into one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Philadelphia," he said. Keller also said that his resignation shouldn't be seen as retirement. He said he plans to work "to support and elect politicians who care as much about our community and its future as I do." Asked if Keller had anyone in mind to succeed him, a spokesman for Keller did not immediately respond. Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Keller's allies have begun recruiting efforts in the district in anticipation of Friday's announcement. One of those potential contenders, State Sen. Larry Farnese's aide Jonathan Rowan, said Friday that he is running for the office. The New York Times reports that a two-month long investigation into sexual harassment and physical abuse allegations against Peter Martins, New York City Ballets former ballet master in chief, has found that the accusations could not be corroborated. In December, an anonymous letter sent to NYCB and its affiliated School of American Ballet accused Martins of sexual harassment, although the claims were non-specific. Afterwards, several former dancers and one current company member came forward to the press accusing him of physical assault and verbal abuse. Martins, who directed the company for 35 years and has denied the accusations, retired on New Years Day after taking a leave of absence. An interim team led by ballet master Jonathan Stafford has been overseeing the company in the meantime. According to the Times, 77 current and former dancers, as well as other individuals, were interviewed over the course of the investigation, which was led by Barbara Hoey of the firm Kelley Drye and Warren LLP. (The report will not be made public.) Despite the investigations findings, NYCB and SAB said in a statement that they would both be implementing new policies to ensure that its dancers feel safe and can openly express their opinions and concerns. And I think, more than anything, this is the biggest change we need in the broader dance community. The shake-up at NYCB has caused the dance world to take a hard look at its culture, especially in regards to the power dynamics between dancers and management. (In recent weeks, English National Ballet has been embroiled in its own scandal, and all of the dancers who have spoken out have reportedly been too afraid to identify themselves.) In the historically demanding business of ballet, which requires high standards and extraordinary discipline, critical feedback is normal and necessary. But at what point does it become a hostile work environmentand where can dancers turn if it does? In a statement given through his lawyer, Martins expressed that he was gratified for the conclusions. Response from others close to the investigation have been mixed. The Times notes that in follow-up interviews, former NYCB dancer Kelly Cass-Boal and former SAB student Victor Jordan Ostrovskyboth of whom told stories of physical abuse by Martinsfelt that Hoey was skeptical of their accusations during interviews and more concerned with protecting NYCB. Several current dancers, on the other hand, have been openly supportive of Martins innocence throughout the investigation. This is what I thought would happen, principal dancer Megan Fairchild told the Times regarding the outcome, because thats the experience I had, so Im not surprised at all. Davie, FL, Police detectives have arrested a 6th grade student for writing a letter threatening to kill students and teachers at Nova Middle School, reports WSVN. Davie, FL, Police detectives have arrested a 6th grade student for writing a letter threatening to kill students and teachers at her middle school. (Photo: Davie PD) According to an arrest report, the 11-year-old placed a handwritten note under the assistant principals office door that read, I will bring a gun to school to kill all of you ugly ass kids and teachers [expletive]. I will bring the gun Feb, 16, 18. BE prepared [expletive]! Police said they have surveillance video showing the student putting the note under the door. She also provided a written confession to school administration. The student has since been transported to the Broward Juvenile Assessment Center, and she is expected to appear in juvenile court Friday. Police on Wednesday announced charges of first-degree murder and armed violence against Shomari Legghette, a four-time felon accused of shooting Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer at point-blank range using a gun with an extended-capacity magazine. Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer was murdered Tuesday. (Photo: Chicago PD) Legghette, 44, has a criminal history stretching back more than two decades, court records show. He picked up new charges while out on bond, on parole and serving probation, making him the kind of repeat offender whom Bauer recently urged authorities to keep off the street, reports the Chicago Tribune. Bauer had been in the area after attending active shooter training to prepare officers for mass shootings. The Cook County medical examiner's office said he died of multiple gunshots. The married father of a 13-year-old daughter is the first Chicago officer fatally shot since 2011. Missouri lawmakers on Monday voted down a bill that would have increased the penalties for killing or injuring police dogs. The measure needed 82 votes to pass and only 73 House members voted in favor of it. Sixty-eight members turned it down. If enacted, people convicted of killing or incapacitating police dogs and other animals used by law enforcement would have faced at least three years behind bars and possibly 10. The current penalty is up to four years imprisonment, but there's no mandatory minimum prison sentence, reports the Associated Press. But black House members slammed the proposal, citing the use of police dogs on African-American protesters historically. Democratic Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty said passing the bill would have sent the message that police dogs' lives matter more than the concerns of African-Americans. A New York Police Department sergeant has been found not guilty in the fatal shooting of a bat-wielding mentally ill woman, a judge ruled Thursday morning. Bronx Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary said he found Sgt. Hugh Barry not guilty of all charges including murder in the Oct. 2016 shooting of 66-year-old Deborah Danner, reports the New York Post. Photo: NYPD/Facebook "Clearly this case involved a terrible tragedy and emotions on both sites are elevated," Neary said, before declaring that Barry was found not guilty of second-degree murder, first and second degree manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide. Barry testified during the two-week proceeding that he shot the schizophrenic woman twice because he feared for his life. "I just see the bat swinging, and that's when I fired,'' the 32-year-old said from the stand Tuesday. "I'm looking at this bat that can crack me in the head and kill me." Defense lawyer Andrew Quinn argued Wednesday that Barry was imminently threatened when Danner took a step in his direction holding the bat. A nine-year veteran of the 43rd Precinct, Barry could have faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted on the murder charge. "There is no victory here today," Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch said in a statement, "only relief that justice has been served and a good man who was doing a difficult and dangerous job has been exonerated." 2.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard NBCs Chuck Todd debunked every excuse Republicans use to avoid talking about guns after the Parkland school shooting. < Video: Chuck Todd debunks the Republican arguments not blaming the gun after the Parkland massacre. #parkland #guncontrolnow pic.twitter.com/aQomz0gUmI PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 16, 2018 Todd said: After a mass shooting like we saw yesterday, Second Amendment advocates and the lawmakers who represent them are finding a way to make the debate about anything but gun laws. And the president did his part, did not mention the word gun in an address on the mass shooting. The gun lobbys talking points are designed to avoid the gun debate. For instance, the Las Vegas strip massacre, theyd argue it is not about how he got the gun, it is about the thing he a it is about the thing he attached to the gun. And Newtown, it is not how he got the gun, but it is identifying mental illness. What about the Virginia Tech massacre. It is not about how he got the gun, it is about arming schools to thwart an attack. About none of the arguments hold up this in case. Here is many other arguments that dont hold up. The gup was bought gun was bought illegally. And someone should warn that the gunman had mental health issues and in this case someone did. The FBI was given a tip involving a YouTube comment with his name on it said, quote, Im going to be a professional school shooter. The FBI acknowledges getting the tip but it is not clear what they did with the information. The other arguments to avoid debate might go something like this. Well Cruz shouldnt have been allowed on school grounds and he wasnt, he was expelled. The school should have been armed. In this case, it was. A school resource officer was on campus and was armed. The school should have been trained for this. And in this case, it was. By Broward County. The president said there were so many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed. Well if that is the case, why was he allowed to legally by an AR-15. Based on the current background check system it looks like none of those red flags would actually show up on a background check to buy an AR-15. So maybe that is the debate we need to have. Todd was right. None of the Republican excuses for not blaming the gun or the ease of access to weapons doesnt hold up after the Parkland shooting. The country is well past the point where NRA backed howls of protecting the Second Amendment are going to stem the tide until the shooting falls out of the news cycle. When a mainstream voice like Chuck Todd is debunking Republican talking points, the tide has turned and Republican inaction will no longer be accepted. To discuss Rachel Maddow or anything MSNBC, please join our Rachel Maddow group 1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Special counsel Robert Muellers investigation continued to escalate on Thursday, with a new report indicating that another former Donald Trump campaign adviser has flipped and is cooperating with the investigation a bad sign for the president and his team. < According to CNN, Former Trump campaign adviser Rick Gates is finalizing a plea deal with special counsel Robert Muellers office, indicating hes poised to cooperate in the investigation, according to sources familiar with the case. More from the CNN report: Gates cooperation could be another building block for Mueller in a possible case against President Donald Trump or key members of his team. Once a plea deal is in place, Gates would become the third known cooperator in Muellers sprawling probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It would also increase the pressure to cooperate on Gates co-defendant Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman, who has pleaded not guilty to Muellers indictment and is preparing for a trial on alleged financial crimes unrelated to the campaign. Gates pleaded not guilty on October 30 alongside Manafort. In short, this is bad news for Trump. As CNN noted, each time another former Trump confidant flips on their former boss and starts cooperating with Mueller, the special counsel gets another building block in its growing case against Trump. Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu pointed out the importance of the news on Twitter a short time ago: 1.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump threw a fit and blamed Chuck Schumer and the Democrats for his immigration bill getting the fewest votes of any immigration legislation considered by the Senate. < You can almost hear the tantrum in this statement by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Today, the Schumer Democrats in the Senate demonstrated again that they are not serious about DACA, they are not serious about immigration reform, and they are not serious about homeland security. They filibustered a proposal with an extremely generous path to citizenship because it also contained reforms that secured our border and secured our immigration system. The Grassley bill was a compromise billas demonstrated by the fact that some conservatives opposed its very generous DACA provisions. Yet, the Schumer Democrats chose to filibuster it because they are held hostage by the radical left in their party, which opposes any immigration control at all. Today, they sided with an extreme fringe over the hardworking men and women of the Department of Homeland Security. The Administration will continue advocating for an immigration package that includes border security, ending chain migration, cancelling the visa lottery, and a reasonable DACA solutiona proposal Americans support overwhelmingly. And while radical Schumer Democrats align themselves with the open border fringe, the Trump Administration will continue advocating for the American people. The next step will be for the House to continue advancing the proposal from Chairman Goodlatte and Chairman McCaul. Democrats only have 49 votes in the Senate, but 60 Senators voted against the bill, which means that the rejection of Trumps plan to basically end legal immigration into the country was bipartisan. Trump wants to blame Democrats for a rejection that came from both parties. Trumps tantrum cant hide the reality that his Art of the Deal negotiating nonsense doesnt work on members of Congress. Trump can make one-sided offers, bully, and bluster his way to legislative success. Trump blew up the DACA deal, and he could save the Dreamers with a stroke of his pen. The fact that he refuses to do so is not lost on anyone. Read The Full Stunning Indictment Of 13 Russian Nationals and 3 Entities for Interfering With U.S. Elections 1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Robert Muellers office indicted thirteen Russian nationals and three Russian entities on Friday. The indictment accuses them of violating U.S. criminal laws in order to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes, including the 2016 U.S. election. < The indictment discusses Russians being on the ground to set up rallies and prop Donald Trump up for the election and denigrate Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton. Summary: The indictment says defendants operations included supporting Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton. This included staging political rallies and buying political advertising while posing as grassroots U.S. groups. During 2016 presidential campaign, Russian defendants spread derogatory information about Clinton, Rubio, Cruz and supported Sanders and Trump. Defendants posed as Americans and created false online personas and social media pages. Communicating with U.S.-based group, the defendants were advised to focus their activities on purple states like Colorado, Virginia and Florida. Some defendants traveled to U.S., used some U.S.-based computer infrastructure to hide Russian origin of activities. In second half of 2016, Russian defendants began to encourage minority groups not to vote in November election. In summer of 2016, defendants began to promote allegations of voter fraud by Democratic Party through social media. Russian defendants paid one American to build a cage and a second American to wear a costume portraying Clinton in a prison uniform. There are no allegations in this indictment that the Russian interference affected the outcome of the 2016 election. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Read the indictment: internet_research_agency_indictment . The worst kept political secret of the past year is now official. Mitt Romney is running to replace Sen. Orrin Hatch in Utah. < Here is Romneys announcement: Mitt Romneys announcement video: I am running for United States Senate to serve the people of Utah and bring Utah's values to Washington. pic.twitter.com/TDkas6gD2p Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 16, 2018 Mitt Romney just needed Orrin Hatch to retire Romney was always going to run for this seat. His biggest problem was convincing Orrin Hatch to retire. Romneys return to Utah is a big loss for Trump, as the president begged Hatch not to retire. Trump will be losing one of his few cheerleaders in the Senate who will be replaced by one of his biggest critics in the Republican Party. Look for Romney be morally repulsed by Trump, but try to find a middle path. If there is ever an impeachment trial in the Senate for Trump, Mitt Romney will be an interesting person to watch, since he warned the country about Russia years before the rise of Trump. Romney is a good fit for Utah and a potential future headache for Trump. Hungary's 'Meszaros & Co.' remains interested in local Telenor arm Hungarys Konzum Nyrt., an interest of Lorinc Meszaros, an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, maintains its interest in the telecommunications sector, Chairman-CEO Gellert Jaszai told InfoRadio in an interview late on Thursday. He added that if Telenors local operation does indeed go up for sale, it could be a potential investment target for his company. The banking and insurance markets are also strategic businesses where Konzum would like to expand in, he said. As regards market rumours" about a potential takeover of the local operation of Norwegian mobile carrier Telenor, Gellert Jaszai said Konzum had published a strategy at the end of last year that was not a highly detailed sectorial strategy, but telecommunications was flagged within IT as an interesting strategic or potentially strategic industry for Konzum. I can confirm that it remains appealing for us."According to market sources, Telenor intends to sell its Central and Eastern European interests, and they also say on the market that there are several companies that wish to buy those. All I can add to that is that if there is such a process this potential investment could be interesting for us. I cannot confirm or deny anything else. The Chairman-CEO said Konzum wants to build up strategic positions in strategic sectors. The financial, banking and insurance markets are among such sectors, we would like to expand more in these, he added. A 49% stake in MKB Bank is already significantly influenced by Konzum, he said.Asked whether Konzum is interested in, Jaszai replied that"Once it is [on the agenda] you should ask [again]." Jaszai only confirmed that the group intends to further develop and grow in each strategic sector it is already present in. Without a doubt, one of the strangest constellations in the winter heavens is Auriga, the chariot driver with goats on his shoulder. It must have been quite a party when folks looked into the heavens and came up with that constellation. Libations must have been aplenty at that bash! Auriga is part of my favorite group of constellations I call "Orion and his gang" that dominate the winter heavens, and is one of the constellations that leads in the winter shiners. It resembles a giant lopsided pentagon with the bright star Capella at one of the corners. This time of winter, Auriga is perched very high in the early evening southern sky, practically overhead. The best way to locate it is to find Capella and trace out the rest of the pentagon from there. Capella is positioned on the upper right corner of the pentagon that appears to be pointing down at legendary constellation Orion the Hunter. So how do you make a lopsided pentagon into a chariot driver hauling a mama goat with her baby kids? A mega imagination! Honestly, most constellations don't really look like what they are supposed to be because they were more or less celestial props and visual tools to pass on stories and legends from generation to generation. Way back then there weren't many books, Kindles, and YouTube videos. Those things were still a few years off, so these poor excuses for pictures in the stars were used to pass on all the tales. People would see a formation or group of stars that approximately matched the character of a particular story and would name that constellation after the character. Different civilizations would have different characters and constellations. The Greeks named Auriga, but in this case I think they went to extremes. According to one of the Greek legends, there once was a mighty king named Oenomaus who was a ruler of a mighty kingdom. He had a beautiful daughter Hippodameia, who had many suitors who wished to marry her. King Oenomaus didn't wish for his daughter to be married to any of them, and in fact wanted them all killed. Nice guy! Now the king was an excellent chariot racer and arranged chariot races with all the suitors. The deal was this. The first suitor to beat him in a race would win the hand of his daughter, but if he lost the race he would be killed. Since Oenomaus had the fastest horses in the land, he routinely outraced the young lads and slayed the suitors one by one. There was only one suitor left, Pelops, son of Hermes, the messenger of the gods. When his turn came to chariot race for the hand of Hippodameia, he got some extra divine help from the other gods. They provided a chariot that would sprout golden wings to insure victory. Pelops didn't stop there, though; he paid off Oenomaus's chariot driver Myrtilus to betray the king. Myrtilus was to replace the lynchpins of the king's chariot with copies made of wax. In return for his betrayal, Pelops promised half the kingdom to Myrtilus after the king lost the race and was killed. When the race began, Oenmaus was able to keep up with Pelops, but right on schedule the golden wings popped out of the crooked suitor's chariot. The king was left in a cloud of dust. Oenomaus ordered Myrtilus to force the horses to go faster, but Myrtilus had other plans. The once faithful student ejected out of the chariot just before it self-destructed. Oenomaus was dragged to his death, cursing the name of Myrtilus. Pelops proceeded to marry Hippodamia and live happily ever after with the queen of the kingdom. Myrtilus was happy for the new couple, but he still wanted his half of the kingdom. A deal was a deal! He confronted Pelops, demanding his share, but crooked as ever, Pelops stalled him, claiming that his lawyers were drawing up all the papers that would be ready in a few days. Myrtilus was satisfied with this explanation and went walking off. Just as he did, Pelops, with his inherited godly powers, kicked Mytilus so hard that he went flying into the heavens and magically became the constellation we know today as Auriga. No one knows exactly how the betraying chariot driver got the mama goat and baby goats on his shoulder, but the leading theory is that they were added on by shepherds as they watched their flocks by night. Again, look for Auriga the charioteer turned goat farmer in the low eastern evening sky. See if you can spot the dim triangle of stars that make the baby goats just below Capella. ---- Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul and is author of the book, "Stars, a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations" published by Adventure Publications. The Rochester Astronomy Club welcomes new members and puts on public star parties. Their website is rochesterskies.org. If you have any astronomical questions or want me to write about something you're seeing in the night sky, drop me a line at mikewlynch@comcast.net. See more illustrations online: www.facebook.com/mike.lynch.12327. The Senate today rejected the immigration bill proposed by the Common Sense Coalition that I described last night. It would have granted amnesty for almost two million Dreamers in exchange for watered down border security provisions and nothing on the immigration reform front. The vote to take up the bill was 54-45 (with Sen. McCain unable to vote) six votes short of the required 60. In reality, it was a closer call than that. Three Democrats were prepared to vote in favor if their vote would have made the difference. Only when it became clear that the bill would come up a little short did they vote against it. These three profiles in courage were Kamala Harris, Martin Heinrich, and Tom Udall. Harris seems like a worthy successor to Barack Obama. But at least she didnt try to vote present. President Trumps opposition was the key to defeating centrist amnesty. He warned he would veto the bill, saying it would undermine the safety and security of American families and impede economic growth for American workers and result in a flood of new illegal immigration in the coming months. Sen. Bob Corker also played a role in the bills demise. His announcement that he would vote no seemed to halt its momentum. Some view his vote as a sign hes reconsidering his decision to step down from the Senate. A yes vote would have hurt of his chance of winning the nomination if he decides to run. The Senate also defeated the Coons-McCain version of amnesty. The vote was 52-47. This leaves only Sen. Grassleys bill, which the White House backs. It too will fail. [UPDATE: It has by a vote of 39-60.] Thus, the March 5 deadline for granting DACA relief will expire with no legislative fix. However, our robed masters in the federal judiciary have barred the administration, for now, from rescinding for former president Obamas DACA order. So the deadline wasnt really a deadline after all. To me, only two legislative fixes make sense: (1) amnesty for the DACA population in exchange for full and immediate funding for the wall plus additional strong border security measures or (2) amnesty for the DACA/Dreamer population in exchange for full wall funding/border security, plus real immigration reform i.e. severely restricting chain migration and ending the diversity lottery. The second fix is the one Grassley proposed with Trumps backing the one that was roundly defeated today. [Note: Grassleys proposal included not just amnesty but a path to citizenship. I do not favor a path to citizenship]. Absent one of these two fixes, there should be no amnesty because such amnesty will spur lots more illegal immigration, and the seemingly endless cycle of the past 30-plus years will continue. Earlier this week, the CIA filed a brief in federal court arguing that it can selectively release classified information to trusted journalists while withholding the same information from other citizens who request it through open records laws. As Will Racke reports for the Daily Caller, the agency claimed that limited disclosures to reporters do not waive national security exemptions to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The case stems from lawsuit against the CIA by an independent journalist who had used FOIA to obtain emails between the agencys public information office and selected reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. The emails the CIA provided were redacted. Thus, the independent journalist was not allowed to see the same information that had been given to reporters who lacked security clearance. The journalist argued that once the CIA has selectively disclosed information to uncleared reporters, it cannot claim the same information is protected by a FOIA exemption. So far, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the Southern District of New York has sided with the independent journalist. In rejecting the CIAs initial arguments, she wrote: In this case, CIA voluntarily disclosed to outsiders information that it had a perfect right to keep private. There is absolutely no statutory provision that authorizes limited disclosure of otherwise classified information to anyone, including trusted reporters, for any purpose, including the protection of CIA sources and methods that might otherwise be outed. She added: The fact that the reporters might not have printed what was disclosed to them has no logical or legal impact on the waiver analysis, because the only fact relevant to waiver analysis is: Did the CIA do something that worked a waiver of a right it otherwise had? I think the judge is correct on the law. Though not relevant to the legal issue, it may be worth noting that the trusted reporter concept has evolved in ways that undercut a policy argument in favor of selectively releasing classified information. There may have been a time when trusted reporter meant a reporter who could be relied on not to use the information in a way that harmed national security. John Scali is the classic case. During the Cuban missile crisis, he carried messages back and forth between the Soviets and the Americans, helping to defuse a situation that might have led to nuclear war. These days, a trusted reporter is apt to be one who can be relied on to use the information in ways that advance the agenda of the CIA or a particular individual within the agency. In a sense, the trusted reporter is a prostitute. If the CIA loses in this case, the unsavory practice of providing classified information only to sources willing to do the agencys bidding will be dealt a setback. Our robed masters have really made their presence felt on the lower federal courts in their treatment of President Trumps three so-called Muslim travel ban orders. The Supreme Court will have the final word and it is in light of the Courts prospective final word in Trump v. Hawaii that David Rivkin and Lee Casey declared last week in the Wall Street Journal (at least according to the overoptimistic headline) that The judicial resistance is futile (behind the Journals subscription paywall). This week the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejoined the Ninth Circuit to hold President Trumps orders unconstitutional in International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump. Sitting en banc, the court ruled 9-4 against the administration. Writing for the court, Judge Gregory held that the administrations proffered rationale for the Proclamation lies at odds with the statements of the President himself and determined that examining official statements from President Trump and other executive branch officials, along with the proclamation itself, we conclude that the proclamation is unconstitutionally tainted with animus toward Islam. Dahlia Lithwick has posted a concise summary for Slate here. Anyone in his right mind would want a summary in lieu of the original, which runs to a total of 285 pages (including concurrences and dissents). What we have here is an excess of communication. According to the court, Trumps stated rationale for promulgating the orders is not bona fide. It is made in bad faith. The court itself seems possessed of a certain animus. Perhaps mania is the more apt word. Yet the courts opinion serves a purpose. It is an exhibit in the suicidal insanity of the left. It is an exhibit in the lefts continuing war on the sovereignty of the American people to treat questions of immigration as they see fit. The court applies Supreme Court precedent construing the First Amendment establishment clause to the executive orders, as though foreign nonresidents of the United States fall under the protection of the First Amendment as construed (erroneously) by the Supreme Court. It takes the association of Islam with terrorism itself to be evidence of animus. The association of Islam with terrorism becomes a thought disapproved if not prohibited by the First Amendment. According to the court, the purpose of the executive orders is not primarily secular. We are in a sort of madhouse. Enter at your peril. These people are, as I say, nuts. Before the election and the promulgation of Trumps executive orders, and therefore before the development of the specific arguments before the court, the Claremont Institutes Professor Ed Erler expressed incredulity about what in fact has come to pass: Prominent constitutional scholars have argued that, in any case, it would be unconstitutional to ban Muslims from emigrating to the U.S. One Harvard law professor seriously suggests that the Constitutions prohibition against religious tests for holding public office would bar Trumps proposal. Presumably, none of the refugees are seeking offices, but it is the spirit not the language of the Constitution that forbids considering immigrants religion. If that argument sounds preposterous, other experts invoke the First Amendments protections for free exercise of religion, or the 14th Amendments guarantee of equal protection of the laws. Such arguments extend these guarantees to the entire world, including potential asylum seekers. To the contrary, the Constitution gives plenary power to Congress to pass laws on naturalization and, by necessary implication, regulating immigration. The Supreme Court has always correctly recognized this power as inherent in national sovereignty. To borrow an expression, Im with him. Im not with Ilya Somin. We all recall President Obamas 2008 pre-election promise to transform the United States. It betrayed a certain animus against our constitutional order. I would love to have seen a court take President Obamas pre-election promise into account in the multifarious litigation over Obamacare. There is much to meditate on here. Im embedding the courts opinions below. Look at the list of parties. Look at the list of amici filing briefs. Look at the list of attorneys. We dont roll into the opinion itself until page 15. All the way around, it is almost unbelievable. Quotable quote: Judge Niemeyer (dissenting): The opinions of the district court and those supporting the majoritys judgment are demonstrably wrong in virtually every material respect. International Refugee Assistance Project v. Trump by Scott Johnson on Scribd Earlier today, Robert Mueller indicted thirteen Russian citizens and three Russian entities in connection with their activities concerning the 2016 election. I will be on the Howie Carr Show in Boston at 4:35 Eastern to talk about the indictment. You can listen at the link. I may have more to say later, but for now, these are my observations on the indictment: * There is no allegation that the Russians colluded with anyone in the Trump campaign. On the contrary, the indictment describes any communication between Russians and any Trump campaign officials as unwitting. Specifically, it refers to two emails that Russians sent to state-level Trump campaign staffers. * Does this mean that Mueller has given up on the collusion theory of which the Democrats have so long dreamed? Maybe. Perhaps he has concluded that absent evidence of collusionwhich is not even hinted at in the indictmentthe best he can do is to imply that President Trump can be considered illegitimate, since he won with the help of Russian meddling. * The indictment is odd, to say the least. Its very first paragraph recites that it is against the law for foreign nationals to spend money to influence US elections, or for agents of foreign countries to engage in political activities without registering. But no one is charged with these crimes. Instead, the indictment is devoted mostly to charging a conspiracy to defraud the United States. Normally, that would refer to defrauding the U.S. out of, say, $10,000 in Medicare benefits. Its application to the 2016 election seems dubious. Beyond that, the indictment charges relatively minor offenses: bank fraud (opening accounts in false names) and identity theft. * That is probably moot, since as far as the indictment discloses, all of the Russians are now in Russia. I assume there is no realistic prospect of punishing them. * The indictment acknowledges that the purpose of the Russian operation was toas the Russians themselves allegedly put itspread distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general. Thus, the Russian social media efforts (the indictment is mostly about Facebook) attacked Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, while supporting Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Jill Stein. In other words, they supported anti-establishment versus establishment candidates. Once the general election was under way, they generally supported Trump rather than Clinton, but once Trump was elected, they sponsored anti-Trump rallies. * The indictment says nothing about how effective the Russians efforts were, but their magnitude was rather small. At the height of the campaign in September 2016, the campaigns budget was only $1,250,000 per month. Compare that with the $100 million that Jeb Bush spent, or the $1.2 billion that Hillary Clinton reportedly ran through. The indictment talks about Facebook reach, a figure widely considered meaningless. How many people actually turned out for the rallies that the Russians sponsored? The indictment doesnt say. * The Russians dont seem to have been very sophisticated. Several of them traveled to the U.S. to do research. It was while in the U.S. that one of them, pretending to be an American, was told by a Texan that his group should focus its efforts on purple states, like Colorado, Virginia and Florida. The indictment says that the Russians took that advice to heart. Further reflection may give rise to more observations, but that is what occurs to me on a first reading. You can read the indictment here. As Steve said this morning, it is pretty much pointless to comment on mass shooting events before the facts are known. But that hasnt stopped liberals from going into full hysteria mode, as they always do. And perhaps the dust has settled enough to allow some preliminary observations. Here are mine: 1. The facts, to the extent they have been reported, are very weird. The murderer, Nikolas Cruz, packed up a semiautomatic rifle, a gas mask and plenty of ammunition and took an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Apparently the Uber driver saw nothing amiss. Cruz shot some people outside the school; I take it that he did this before entering. He went into the school and reportedly pulled a fire alarm, then killed fourteen or so students who poured into the halls. Having done so, he put down his rifle and left the school as if he were an ordinary student, apparently without anyone being the wiser. He proceeded to a Subway, and from there to a McDonalds, where he was arrested without incident well after the murders were over. If these really are the facts, it is hard to understand why Cruz encountered so little opposition. 2. Liberals, naturally, are braying about common sense gun legislation. Barack Obama is one among many. Of course, they never can tell us what those common sense reforms might be. To the extent that it isnt sheer political calculation, their hysteria represents a childish wish that firearms didnt exist. I actually might agree with them on that, but for firearms to disappear you would have to erase 500 years of history. You might as well try to ban knives. But liberalism isnt about practical solutions, it is about expressing emotion while trying to garner votes. 3. Mass school shootings are, thankfully, rare. The liberal talking point, endlessly repeated today, that this is the 18th school shooting of 2018 is simply false. (Dont hold your breath waiting for corrections from the Democratic Party media, however.) But what, practically, can we do to prevent them? In recent years, just about every school district in America has hired an army of administrators of various sorts. If I were the principal of a school, the first thing I would do is terminate one of those administrator positions and replace it with an armed guard. The high school that my children all attended had a guard on the premises at all times, and while he didnt display a weapon, my kids assumed he was armed. That should be true in every school. In some high schools, multiple armed police officers are present. It has been reported that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had a guardwhether armed or not is not clearbut he didnt encounter Cruz during his murder spree. It has also been reported that Cruz ranged between the first and third floors of the high school as he shot students. So the absence of an encounter is hard to understand. My opinion: if one armed guard isnt enough, hire two. And teachers with carry permits are a useful backup. 4. As seems to be the case in all mass shooting incidents, Nikolas Cruz was nutty as a fruitcake. Fellow students immediately assumed that he was the shooter. The fundamental problem here relates to mental health. Having emptied its insane asylums in a misguided attempt at liberation, the U.S. is virtually without a mental health system. President Trump, despite the derision of the Democratic Party media, is absolutely right to emphasize this aspect of the problem. The question, obviously, is what to do about it. One thing I dont know: are there a million fruitcakes like Nikolas Cruz, Seung-Hui Cho, Adam Lanza and James Holmes, so that it is impossible to predict which of them will prove dangerous, while the large majority are harmless? Or are there just a few such potential perpetrators? If the latter, it would seem that far greater efforts could be made to identify and preemptively deal with potential mass murderers. Although how to do so within legal constraints is, of course, a serious question. 5. Along those lines, Nikolas Cruz was reported to the FBI after he commented on a YouTube video by saying that he was going to be a school shooter. To his credit, the guy who produced the video saw Cruzs comment and contacted the FBI. The FBI interviewed him, but did nothing, reportedly because they werent able to find Nikolas Cruz, even though he used his real name in the comment. This probably isnt the time for snark, but it is hard to resist observing that the FBI should spend less time trying to bring down a president who is not of the same party as the Bureaus political leadership, and more time trying to prevent mass murder. 6. In my opinion, people on the scene of a mass shooting incident are consistently given bad advice. Hiding and waiting for the murderer to find you is, generally, a poor strategy. In the best case, it wont stop others from being killed. If three or four able-bodied men rush a single murderer from different directions, they will almost certainly be able to disable him. This is especially true if he is armed with a rifle, which is effective at a distance but not intended for close combat. Rushing a shooter takes courage and a certain degree of coordination, but it likely will work, as in the incident dramatized in The 15:17 To Paris. 7. This photo, according to the New York Daily News, comes from Nikolas Cruzs Instagram account. Cruz apparently owned quite a few firearms: None of these weapons looks especially expensive, but still: where did a 19-year-old get the money for them? It has been reported that some, at least, were legally purchased at a Florida gun store. My question to liberals is: which of the weapons shown in the photograph are you proposing to ban? 8. This is also, according to the Daily News, from Cruzs Instagram account. I havent seen Democrats going nuts about it, but maybe that is because I never go on Twitter: Expect to see a lot about that photo in days to come. To which I can only say: James T. Hodgkinson. Who, to all appearances, was not a fruitcake. Ammo Grrrll is pretty sure that its all about RECRUITING NEW DEMOCRATS. She writes: The summer of my junior year of high school, my boyfriend arranged for us to see The Smothers Brothers at the Grandstand Show at the Minnesota State Fair. They were an absolute delight clean, fresh, hilarious and became one of my earliest influences. Little did I know then, of course, that I would open for the Smothers Brothers at a private event for the Minnesota Grocers Association a mere quarter century later. Dick and Tommy were extremely kind, encouraging, and gentlemanly toward me, a relatively new comic, and appeared to be very nice people. But heres my actual point: their act was exactly the same as it had been when I saw them in 1963. Word for word. I knew because I had memorized it. It was a timeless, highly-professional act, and people loved it. They had no need to change it, because it wasnt broke. In the comedy business, unless you get a sitcom, there are really only two ways to make a living. You can have the insane work ethic of a Jerry Seinfeld and write new material for eight hours a day. However, with the exception of Jerry and a handful of others, most comics do not go into comedy to work hard. No. Had we wanted to work hard, we would have gone into mining, farming, trucking, construction, ranching, or air conditioning repair in Arizona. We like to say, I love comedy. The pay is good, but the hour is great. How many people work for an hour a day, and get applause both before and after they show up for work? But if you are not interested in putting your butt in a cheap desk chair and writing new material all day, you have one other option: You can perfect an act that really works and you can tour. Or, as we put it, Its a lot easier to get a new audience than new material. It turns out this is also true for political parties. The Democrat Party has lurched so far left that it has alienated yuge swaths of the electorate. It is peddling the same stale, tired, hateful, divisive, grievance-grubbing material with the same ancient pitch-coots and spokes-crones. They desperately need a new audience of voters to replace the white working class and tax-paying middle classes of all colors whom they have gratuitously insulted and driven away. They are counting on voters who are young, stupid and influenced by endorsements from brain-dead celebrities. Sadly, these people frequently do not bother to vote, like Colin Cops R Pigs Socks Kaepernick. But more importantly, they need people who dont understand English with the exception of two words: free stuff. And hence the Democrats fanatic death-grip commitment to open borders, sanctuary cities, chain migration and visa roulette. They must cling to these unpopular positions like barnacles clinging to a sinking ship because they have nothing else to offer. Not a thing. Heres a recap of just a few of the greatest hits of the Obama Era and continuing with the mighty P. Hat Resistance: Like your doctor? You cant keep her. Haha. We were lying and laughing at you while we lied. Hard-working, well-paid miner? Were going to kill coal. We dont even try to pretend otherwise; we are proud enough to say it outloud. Are you an Asian-American who studied every spare minute of high school? You dont count. You need 400 more points on your college entrance exams than slackers of color in order to get into our prestigious schools. Sorry, Asians, your skin is not the right color. Well, its not about color per se because many East Indians are darker than African-Americans, but Indians dont count either. Like Asians, Indians also engage in totally unfair studying, plus they have parents who read to them and go to parent-teacher conferences, that sort of privileged White Supremacy thing. We are going to penalize, sue, and boycott any state that makes any effort to enforce national immigration laws. Same for hillbilly states that think women and girls should potty in their own bathrooms, free from the intrusion and danger of men in dresses. We are going to call all women brave who claim to have had unwanted sexual contact just because they were accidentally drunk and naked in a mans apartment on the first date. Dont feel like making a fuss right now? Heck, you can wait years, decades even, to make scurrilous but brave charges it will be impossible to defend against. Put Gloria Allred on speed-dial and, in the unlikely event that its possible for a zombie to pass away, her daughter will be right there to pick up the slack. Anyway, back to the awesome planks in the Democrat platform. Think abortion is vile any time, but especially after the baby can feel pain and is viable? Tough noogies! Think the black family would be better off with jobs? You are hopeless racists! Black unemployment lowest in history is a BAD thing and the CBC wont STAND for it. Literally. But nothing is as bad as everything white. White people are privileged and evil. Every. Last. One. Ask Obama about his Grandma. Ask him while youre at it about his portrait artist, a proud graduate of the Art School advertised on Matchbook Covers, whose main oeuvre is black people holding the decapitated heads of white people. Isnt that just adorable? Undoubtedly brave, too. Oh, and just in case you werent turned off enough, we Democrats love disrespect to the flag and the Anthem. We hate guns unless they are held by our private security guards. We hate free speech on campus or in the workplace, but love kneeling during the National Anthem. That Free Speech is groovy. Wow! With a platform this catchy and attractive, why in the world would the Democrats need to import 30 million indebted new voters and distribute them around the Red States? Got me. John has offered his take on the Mueller news just below. Heres my first pass at it: The indictment of 13 Russians handed down today by special prosecutor Robert Mueller is going to dominate the news cycle at least through the weekend and likely beyond. This is a Groundhog Day event, assuring at least six more weeks (if not months) of the Trump-Russia story line. The indictment provides details of a determined and sophisticated effort costing millions of dollars and involving hundreds of paid individuals, some of whom spent considerable time in the United States gathering detailed intelligence and helping to organize a vast operation to utilize social media. Im seeing early news reports that deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein says that no Americans were knowing participants in the scheme (the indictment speaks of contacts with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign, which I suppose doesnt rule out witless associates of the Trump campaign like Paul Manafort), and that theres no evidence that it affected the outcome of the election. Perhaps he read my post from earlier today? Beyond, as the indictment alleges, trying to interfere in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election (p. 10 and elsewhere), what were the Russians trying to accomplish with all this? As John says below, it appears to have been simply to spread distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general. The anti-Trump media is going to seize upon certain parts of the indictment (which you can download here) to support the thesis that the Russians favored a Trump victory, especially the tantalizing lines scattered throughout about supporting Trump. There are also a few references (such as one on p. 13) to a real U.S. person affiliated with a Texas-based grassroots organization. The real U.S. persons are not named anywhere in the indictment. But when all the details are added up a much murkier picture emerges. First, the effort apparently began taking shape as early as May 2014 (and perhaps as early as 2013), an entire year before Trump became a candidate. Then, as they got underway during the primary season, the indictment says (p. 17) that They engaged in operations primarily intended to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump, and instructions to their online specialists to use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trumpwe support them). It didnt take any kind of special intelligence to perceive that Sanders and Trump represented the two most disruptive candidates in the field. Just think of how the political establishments of both parties would have regarded a Sanders-Trump general election in 2016. Third, the Russian operation organized and promoted numerous pro-Trump rallies, but also attempted to manipulate anti-Trump groups and organize anti-Trump events, especially after the election. On p. 23, for example: At the same time, Defendants and their co-conspirators, through another ORGANIZATION-controlled group, organized a rally in New York called Trump is NOT my President held on or about November 12, 2016. Similarly, Defendants and their co-conspirators organized a rally entitled Charlotte Against Trump in Charlotte, North Carolina, held on or about November 19, 2016. This is all classic disinformation and grassroots manipulation tradecraft going back to the Soviet era, when we know the Soviets worked diligently and spent lavishly to gin up anti-nuclear grassroots groups in the West, but also manipulated anti-Communist groups behind the Iron Curtain, the better to be able to sow chaos among its enemies. So lets restate the likely explanations. Why did the Russians do this? Because they could. It was useful for them to discover how much they could infiltrate the political process in the U.S., and above all to sow chaos. Actually favoring a Trump victory over Hillary makes little sense on substance, because most of Trumps foreign policy positionscheaper energy, expanded defense spending by us and NATO, more missile defenseare averse to Russian interests. But an election result that leaves chaos in its wake works perfectly well whether Hillary had won or Trump. In that sense, the Russian operation has been a sweeping success for them. Maybe our media ought to reflect that they are serving Russian interests very well with their rabid sensationalism of the collusion story. On Friday evening, the facade of the Polish Presidential Palace was set to be illuminated by a special lighting display, to mark the occasion (1 / 2) President Andrzej Duda on Friday issued a congratulatory letter to Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite and the whole Lithuanian nation on the 100th anniversary of the reconstruction of this Baltic state. "With 100 years passing since the resurgence of the statehood of the Lithuanian Republic," the Polish head of state wrote in a letter, "I would like to offer you, Madam President, and all the citizens of Lithuania, my heartfelt congratulations and wishes of every success." The Polish president emphasised that 2018 is a special year for both states and nations, because Lithuania and Poland are celebrating their respective independence centenaries. "For centuries, the histories of our countries have been criss-crossing each other in a particular way," Andrzej Duda wrote. "Drawing on our experiences, which span many centuries," he added, "we are focusing on contemporary challenges, in our bilateral relations, as well as in the whole Euro-Atlantic space." The Polish head of state went on to write, "I am pleased that, in such a special year for our countries and societies, I can join you in celebrating the centenary of the resurgence of the Lithuanian statehood." "Madam President, let me wish you many successes and much prosperity. I wish you, Madam President, and all the citizens of Lithuania, a joyful celebration of this unique anniversary," the president concluded. On Friday evening, the facade of the Polish Presidential Palace was illuminated by a special lighting display, to mark the occasion. (PAP) The report " 1-Decene Market by Derivative (Polyalphaolefins, Oxo Alcohols (Plasticizer and Detergent Alcohols), Linear Alkyl Benzene, Linear Mercaptans, Chlorinated Alpha Olefins, Alkyl Dimethylamine & di-Alkyl Dimethylamine), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022 " published by MarketsandMarkets, the global 1-Decene market is estimated at USD 999.4 Million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 1,272.7 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2017 to 2022. Increase in end-use applications of various derivatives, such as synthetic lubricants, compressor oils, transmission oils, plasticizer alcohols, detergent alcohols, solvents, and lube-oil additives across various industries is driving the 1-Decene Market. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 89 tables and 32 figures spread through 108 pages and in-depth TOC on "1-Decene Market" https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/1-decene-market-248837040.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports The polyalphaolefins segmented accounted for the largest share of the 1-Decene Market in 2017 The polyalphaolefins segment is projected to be the largest market for 1-Decene from 2017 to 2022. Factors such as, the rapid growth of the automotive industry in Asia Pacific, rising disposable income and living standards, flexible government taxation policies; rapid technological advancements in products & product offerings are some of the major factors driving the market for 1-Decene in the polyalphaolefins segment. Get PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=248837040 Europe is estimated to be the largest market for 1-Decene Market in 2017 In Europe, Belgium is the largest market for 1-Decene in Europe and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The large industrial base of polyalphaolefins in Belgium makes it a potential market for 1-Decene. Germany is expected to be the fastest-growing market for 1-Decene. It is the leading automobile manufacturer in the region, which influences the growth of the market in the country. The global 1-Decene Market has a large number of market players; however, the market is led by some major players, such as Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands), Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (US), Ineos Group Limited (Switzerland), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), Sasol Limited (South Africa), ExxonMobil (US), PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim (Russia), and Qatar Chemical Company (Qatar). Inquiry Before Buying @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=248837040 Browse Related Reports Alpha Olefins Market by Type (1-Butene, 1-Hexene, 1-Octene, 1-Decene, 1-Dodecene), Application (Polyolefin Co-monomers, Surfactants and Intermediates, Lubricants, Fine Chemicals, Plasticizers, Oil Field Chemicals), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/alpha-olefin-market-1282.html Plasticizers Market by Type (Low Phthalates, High Phthalates, and Non-Phthalates), Sub-Type (DOP, DINP/DIDP, DOTP, Bio-Based, & Others) & Geography - Trends and Forecasts to 2019 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/plasticizers-market-688.html Know More About our Knowledge Store @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets SOURCE MarketsandMarkets TORONTO, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), led by Baycrest Health Sciences, announced today the third round of funding available through its Industry Innovation Partnership Program (I2P2). Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/642850/Centre_for_Aging_and_Brain_Health_Innovation_Logo.jpg "Our Government is proud to support advancements in innovation for aging and brain health in older adults as we work towards a national dementia strategy," said the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health. "Innovative projects and partnerships will help us achieve our goal to improve the quality of life of those living with dementia, both in Canada and abroad." CABHI maintains a strong commitment to the cognitive and mental well-being of older adults, and the health and social care needs of persons with dementia, and those who care for them, by supporting innovations that are aimed at finding solutions to the following care priorities: Aging in place: solutions that enable older adults with dementia to maximize their choices, independence and quality of life to enable aging in the most appropriate setting solutions that enable older adults with dementia to maximize their choices, independence and quality of life to enable aging in the most appropriate setting Caregiver support: solutions that support caregivers (formal and informal) in providing care to older adults with dementia solutions that support caregivers (formal and informal) in providing care to older adults with dementia Care coordination and navigation: solutions that help older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers coordinate care and transitions for older adults with dementia solutions that help older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers coordinate care and transitions for older adults with dementia Cognitive health: solutions that focus on health promotion, prevention, early diagnostics, and slow the progression of cognitive impairment for aging adults Applicants must have a mature product or service that they would like to test with older adults at an eligible North American trial partner site. CABHI will provide 50 per cent of the project costs to a maximum of $500,000 CAD to the trial partner site to work with the company, and to test and validate the company's product or service. Successful applicants will be required to co-invest 50 per cent of the project costs through cash and in-kind support. "Through the Industry Innovation Partnership Program, we are increasingly excited about some of the early benefits to innovators in the seniors' care sector," says Dr. William Reichman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest Health Sciences. "Through this initiative, CABHI is helping to build networks of collaborators to increase capacity in the seniors' care sector for testing innovations." All projects must be completed within a 12 to 15-month period. Eligible applicants must submit their online application by 5 p.m. on March 12, 2018. Full details and selection criteria are available on the CABHI website. Funding for this program is provided by the Government of Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science, and the Baycrest Foundation. View this media release in French. The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) is a solution accelerator for the aging and brain health sector, providing funding and support to innovators for the development, testing, and dissemination of new ideas and technologies that address unmet brain health and seniors' care needs. Established in 2015, it is the result of the largest investment in brain health and aging in Canadian history. CABHI is a unique collaboration of health care, science, industry, not-for-profit and government partners whose aim is to help improve quality of life for the world's aging population, allowing older adults to age safely in the setting of their choice while maintaining their cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. For more information on CABHI, please visit: www.cabhi.com. Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals and one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute. Baycrest is home to the federally and provincially-funded Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector, and is the developer of Cogniciti a free, online brain health assessment for Canadians 40+ who are concerned about their memory. Through its dedicated centres, Baycrest Health Sciences offers unmatched global knowledge exchange and commercialization capacity. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: www.baycrest.org. For further information: Media Contact - Arielle Zomer, Senior Communications Specialist, CABHI, 416-785-2500 ext. 6086, [email protected]; Jonathan MacIndoe, Senior Communications Specialist, Baycrest Health Sciences, 416-785-2500, ext. 6579, [email protected] Related Links http://www.cabhi.com SOURCE Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation BANGALORE, February 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ~ Global Corporate Engineering and R&D (ER&D) spend is pegged at US$ 1,099 billion and is expected to reach US$ 1,310 billion by 2022 ~ ~ Global Digital Engineering spend stands at US$ 217 billion and accounts for 20% of Corporate ER&D spending, which is expected to touch US$ 485 billion by 2022 ~ Zinnov, a global management consulting firm, today released its Engineering R&D (ER&D) report that assessed the ER&D landscape, the evolving priorities of R&D spenders, the key disruptions across verticals, and the magnitude of the untapped opportunities that are on the table for Service Providers. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130213/594614 ) A clear trend is that Traditional ER&D spenders are being disrupted by Digital Natives across verticals. Globally, new age technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, 3D printing, AR/VR, IoT, et al, and their myriad applications and use-cases are driving innovations. This is creating newer avenues to generate alternative revenue streams as well as modernize the product development lifecycle, enabling greater efficiencies. This increasing disruption is pushing large ER&D spenders to focus their resources and efforts on ' Digital Engineering'. Over the next five years, investments in digital engineering will increase significantly from the current ~20% of the total ER&D spend and is expected to account for more than one-third of the total ER&D spend by 2022. A key deterrent is the fact that the largest ER&D spenders are so entrenched in the status quo, that enabling organization-wide digital transformation is a herculean task. Those embarking on this journey are faced with challenges relating to people management, legacy complexities, change management, etc. However, these challenges translate into sizeable opportunities for Service Providers because of the scale and speed at which they can help large companies by a) carving out opportunities associated with end-to-end ownership of legacy products, end-of-life products, IP partnerships with revenue sharing, and R&D centers with legacy skillsets; b) modernizing their product development lifecycle to reduce time to market; c) building new and connected products by leveraging new age technologies such as IoT, AI, ML, RPA, etc. Speaking about what ER&D companies can do strategically, Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov, said, "While traditional ER&D spenders try to stave off competition from Digital Natives, they can look to leverage Service Provider capabilities to 'manage the old', 'renew the old', and 'build the new'." He further added, "Service Providers who focus on embedding digital technologies with digital outcomes and build deep capabilities to drive change across enterprise-level architecture will succeed." With digitalization sweeping the ecosystem, only the most agile, innovative, and robust organizations will survive. While every vertical and even horizontal is fair game for being disrupted, organizations need to relook their product strategies and prioritize their investments in exercises that yield positive business outcomes. Although enabling an enterprise-wide transformation is no mean feat, organizations need to embark on this journey sooner rather than later, if they wish to anchor their position as leaders in the ecosystem. About Zinnov: Zinnov was founded in 2002, and is headquartered in Bangalore, with presence in Gurgaon, Silicon Valley, and Houston. Since its inception, Zinnov has built in-depth expertise in Product Engineering and Digital Transformation. They assist their clients by: Research and strategy consulting for software Service Providers in the areas of Product Engineering and Digital Transformation; Enabling companies to develop and optimize a global engineering partner strategy to achieve higher throughput, innovation, productivity, and cost savings; Growing revenue for company's products and services in India and other emerging markets; Helping MNCs expand or consolidate their globalization footprint. With their team of experienced professionals and research teams, Zinnov serves clients from the Fortune 500 list across software, semiconductor, consumer electronics, automotive, storage, telecom & networking, healthcare, banking, financial services, and retail verticals in US, Europe, Japan, and India. For more information, visit http://zinnov.com Media Contact: Nitika Goel Director - Marketing & Communications, Zinnov [email protected] [email protected] +91-9845-016-255 Zinnov Management Consulting Pvt. Ltd. SOURCE Zinnov Management Consulting (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/641725/THOMAS_SABO_Mothers_Day_2018.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/641724/THOMAS_SABO_Mothers_Day_2018.jpg ) The best thing: If you purchase Generation Charm Club products with a value of 119 USD or 149 USD, THOMAS SABO will give you a one or two-row chain as a gift. Presented in suitable gift packaging with a greeting card, the heart Charms handcrafted from 925 Sterling silver - partly engravable and decorated with delicate 18k rose gold plating and sparkling stone embellishment - make every mother's heart beat faster. The Mother's Day promotion is valid during the respective periods* in all THOMAS SABO stores, THOMAS SABO shop-in-shops, at selected partners and in the online shop at http://www.thomassabo.com. Image material for editorial purposes is available here to download. *Period: Great Britain, Ireland: 15.02.-11.03.2018 Bulgaria: 19.02.-08.03.2018 Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania: 19.04.-06.05.2018 Asia, USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa: 26.04.-13.05.2018 Europe (with the exception of the countries listed): 26.04.-13.05.2018 France, Sweden: 10.05.-27.05.2018 About THOMAS SABO THOMAS SABO is one of the globally-leading jewellery, watches and beauty companies, designing, selling and distributing lifestyle products for women and men. The company, established in 1984 by Thomas Sabo in Lauf an der Pegnitz, southern Germany, operates around 300 of its own shops across all five continents with a total of around 1,860 employees. THOMAS SABO also collaborates globally with approximately 2,800 trade partners as well as leading airlines and cruise operators. Press contact THOMAS SABO GmbH & Co. KG Felizia Kindermann Head of International & Corporate PR +4991239710 [email protected] SOURCE THOMAS SABO GmbH & Co. KG PORTLAND, Oregon and PUNE, India, February 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Fraud Detection & Prevention Market by Solution, Services, Deployment Type, End User, and Industry Vertical: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2016-2023," the global fraud detection & prevention market was valued at $13,644 million in 2016, and is expected to reach $40,610 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 17% from 2017 to 2023. The banking, financial services & insurance (BFSI) and manufacturing sectors are expected to dominate the global market. North America was the leading contributor to the global revenue, whereas, Asia-Pacific is projected to be dominant region by 2023. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg ) Emergence of big data analytics across various industries, such as BFSI, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, real estate, and others, high demand for cloud services, and proliferation of mobile devices for payment are expected to drive the market growth. Mobile phones enable easy access to personally identifiable information such as email address, home address, and banking & stored payment information. However, high installation cost of deploying varied prevention solutions, including predictive analytics, big data analytics, customer analytics, and others, hinders this growth. Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2142 In 2016, BFSI accounted for maximum revenue share, owing to frequent incident of fraudulent activities, specifically in mobile transactions. For instance, in January 2018, HID Global collaborated with ThreatMark, a threat and fraud detection technology provider to develop new features to improve the ability of financial organizations to identify cyber threats such as malware, identity theft, and account takeover. Rise in demand for advanced authentication provides numerous growth opportunities for market expansion in the government sector. In addition, the retail segment is projected to grow at a highest CAGR of 18.7%, owing to rise in incident of card-related frauds, transactions, and revenue loses. The authentication segment generated the highest revenue in 2015, as organizations largely invest on technologies that can protect data from security risks and malware attacks. The fraud analytics solution is expected to grow at the highest CAGR, as these solutions analyze various forms of data and then covert them to actionable insights. In addition, rise in adoption of advanced analytics techniques and competitive intelligence that involves tactful data collection & collation, analysis, and formation of meaningful insights that enables in making strategic business decisions supplements the fraud detection & prevention market growth. For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2142 In 2016, North America accounted for a major share in the global fraud detection & prevention market. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate by 2023, owing to increase in rate of Internet penetration in India, China, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore as organizations need to protect corporate and personal information from fraud attacks. Furthermore, the need to support secure enterprise mobility practices within organizations is expected to boost the demand for fraud detection & prevention solutions. KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY In 2016, authentication dominated the overall fraud detection & prevention solutions segment, in terms of revenue, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.4% during the forecast period. Managed services is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR of 17.4 % during the forecast period On-premises deployment type is anticipated to generate the highest revenue by 2023. Small & medium enterprises (SMEs) is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 17.8% during the forecast period. The retail segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate of 18.7% during the forecast period. In 2016, North America generated the highest revenue in the global market, while Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a significant CAGR of 18.2%. Prominent players, such as IBM Corporation, BAE Systems, SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, ACI Worldwide, and others, focus on product launch, acquisition, and partnership for expansion in the market. For instance, in 2016, IBM Corporation acquired IRIS Analytics, a privately held company specializing in real-time analytics to help combat fraud. Ask for discount before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/get-discount/2142 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: Shriram Dighe 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com SOURCE Allied Market Research PORTLAND, Oregon and PUNE, India, February 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Gene Therapy Market by Vector Type, Gene Type, Application, and Geography: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023," the global gene therapy market accounted for $584 million in 2016, and is estimated to reach $4,402 million by 2023, registering a CAGR of 33.3% from 2017 to 2023. North America is the highest contributor in the gene therapy market in 2016; however, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg ) Gene therapies are promising therapies applicable to a broad range of diseases; their aim is to radically treat the causes of the diseases instead of only relieving the symptoms. They may be effective on a wide range of previously untreated diseases, such as hematological, ocular, neurodegenerative diseases, and several cancers. For example, adeno-associated AAV2 vectors carrying the therapeutic gene (RPE65) intra-retinal injection resulted in improved vision for people with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis. Gene therapies can be applied either in combination with cell products and through an ex vivo treatment mode (e.g. Strimvelis), or directly administered in vitro (e.g. Glybera). Several vectors present clinically relevant options, including adenovirus (AV), adeno-associated virus (AAV), and lentivirus. Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2841 The increase in funding for R&D activities pertaining to gene therapy and increase in awareness regarding gene therapy are the major factors that drive the market growth. In addition, increase in government support, ethical acceptance of gene therapy for cancer treatment, and rise in prevalence of cancer can fuel the growth of the gene therapy market. However, high cost associated with the treatment and unwanted immune responses are expected to hamper the market growth. Among the vector type, viral vectors contribute to the largest share in 2016, and estimated to retain the same trend during the forecast period. Non-viral vector is anticipated to be a lucrative market due to the technological advancement of these vectors with positive results for these therapies during the preclinical and clinical trials for the treatment of various diseases. Among the gene type, antigen dominates the overall market accounting for two-ninths of the total share in 2016. Among the applications, oncological disorders is the largest contributor towards the market growth. In 2016, North America accounted for maximum contribution to the total revenue generated, owing to the high prevalence rate of cancer, presence of high disposable income, and high funding for R&D activities associated with gene therapy. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the analysis period, attributable to rise in incidence rate of cancer, increase in government initiative to improve healthcare infrastructure, and rise in healthcare expenditure. For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2841 KEY FINDINGS OF GENE THERAPY MARKET STUDY Non-viral vectors is projected to grow at the highest rate during the analysis period. Oncological disorders segment generated the highest revenue, and is expected to continue its dominance in future. North America dominated global gene therapy market in 2016, and is projected to continue its dominance in future. dominated global in 2016, and is projected to continue its dominance in future. China is expected to grow highest in the Asia-Pacific region during the forecast period. is expected to grow highest in the region during the forecast period. Antigen was the largest contributor among the gene type segments. The key companies profiled in the report include Novartis, Kite Pharma, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Spark Therapeutics Inc., Bluebird bio Inc., Genethon, Transgene SA, Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation, Oxford BioMedica, and NewLink Genetics Corp. Other prominent players in the value chain include Amgen, Epeius Biotechnologies, Abeona Therapeutics, Sanofi, UniQure, Juno Therapeutics, Adaptimmune, Celgene, and Advantagene. Ask for discount before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/get-discount/2841 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: Shriram Dighe 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1855550-5975 [email protected] Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com SOURCE Allied Market Research Africa and North America certified for the first time Building on its reputation as an excellent place to work, JTI (Japan Tobacco International) is expanding its certified Top Employer status further across the globe. During the annual ceremony in Amsterdam yesterday, JTI was awarded Global Top Employer for the fourth consecutive year, along with more regional certifications and outstanding rankings than ever before: Number One Top Employer in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, Number Two in Africa and Top Employer Middle East. JTI was certified for the first time this year in Africa and North America. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130528/617491 ) Howard Parks, JTI's Human Resources Senior Vice President and Executive Committee member, attributes the company's excellent reputation as an employer to a long-term HR approach that puts people first: "If we think about employees as investors rather than assets, it gets us to a different place in our approach to recruiting, motivating, developing, and retaining them. Like financial investors, our employees are concerned about what's going on today, but they're even more interested in what happens next." Research conducted by the Top Employers Institute confirmed JTI's successful HR practices across the 54 certified offices and factories in 50 countries[1]. The annual international research is an independent assessment undertaken by the Top Employers Institute, which recognizes leading employers around the world: those that provide excellent employee conditions, nurture and develop talent throughout all levels of the organization, and which strive to continuously optimize employment practices. "It is great to see how JTI progresses in their results year after year. Our global certification process recognizes companies like JTI, who strive for better conditions for their employees. Aligning HR strategies on an international level, harmonizing employee conditions and setting global standards in leadership are all necessary steps," says David Plink, CEO for the Top Employers Institute. About JTI JTI is a leading international tobacco company with operations in more than 120 countries. It is the global owner of both Winston, the number two cigarette brand in the world, and Camel outside the USA and has the largest share in sales for both brands. Other global brands include Mevius and LD. With its internationally recognized brand Logic, JTI is also a major player in the e-cigarette market and has, since 2011, been present in the heated tobacco category with Ploom. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, JTI employs close to 40,000 people and was awarded Global Top Employer for four consecutive years. JTI is a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies. For more information, visit http://www.jti.com. About the Top Employers Institute The Top Employers Institute globally certifies excellence in the conditions that employers create for their people. Optimal employee conditions ensure that people develop themselves personally and professionally. This in turn enables companies to grow and to develop, always. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company, previously known as the CRF Institute, has recognized Top Employers around the world since 1991. References: [1]Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States. SOURCE JTI According to Head Judge Mike Ryan, the top three were separated by the smallest of margins. Mr. Letoa won because his cocktails best "captured the vibrancy and exuberance of the islands of Trinidad and Tobago and of the House of Angostura" he says. Mr. Letoa was up against 10 other top bartenders from around the world in a fierce competition which saw the contenders create spectacular cocktails using world-famous ANGOSTURA aromatic bitters, ANGOSTURA orange bitters, Angostura Rums and Amaro di ANGOSTURA. Challenged to make two cocktails in just seven minutes, Mr. Letoa made an Amaro Cocktail using Amaro di ANGOSTURA called "Deliciousness" and a Rum Cocktail, using Angostura 1824 and two dashes each of ANGOSTURA aromatic bitters and ANGOSTURA orange bitters, which he called "Old Flame." In addition to the title of Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge Champion, Mr. Letoa takes home US$10,000 and a two-year contract as Angostura's Global Brand Ambassador, representing ANGOSTURA aromatic bitters, ANGOSTURA orange bitters, Angostura Rums and Amaro di ANGOSTURA. "Now I'm looking forward to meeting people and telling them about the ethos and the passion of the people that make Angostura's rums and bitters," says Mr. Letoa, adding that of all the cocktail competitions he has entered the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge was "the toughest." Two other trophies were awarded: Best Amaro Cocktail, to Pedro Martinez of France, representing the European Union, and Best Rum Cocktail, to Johnny Mansoor of Lebanon, representing the Middle East and African Region. For more information visit www.AngosturaGlobalCocktailChallenge.com . Press Contact: Vitra Deonarine Brand Manager- International Sales & Marketing, Angostura Limited [email protected] Related Links http://www.angostura.com SOURCE House of Angostura (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 86 tables and 31 figures spread through 113 pages and in-depth TOC on "RSV Diagnostics Market" https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/rsv-diagnostic-market-95683942.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report Factors driving the growth of this market include rising burden of RSV infections, growing demand for PoC molecular diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of RSV infections, and increasing approval of RSV diagnostic kits and assays. Kits and assays are estimated to account for the largest share of the RSV Diagnostics Market in 2017. The products segment is further segmented into kits and assays, instruments, and other products. The kits and assays segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global RSV Diagnostics Market in 2017. Factors driving the growth of this segment include the increasing infection of RSV in newborn infants and young children and growing demand for kits and assays for RSV diagnosis. Inquiry Before [email protected] https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=95683942 The molecular diagnostics segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global RSV Diagnostics Market in 2017. The molecular diagnostic segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global RSV Diagnostics Market in 2017. Market growth can largely be attributed to factors such as the increasing adoption and demand for molecular diagnostic testing for RSV diagnosis. North America is estimated to command the largest share of the market during the forecast period. Based on region, the RSV Diagnostics Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America is estimated to dominate the RSV Diagnostics Market in 2017. This is mainly due to factors such as the increasing patient base of RSV diseases, technological advancements in PoC molecular diagnostic devices, and growing healthcare expenditures. Download PDF [email protected] https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=95683942 Key players in the RSV Diagnostics Market include bioMerieux (France), Becton Dickinson (US), Abbott (US), Roche (Switzerland), Danaher (US), Luminex (US), BioCartis (Belgium), Hologic (US), and Fast Track Diagnostics (Luxembourg). Browse Related Reports: Molecular Diagnostics Market by Application (Infectious Disease (HIV, HBV, TB), Oncology, Genetics, Microbiology), Technology (PCR, Hybridization, DNA Sequencing), End User (Hospitals, Laboratory), Product & Service (Reagent, Software) - Forecast to 2021 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/molecular-diagnostic-market-833.html Immunoassay Market by Product & Service (Reagents & Kits, Analyzers, Software, Services), Technique (ELISA, Rapid Test), Application (Infectious Diseases, Endocrinology, Oncology), End User (Clinical Labs, Hospitals) - Global Forecast to 2021 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/immunoassay-market-436.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Salgarkar MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets SOURCE MarketsandMarkets BANGALORE, February 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New report from APICS and IMA offers solution to widespread costing failures APICS, the premier professional association for supply chain management, and IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, published the findings of a joint research report, 'Working Together to Enhance Supply Chain Management with Better Costing Practices.' For this report, APICS and IMA surveyed upper management supply chain professionals to assess the impact of issues relating to costing systems and practices. The report uncovers common barriers to creating useful costing systems and presents a solution that more closely aligns the supply chain and accounting and finance business units. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/510711/IMA_Logo.jpg ) "Supply chain professionals rely on cost information when making decisions, but have indicated a need for that information to be more accurate and effective," said, APICS CEO, Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CPA, CAE. "This report highlights the necessity for supply chain and finance departments to work more closely and adopt costing practices that are progressive and focused on informing internal decisions." The survey is part of an initiative by IMA's Strategic Cost Management Task Force to improve costing practices by gathering feedback from professionals who use costing information. "From the supply chain perspective, an effective managerial costing system has clear value. It enables better make-or-buy decisions, defines landed versus delivery costs and determines the realistic cost of holding inventory," said, IMA Vice President of Research and Policy, Raef Lawson, Ph.D., CMA, CPA. Costing information also plays a critical role in sales and operations planning. Among those surveyed, supply chain managers agreed, on average, that the benefits of improving their costing systems exceed the investment. When asked what prevents them from utilizing current costing information, 44 percent of supply chain managers cited a lack of operational data. Instead, costing information is often reported in exclusively financial terms, making it more difficult to leverage. According to respondents, the secondary and tertiary barriers to useful costing information are inadequate technology and software (39 percent) and a resistance to change by accounting and finance personnel (30 percent). According to the report, there are three root causes why supply chain professionals are not receiving adequate costing information: An overreliance on external financial reporting systems: Many organizations rely on externally-oriented financial accounting systems that employ oversimplified methods of costing products and services to produce information supporting internal business decision making. Using outdated costing models: Traditional cost accounting practices can no longer meet the challenges of today's business environment, but are still used by many accountants. Accounting and finance's resistance to change: With little pressure from managers who use accounting information to improve data accuracy and relevance, accountants are reluctant to promote new, more appropriate practices within their organizations. The report details various steps supply chain professionals can take to improve costing systems within their organizations. One strategy presented is for supply chain managers to strengthen their relationship with accounting and finance to foster greater information flow between the two departments. Other solutions call for greater IT infrastructure and increased demand from top-level management for updated costing practices. To read the full report and learn more about costing barriers and strategies to overcome them, visit: apics.org/costingsurvey or imanet.org/scmcosting About APICS APICS is the association for supply chain management and the leading provider of research, education and certification programs that elevate supply chain excellence, innovation and resilience. The APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM); APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP); APICS Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution (CLTD); and APICS Supply Chain Operations Reference-Professional (SCOR-P) designations set the industry standard. With more than 45,000 members and approximately 300 channel partners, APICS is transforming the way people do business, drive growth and reach global customers. For more information, visit http://www.apics.org/. About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) IMA, named 2017 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most-respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of about 100,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org. Media Contact: Janice Sevilla [email protected] +971-562088948 +91-900-316-2258 Communication Specialist Institute of Management Accountants SOURCE IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) TORONTO, Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Venus Concept Ltd., a privately-held and innovative global aesthetic technology leader, is pleased to announce that it has completed its acquisition of NeoGraft Solutions' hair restoration business (NeoGraft). Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/642802/Venus_Concept_Logo.jpg Glenn Normoyle, President of NeoGraft, also commented on the acquisition: "We are very happy to join the Venus Concept family. Having spent time with the Venus Concept team, there is consistency in culture and vision between the two companies and its employees. The depth of experience and infrastructure at Venus Concept will significantly increase the global presence of NeoGraft." Concurrent with the completion of the acquisition of NeoGraft, an additional equity investment of $7 million was made by EW Healthcare Partners, HealthQuest Capital, and Madryn Asset Management. Scott Barry, Managing Director of EW Healthcare Partners, commented on the acquisition and additional investment: "We are pleased to continue to support Dom and the management team of Venus Concept as they continue to grow organically and through strategic acquisitions, which are consistent and compatible with its differentiated business model and fit the creative and entrepreneurial culture of Venus Concept." About Venus Concept Venus Concept is a leading global medical technology company that develops, commercializes, and delivers safe, efficacious, and easy-to-use aesthetic technologies and related practice enhancement services in a unique, industry-disruptive subscription-based business model. Venus Concept's devices have been designed in cost-effective and proprietary ways, enabling the company to expand beyond the aesthetic industry's traditional markets of dermatology and plastic surgery, and into non-traditional marketssuch as family practice, general practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and medical spas. Venus Concept now has over 400 global employees, whose customer-centric approach has supported the company's rapid growth. For more information, please visit www.venusconcept.com. About NeoGraft Eight years ago, NeoGraft launched its automated follicular unit extraction system in North America. Today, NeoGraft is considered one of the most trusted hair restoration brands in the world. NeoGraft's commitment to continuously improving patient outcomes led to collaborating with top aesthetic surgeons. NeoGraft's combined next-generation minimally-invasive surgical techniques with decades of data, and designed NeoGraft 2.0 to be more than just a device. It is engineered to allow NeoGraft to be true partners with physicians. Wireless connectivity enables remote access for diagnostics, maintenance, automatic upgrades, and procedural data. The touchpad operates like your favorite tablet, and software communicates with the hand tools to provide real time extract and implant graft counts. Today, NeoGraft boasts over a 90% patient satisfaction rating on the world's leading independent consumer website, Real Self. For more information, please visit www.neograft.com. Related Links http://www.venusconcept.com SOURCE Venus Concept MUMBAI, February 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Writer Information, a division of Writer Business Services (P). Ltd., today announced the inauguration of their Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations at Nashik, post a similar setup of their BPO facility at Renaissance Smart City - Kalyan in mid last year. The company has plans to continually expand their operations across other states in India, in the near future. On this occasion, Mr. Satya Mohan Yanambaka, CEO- Writer Information, said, "With extensive use of Robotics, we have disrupted the Indian BPO industry and due to growing acceptance, we are doubling our investment in this space. We plan to add three state-of-the-art Global BPO delivery centers at Nashik, Chennai, and Kolkata this year to cater to our ever-increasing BPS business. Our commitment to the Government of India's initiatives led to our agreement with STPI under IBPS scheme for setting up the facility at Nashik. We should be operational in Q1 of the next financial year." The agreement was signed on Feb. 02, 2018 at STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) - Pune (Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology) in the presence of their Director - Mr. Sanjay Kumar Gupta, along with Writer Information's representatives: Mr. Krishan Badaya (CFO), Mr. Ketan Shetty (Head- HR) and Mr. Jaspal Saini (Manager- Finance). This agreement is in alignment with the objectives of Indian IT/ITES services to provide employment to semi-urban dwellers and government initiatives to make India as the preferred IT destination. Writer Information's value proposition in the BPS space is to provide specialized knowledge-based services for increasing productivity of critical outsourced functions through cutting-edge technologies, skilled workforce, structured training, and focus on innovation and growth. About Writer Information Writer Information is a leading Information Management and Solutions Company in existence since 1987 and trusted by the best of enterprises. Writer Information services include Business Process Services, Secured Storage Services, Cloud & Data Center Services and a portfolio of Digital Solutions in Enterprise content management and Healthcare. Writer Information has grown into India's largest and most comprehensive Information Management Company and one of the fastest growing in Asia. For more information, visit http://www.writerinformation.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/writer-information1987/?originalSubdomain=in Media Contact: Gaurav Chandidas [email protected] +91-22-66170424 Writer Information SOURCE Writer Information (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/642921/Emaar_Chinese_New_Year.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/642922/Emaar_Burj_Khalifa.jpg ) With the New Year message coming to life on the facade of Burj Khalifa, one of the most-visited global attractions by the Chinese, Emaar presented a spectacular theme-show with lights and laser, witnessed by hundreds of thousands of visitors in Downtown Dubai. Joining the celebration were the Chinese Consul-General in Dubai Li Lingbing and senior diplomats as well as Emaar's senior management. The 'Light Up' show on Burj Khalifa started with a flying dragon taking flight from the Great Wall of China. It soared high in the sky, and toured over Dubai's landmarks including the upcoming Dubai Creek Tower before marking a splash at The Dubai Fountain. The 'dragon' then swirled up and encircled the tower before releasing a shining pearl from its mouth to the top of Burj Khalifa's spire - at a height of 828 metres (2,716.5 feet). Shining bright atop the tower, the resplendent pearl of light was a majestic show-stopper before the 'Happy New Year' message was splashed on the facade. The 'Light Up' Chinese New Year show on Burj Khalifa will continue from 8pm to 10pm daily until February 24, complementing the ongoing celebrations at The Dubai Mall. Several activities are lined up at the mall that take visitors on a journey through China's vast provinces with music, traditional dance, arts, crafts and cultural performances. With over 250,000 Chinese residents in the UAE and thousands of tourists from China arriving to join the celebration, the 'Light Up' show was a perfect tribute to the cultural and trade ties that the two nations share. Downtown Dubai and its attractions including Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and The Dubai Fountain are among the most popular destinations for Chinese visitors. According to the Dubai Tourism 2017: Performance Report, Dubai welcomed over 764,000 Chinese tourists in 2017, a growth of 41 per cent over 2016, especially following the introduction of visa-on-arrivals for Chinese nationals in the UAE. For details, visit: http://www.emaar.com; Follow on: http://www.facebook.com/emaardubai; http://www.twitter.com/emaardubai; http://www.instagram.com/emaardubai Contact: Kelly Home ASDA'A B-M +971-4-4507-600 kelly.home@bm.com SOURCE Emaar Properties U.K-based Competition Honors Global Leaders in Real Estate Industry SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Union International, the West Coast's leading luxury real estate brand and the eighth-largest real estate brokerage in the U.S., has been named "2017-2018 World's Best Real Estate Brokerage with more than 20 offices" by the International Property Awards. Mark A. McLaughlin, CEO of Pacific Union International, led the San Francisco-based real estate brokerage to be recognized by the International Property Awards in London as the World's Best real estate agency for 2017-2018. Pacific Union is the number one independent real estate brokerage in California with 1700 real estate professionals across 50 offices throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. The International Property Awards are open to residential and commercial property professionals from around the globe. According to their guidelines, the IPA organization celebrates the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry. Now in its 25th year, the competition is judged by a panel of industry leaders based in London. "This honor is a clear tribute to the work of Pacific Union's outstanding team of marketing professionals led by Vice President of Marketing, Jessica Frushtick," says Mark A. McLaughlin CEO of Pacific Union International. "Our commitment to a stronger international presence for our team of 1,700 real estate professionals across California is a pillar of our Vision 2020 and we are proud to be honored by this global organization." The global awards are split into regions covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, UK and USA. Participants enter at their relevant national level and are judged by a highly experienced team of professionals who cover the whole range of property disciplines. About Pacific Union International Founded in San Francisco in 1975, Pacific Union International, Inc. is the West Coast's premier luxury real estate brand, with 2017 sales volume of $14.1 billion. In 2016, real estate industry leaders RISMedia and REAL Trends ranked Pacific Union as the eighth-largest brokerage in the U.S. Through its 2015 acquisition of The Mark Company, the nation's leading sales and marketing firm for new urban luxury developments, Pacific Union expanded its brand to development projects from San Diego to Seattle. In 2016, Pacific Union merged with Los Angeles-based brokerage John Aaroe Group, followed in 2017 with mergers with Partners Trust and Gibson International also based in Los Angeles, and Empire Realty Associates, extending the Pacific Union brand to become the preeminent leader and ultimate California real estate company. The strategic alliance of these five powerhouses supports 1,700 elite real estate professionals in more than 50 offices throughout the West Coast. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties; Silicon Valley; and the Lake Tahoe region. Greater Los Angeles markets include Beverly Hills, Malibu, Downtown, Northeast L.A., the Westside, as well as the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. To extend Pacific Union's international reach, the brokerage established an award-winning, Beijing-based China Concierge program in 2013 that fully supports its Chinese investors on the mainland. Additionally, Pacific Union offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling and relocation, in addition to operating joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union executes with a vision for the future, an entrepreneurial mindset and an unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, visit: www.pacificunion.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/642909/8R0A8529rp.jpg Related Links http://www.pacificunion.com SOURCE Pacific Union International If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Agartala, Feb 10 : Compared with the 2013 Tripura assembly polls, the number of candidates facing criminal charges in the February 18 polls have decreased by one per cent to 7 per cent, a report said here on Saturday. The 62-page analytical report said that the number of women candidates is 8 per cent (24) this time, out of the total 297 candidates as against 6 and 9 per cent in 2013 and 2008 assembly polls, when the total number of candidates was 249 and 313 respectively. According to report of the Tripura Election Watch (TEW), a state body of the National Election Watch (NEW), 12 per cent (35) candidates are crorepatis this time against 6 per cent (16) and two per cent (7) in 2013 and 2008 polls respectively. "Of the 35 crorepati candidates, 18 are from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), nine from Congress, four from ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who have declared their assets ranging from Rs 20 million to Rs 50 million," NEW Tripura state coordinator Biswendu Bhattacharjee told the media here. He said: "There are criminal cases against 22 per cent of 51 BJP candidates, 7 per cent of 59 Congress candidates and four per cent of the 57 CPI-M contestants." According to the report, 173 (58 per cent) of the 297 candidates are 5th and 12th Class pass while 121 (41 per cent) candidates are graduates or have higher degrees while one candidate never went to school. In all, 140 candidates (47 per cent) of different political parties have declared their age in the affidavit, submitted with the nomination papers, between 25 and 50 years while 156 (53 per cent) candidates have declared their age between 51 and 80 years. The TEW, a platform of academicians, journalists, social activities, intellectuals, NGOs and retired officials, published the 62-page report of the candidates' profile based on affidavits filed along with their nomination papers. Since December 2003, the TEW and NEW and ADR (Association of Democratic Reforms) in association with the other non-political bodies have been publishing such candidate profile reports before all state assembly and Lok Sabha elections in India. "Following the Supreme Court judgment of May 2, 2002, and March 13, 2003, it is the citizens' fundamental right to know the background of their candidates before they cast their valuable votes," said Bhattacharjee, coordinator of ADR and TEW. The ADR, a national body working for improving democracy and governance in India since 1999, helped TEW compile the report. Dhaka, Feb 12 : The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Monday held a demonstration to demand the release of party chief and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia following her conviction on corruption charges. BNP activists and their allies from across Dhaka took to the roads and chanted slogans demanding Zia's release, bdnews24.com reported. Party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Adviser to the Chairperson Zainul Abedin Farroque and other BNP leaders led the demonstration. A Dhaka special judge's court sentenced the country's main opposition leader to five years in prison on February 8. The BNP held nationwide demonstrations following the verdict and there were clashes between security forces and opposition protesters. On Saturday, Zia's supporters announced three consecutive days of protests from Monday. A sit-in protest is scheduled for Tuesday and a hunger strike for Wednesday. Washington, Feb 13 : With the fate of hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants in the balance, the US Senate has begun an open-ended debate on immigration, the media reports said. This is an exceedingly rare step that, in effect, will allow senators to attempt to build a bill on immigration from scratch on the floor of the House, Efe news reported. The highly unusual debate, expected to unfold throughout the week, will test whether a series of legislative concepts and proposals championed by President Donald Trump can garner 60 votes, the threshold for a measure to pass the Senate, the New york Times said. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised Democrats the discussion in exchange for their willingness to end a government shutdown. The Democrats had forced the shutdown in hopes of getting Republicans to approve a permanent solution for beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The push on immigration comes against the backdrop of a ticking clock, and months of congressional inaction. Launched in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama, DACA has protected some 700,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation. In September 2017, Trump announced that he would end DACA on March 5, 2018, and urged Congress to pass legislation to regularise the situation of the beneficiaries, known as "Dreamers". Trump has put forward an immigration plan that includes a path to citizenship for roughly 1.8 million undocumented young people, while simultaneously demanding $25 billion to build his proposed wall on the Mexican border. Trump has made it clear that he will not sign legislation that doesn't include money for the wall and limit family migration. The President's proposal would also place significant new limits to legal immigration, by restricting the issuance of family-reunification visas and eliminating the visa lottery. While seven Senate Republicans have written a draft incorporating Trump's priorities, Democrats - and some GOP moderates - are adamantly opposed to the White House position. With the Senate divided 51-49 between Republicans and Democrats, no bill can gain the necessary 60 votes without bipartisan support. Kannur (Kerala) : Kannur (Kerala) Feb 13 (IANS) Thirty-year-old Youth Congress worker, Shoaib was found murdered late last night by CPI-M workers, the party said. The Left party's leadership here has denied any role in it. The Congress party called for a dawn-to-dusk shut down in protest of the murder in the district, but allowed vehicles to ply. According to the party, Shoaib along with a few others was waiting in front of a night eatery near Mattanoor, near here, on Monday, when four persons came in a car and threw bombs to create a scare. They then slashed him with a sword. The incident occurred around 10.45 p.m. Shoaib was badly injured, while two other sustained minor injuries. Shoaib was first taken to a nearby hospital and he later passed away at the Kozhikode Medical college hospital. According to the Congress party, Shoaib was engaged in a tiff in January with the CPI-M unit in the town over student politics. "Not long back, a club of the Congress party came under heavy attack, after the CPI-M leadership was upset when the children of the party leaders took part in a meeting. "They unleashed an attack and Shoaib, was at the forefront to stop this. Since then the CPI-M had announced publicly that his days are numbered," said Kannur district Congress party chief Sateeshan Pacheni. Pacheni said there has been an uneasy calm in and around Edayanoor near Mattanoor for a while. CPI-M Kannur district secretary P.Jayarajan, who is in the state capital attending the party's state committee meeting told the media that there has been no issue between the CPI-M and the Congress party. Jayarajan said that he has been told by the Mattanoor CPI-M leaders that they have no role in Shoaib's killing. "We will look into what has happened and if any of our party members are involved, then appropriate action will be taken. "But what we are told is that our party has no role in it," said Jayarajan. This was the 21st political murder that has taken place in Kannur after Pinarayi Vijayan assumed office in 2016. While the Mattanoor CPI-M leaders have flatly denied any role of the party behind the murder, TV channels have now released a video of a march taken out by the CPI-M, who are seen shouting slogans that Shoaib's days are numbered. Taking a strong stance Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the Communist Party India-Marxist has unleashed terror in brutally finishing off its political rivals. "The police in Kannur is a mute spectator, as the CPI-M is in control of everything. They are striking at will to eliminate their political rivals in the most inhumane manner. "We have appealed to all our workers in Kannur to see that they remain calm," said Chennithala, who is reaching Kannur on Thursday. State BJP general secretary M.T.Ramesh said that it has now become a common practise that when a political murder happens in Kannur, the CPI-M is the common factor and the victim is either the BJP/RSS or the Congress. The police have started a probe. New York, Feb 14 : The top of the Empire State Building in Manhattan here shined in red and gold at sunset to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on February 16. Chinese Consul General in New York Zhang Qiyue, together with John B. Kessler, president of the Empire State Realty Trust Inc., flipped the switch on Tuesday at a lighting ceremony in honour of the Spring Festival. Zhang said that the festival is not only the most important holiday for the Asian and the Chinese communities, it is also a very important holiday for New York, Xinhua news agency reported. For years, the Empire State Building and the Chinese Consulate General "have carried out a friendship that we greatly treasure. We are thrilled to continue this beloved tradition...," Kessler said. The lighting scheme designed Chinese art bodies also has a window display of the Year of the Dog that has been installed in the lobby windows on the Fifth Avenue. The Lunar New Year is the biggest Chinese celebration that lasts at least 15 days. In Chinese culture, February 15 would mark the end of the Year of the Rooster as people would embrace the Year of the Dog that symbolises loyalty. Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building since 1976, have maintained a tradition of changing color to recognise various occasions and organisations The Spring Festival has been included to the list of public holidays since 2014. New York, Feb 14 : Oxfam, the British government-funded charity that has campaigned against corruption and sex abuse in India, has itself been rocked by allegations of corruption and sex abuse, according to media reports. Its chairman, Juan Alberto Fuentes, was arrested in Guatemala on Tuesday as part of an investigation into graft and its deputy chief executive, Penny Lawrence, quit on Monday saying she was "ashamed" of how the organisation had handled sex scandals. The charity's former official who was in charge of safeguarding employees, volunteers and recipients, Helen Evans, accused senior leaders of ignoring evidence that teenage volunteers in its British shops had been abused and staff abroad traded sex for aid, The Telegraph reported. According to the newspaper, she said that ten per cent of staff in some countries had been sexually assaulted by colleagues or witnessed abuse. The Telegraph also reported that Christian Aid recorded two incidents of sex harassment, Save the Children 31 and Oxfam 87 according to figures compiled by charities about cases in Britain and abroad. Former British government Aid Secretary, Priti Patel, said that the revelations were "just tip of the iceberg" and the government knew of 300 cases in the aid sector, the newspaper quoted her. Oxfam had covered up the incidents of "use of prostitutes, downloading pornography, bullying and intimidation in Haiti" by seven of its workers who were dismissed or allowed to resign in 2011, according to The Times of London which broke the story. Of them, the Oxfam country officer for Haiti, Roland van Hauwermeiren, had earlier left a position with a charity, Merlin, in Liberia after an investigation into sex parties. The Guardian said that Merlin is a medical charity that has merged with Save the Children organisation. He later went to work for a French organisation, Action Against Hunger, as country director in Bangladesh, the newspaper said. There are also allegations of employees using prostitutes in Chad, according to the Telegraph. Fuentes, who had been Guatemala's finance minister, was arrested along with a former president and eight others in a case involving corruption allegations around a mass transport system, the Guardian reported quoting the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre. As a fallout of the sex abuse allegations, actress Minnie Driver quit as Oxfam's ambassador. She tweeted: "All I can tell you about this awful revelation about Oxfam is that I am devastated. Devastated for the women who were used by people sent there to help them, devastated by the response of an organization that I have been raising awareness for since I was nine years old." CNN reported that Oxfam spent $414 million last year for its charities and its donors include companies like Google, Unilever and Visa. The British government gave it $44 million, according to the BBC. Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 14 : Kerala Congress chief M.M. Hassan on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the killing of Youth Congress worker Shoaib by suspected CPI-M men in Kannur. Hassan told the media here that it was most unfortunate that even after 36 hours of the brutal murder, police had no clues about what happened that day and no one had been taken into custody. "This is the 21st political murder since the Vijayan government assumed office in May 2016. It appears the hands of police are tied... They are unable to go forward with an impartial probe. "Apart from constituting an SIT, the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act should also be invoked against the perpetrators," said Hassan. Thirty-year-old Shoaib was found murdered on Monday night. The Kannur Congress unit blamed CPI-M activists though the CPI-M leadership has denied any link with the killing. According to the party, Shoaib, along with a few others, was waiting in front of an eatery near Mattanoor around 10.45 p.m on Monday when four persons came in a car and threw bombs to create a scare. They then slashed him with a sword. On Wednesday, the Congress launched a 24-hour protest in Kannur in which top party leaders took part. "Vijayan should speak up and condemn this henious act... But he is not doing it because he is aware of what lies in store," alleged party's state vice president and senior legislator V.D. Satheesan, while inaugurating the protest. Shoaib's father Mohammed told the media that his son was facing threats from the Communist Party of India-Marxist for a while and had recently been implicated in a false case by police and jailed. The police have reportedly taken a CPI-M worker into custody and are questioning him. Kolkata, Feb 15 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday demanded a thorough investigation into the fraudulent transactions worth $1.8 billion in Punjab National Bank and said she would not let the Central government off the hook until the people's money is secured. Banerjee said she has written to the Finance Ministry to scrap the proposed Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill. "Today people are shocked to see what has happened in the Punjab National Bank in Mumbai. There has been a scam of Rs 11,000 crore. This is the money of common people. Who took away the money? Who ate it up?" she asked during a public meeting in Jhargram district. "Offenders will run away after stealing the money but what will happen to the common man? Scams like this must be investigated. The security of people's money must be ensured. We will not let them (the Central government) off the hook until that happens," she said. PNB, the second largest public sector bank in India, detected some fraudulent and unauthorised transactions (messages) at $1,771.69 million (around Rs 11,515 crore) in one of its branches in Mumbai for the benefit of a few select account holders. The fraud was detected on Wednesday in the PNB's Brady House Branch in south Mumbai, which is its second-biggest lending branch in the country. A CBI probe has been initiated into the matter and 10 employees of the bank have been placed under suspension. Accusing the Centre of trying to take away the people's money deposited in the banks with its FRDI Bill, Banerjee said she has written two "strong letters" to the Finance Ministry demanding the withdrawal of the bill. "We asked the government to withdraw the bill as they are trying take away the money of the common people. This must not happen. The finance minister acknowledged my letter but then sent a reply through a state minister saying the bill would not impact anything," the Trinamool Congress supremo said. "Today I have written one more strong letter before coming here demanding the withdrawal of FRDI bill. Eating up the money of common man will not be allowed." Kannur (Kerala), Feb 15 : The Congress party in Kerala has decided to approach the High Court with a petition to seek a CBI probe into the killing of Youth Congress worker Shoaib in Kannur district, a party member said on Thursday. Former Congress MP and State Minister K. Sudhakaran, who is leading the protest, said nothing was going to come out if the Kerala Police probed this murder, and hence "only a CBI probe would bring out the truth, for which we will go forward". "I had intervened when Shoaib was jailed in a false case and we came to know that CPI-M had planned to eliminate him when he was in jail. "I called a top jail officer and since he promptly acted, the plan was foiled. He was a target for the CPI-M and they eliminated him," said Sudhakaran. Three days after the murder of Shoaib, the police continue to remain clueless. Though more than two dozen people have been questioned, no arrest has been made so far. Thirty-year-old Shoaib was murdered on Monday night. The Kannur Congress unit blamed CPI-M activists, but they have denied the allegations. Shoaib, along with a few others, was waiting in front of an eatery near Mattanur around 10.45 p.m. on Monday when four persons in a car threw bombs to create a scare. Shoaib's friend, who was injured during the attack, told the media that Shoaib was slashed with a sword and "butchered". "After Shoaib fell down, one of the attackers sat near him and butchered him, as if he (attacker) was a butcher engaged in cutting meat. I got injured when I tried to prevent the attack," said his friend. Youth Congress President Dean Kuriakose who has reached Kannur said that the entire conspiracy in the murder would be revealed if the police arrested the former Secretary of senior CPI-M legislator E.P. Jayarajan, who belongs to the same place where the incident happened. The Indian Union Muslim League on Thursday passed a resolution condemning the brutal act. "The Left government's approach to this murder is not fair. What has surfaced now is that in each and every similar attack, the CPI-M is a party and this is a very serious issue. "Speculations are that the real culprits are being allowed to escape," the IUML resolution read. The Congress party has also decided to continue its dharna (protest) in Kannur till justice is served. Moscow, Feb 16 : The Kremlin on Thursday rejected accusations by the British Foreign Office that the Russian government was behind the "NotPetya" cyber attack of June 2017. "We categorically reject such accusations and we consider them to be unsubstantiated and groundless," Xinhua cited the Russian media quoting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. "This is nothing more than a continuation of the Russophobic campaign, based on no evidence," he added. In a statement on Thursday, British Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad attributed the NotPetya cyber attack to the Russian government and the Kremlin, saying Britain and its allies would not tolerate "malicious cyber activity." The attack of a malware dubbed "NotPetya" disrupted numerous computer systems last year. It erupted first in Ukraine but the virus later spread to many other countries, including Russia. Ankara, Feb 16 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the presidential complex in capital Ankara on Thursday amid two NATO allies being at odds on a couple of issues. The meeting, which was closed to the media, started at 7:40 p.m. local time, Xinhua reported. Tillerson is also expected to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusolu on Friday to discuss bilateral relations and international developments. Ankara demanded Washington to end supporting for the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is seen by Turkey as Syrian extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey was the last stop of Tillerson's five-nation trip followed by his stops in Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon. Washington, Feb 16 : The US Senate has summarily blocked four proposals to resolve the fate of Dreamers, leaving hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants in America facing an uncertain future. A bipartisan bill from a group led by Maine Republican Susan Collins on Thursday fared best, garnering 54 votes, six short of the 60 needed to be assured of passage. It provided a path to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented youths, along with $25 billion to pay for the wall Trump wants built on the US-Mexico border. Just hours before Thursday's voting, the White House said that Trump's advisers urged him to veto that bill if it reached his desk, Efe news reported. Trump has been insisting that in exchange for helping the Dreamers, Democrats and moderate Republicans must not only fund the wall, but also agree to substantial new limits on legal immigration. Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley submitted legislation embodying Trump's preferences, but it received only 39 votes, as 14 members of the Republican majority joined all the Democrats in opposition. "This vote is proof that President Trump's plan will never become law. If he would stop torpedoing bipartisan efforts, a good bill would pass," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said afterward. The winding-down of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) plan that roughly covers 700,000 and was implemented in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama, is expected to begin by March 5. However, several federal judges have issued injunctions to extend the program past the deadline pending final court decisions on a raft of legal challengers to Trump's decision to scrap the initiative. The Senate majority leader, Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, sought to reassure people that Thursday's outcome does not doom any chance of addressing the plight of the Dreamers. "This does not have to be the end of our efforts to resolve these matters," he said. New York, Feb 16 : Mexican kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in a letter to a judge here, complained about strict security limits on communication with his family and his prison conditions. "It is torture 24 hours a day," wrote the former drug lord of the Sinaloa Cartel who escaped from Mexican prisons twice and was extradited to the US on January 19, 2017, to face criminal charges. The letter was sent on Thursday to Judge Brian Cogan after it was brought forward during a court hearing to determine the status of the trial and to review various issues before it begins in September, reports Efe news. "Due to the rules that you authorized, I find it impossible to mount my defence," El Chapo wrote in the letter. Guzman said he has not had contact with his wife since his imprisonment, either in person, on the phone or by letter, and insisted that "because of the impossibility of contact, she has not been able to help me get the funds to pay my lawyers". "I want to make it clear - I want my family to know that I want to go to trial. I do not have any intention to cooperate or to plead guilty. "Judge Cogan, I ask that you please modify the rules to allow me to speak with my wife face-to-face to resolve this situation. If not, my trial will be a farce," the drug lord said. He also described a series of ailments in the letter. "I suffer from headaches everyday. I vomit almost every day," El Chapo wrote. He complained that his two teeth have not been fixed, that he has "not seen the sun or breathed fresh air for 13 months" and that if his cell is "not too cold, it's too hot". "The light in my cell is on all hours of the day and it is difficult for me to sleep... All I ask for is a fair trial," the former drug lord concluded. Washington, Feb 16 : The US government has accused the Russian military of launching the "most destructive and costly cyber attack in history", but did not provide any evidence. The claim on Thursday, hours after the British Foreign Office made a similar accusation, saying that the Russian government was behind the NotPetya cyber attack of June 2017, reports Xinhua news agency. The Kremlin responded by "categorically" rejecting Britain's accusations. "We consider them to be unsubstantiated and groundless," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "This is nothing more than a continuation of the Russophobic campaign, based on no evidence," Peskov said. According to a statement issued by the US Press Secretary, the global attack caused billions of dollars in damage across Europe, Asia and the Americas. "It was part of the Kremlin's ongoing effort to destabilise Ukraine and demonstrates ever more clearly Russia's involvement in the ongoing conflict," it said. The attack of a malware dubbed NotPetya disrupted numerous computer systems. It erupted first in Ukraine, but the virus later spread to many other countries, including Russia. The statement said that the "reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attack" will be met with international consequences. In January, American intelligence officials referenced a classified report from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), alleging Russia's military spy agency GRU created NotPetya, according to a Washington Post article. The CIA had declined to comment. The only link known to the public was that the attack happened as Ukraine was about to celebrate its Constitution Day. New Delhi : Are all smartphones in India sold online? Not really. This is something which should come as a surprise to the cyber-savvy buyers of gadgets and gizmos. A study from Google, published in 2012 but still relevant, says that 70 per cent of Indians decide about the brand and variant during an online search before going to a retail store. Although the study was done in major cities and would have sampled a few people researching online before going shopping offline, both the parameters -- the number of people researching online as well as coming prepared with their choices -- must have gone up considerably by now, especially for a category like smartphones. Smartphone sales haven't crossed 40 per cent through online channels in any of the best seasons so far in the country. There are still limitations to online channels in India. ROPO (Research Online Purchase Offline) is no alien concept to the smartphone industry. This is an established trend how smartphones are purchased across the globe, including in India. In 2017, one of the key focus areas for all emerging smartphone brands has been to expand offline (the latest example being Xiaomi which has a great online presence but is now trying to make inroads into the offline segment). With smartphone purchases being mostly replacement or upgrades in nature, exposure to online research has increased, making ROPO impact even stronger in India. In such a scenario, will the massive offline expansion plans help smartphone manufacturers? The biggest challenge in the offline space would be to mirror the exact online availability of models. Online is just a catalogue, be it Flipkart or Amazon, and with a robust logistics back-end, a person can choose any model, variant and colour and that will be delivered as per the shipping policy, irrespective of from which warehouse the online seller has to deliver. This is not going to be the case in offline. There are going to be situations, especially when a brand has several variants in specifications and colours, where the particular model and variant for which a buyer visits the store may not be available. ROPO could efficiently be taken care of by handful of brands like Apple, Google and OnePlus, where the users are evolved, models and variants are few and inventory can be exactly mapped offline. For other mass-market brands, it's going to be challenging. This becomes even more significant in a case where buyers tend to be impatient and would not want to visit the store again till the retailer arranges for the desired model and variant. Streamlining the lag between availability of a new launch throughout the length and breadth of the country via offline is also going to be challenging to match the online expectations. This may eventually lead to a different connotation of ROPO with regard to the India market -- Recce Offline Purchase Online. What usually stops someone researching online from clicking that 'Buy' button would be an interesting research to undertake. As offline expands, should the online players like Flipkart and Amazon be worried? To a certain extent, because the brand that was so far enticing people to purchase online with discounts and other offers would not tell buyers to visit stores. Creating smartphone experience zones also won't help much because it wouldn't make sense for someone to experience a smartphone offline and then buy it online. What are the options for e-tailers like Flipkart and Amazon? What they and others could do is to take the showcase right to the doorsteps. A prospective buyer can select a few models that are in his/her zone of consideration. The delivery boy could be doubled up as a brand in-store promoter, answering queries from the buyer. For more technical queries, a video call could be initiated with the technical sales executives. Once the buyer is fully convinced, he or she may purchase the smartphone. A single channel won't work for any brand. It has to be an omni-channel approach that is going to bring sales. However, as ROPO is triggering expansion into offline, the online mediums also have to look into reasons why the final call is not made in the cyber domain. (Faisal Kawoosa is the General Manager-Research & Consulting with CyberMedia Research. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at releases@cmrindia.com) Brussels, Feb 16 : The European Commission (EC) has warned social media giants Facebook and Twitter of action including enforcement measures if they fail to reform their terms of services to fully comply with the European Union's (EU) consumer rules. The Commission on Thursday said that it requested social media companies in March 2017 to do more to comply with EU consumer rules. "These requests followed numerous complaints by consumers who had been targeted by fraud or scams when using these websites, as well as having been subject to certain terms of services that do not respect EU consumer law," the Commission said in a statement. It found Facebook and Twitter wanting in aligning their terms of services with EU consumer protection rules. It found the changes made by Google+ to be satisfactory. "While Google's latest proposals appear to be in line with the requests made by consumer authorities, Facebook and, more significantly, Twitter, have only partially addressed important issues about their liability and about how users are informed of possible content removal or contract termination," the statement added. The Commission, however, noted that the changes already made by the social media companies since the requests were made a year ago will benefit more than a quarter of a billion of EU consumers who use these platforms. EU consumers will not be forced to waive mandatory EU consumer rights, such as their right to withdraw from an on-line purchase, it said. They will be able to lodge their complaints in Europe, rather than in California, the statement added. However, the changes only partially fulfil the requirements under EU consumer law, it added, terming the changes "insufficient". "While Google+ has set up a protocol, including deadlines to deal with the requests, Facebook and Twitter have only agreed to provide a dedicated e-mail address that national authorities can use to notify infringements, without committing to deal with such requests within specific timeframes," the Commission said, noting that it would monitor the implementation of the promised changes. The Commission said that it would propose new legislation in April to modernise the existing consumer law and ensure that they are properly enforced. Hyderabad, Feb 16 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday visited the historic Qutub Shahi tombs here. Rouhani, who is on a three-day visit to the country, arrived here on Thursday. He visited the tombs along with other Iranian ministers and senior officials accompanying him, amid tight security. The visiting dignitary went around the complex, housing mausoleums of rulers of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty (1518-1687), who had Iranian lineage. The officials of the Telangana government briefed Rouhani about the necropolis, which has 72 mausoleums, many of them built in Persian architectural style. He was also briefed about the restoration project taken up by Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Rouhani will later visit the historic Makkah Masjid to offer Friday prayers and address the gathering. The Iranian President on Thursday night addressed Muslim leaders and scholars. He said Iran was keen to strengthen relations with India in all areas of mutual interest. Hyderabad has historic cultural links with Iran. The city, founded by Quli Qutub Shah, was designed on the lines of Iranian city Isfahan. Mir Momin Astrabadi, who had migrated from Iran, had prepared the design of Charminar and Hyderabad. Agartala, Feb 16 : Manik Sarkar, who has been Chief Minister of Tripura for the past 20 years and is attempting a fifth term, has accused the Modi government of being in cahoots with the separatist tribal party, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), and declares that the people of the northeastern state will fight "tooth and nail" to prevent its division. "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is using the terror collaborator IPFT as hunting cocks and plotting multi-faceted conspiracies against the Left Front government in Tripura," Sarkar told IANS in an interview ahead of the February 18 assembly polls. Sarkar, 69, has accused the BJP-led central government of putting up an economic blockade against the Left Front government in Tripura, and of all the top leaders of the saffron party and central ministers, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "pouncing on the state like eagles" in order to oust the Left from power. "As part of their conspiracy, a series of meetings was held between the IPFT leaders and government officials, Minister in the PMO Jitendra Singh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and finally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi -- but everything was kept secret and nothing was shared about these meetings with the state government," said Sarkar, who has been in power since 1998. On the IPFT's demand for a separate state, the Chief Minister said that "the people of Tripura will fight tooth and nail to thwart the division of Tripura". He said that Tripura's post-independence history has been "marked by ethnic peace and amity and even though fissiparous forces tried to disturb peace for a brief while, Tripura maintained perfect ethnic harmony". "When terrorist outfits realised that their demand of 'Sovereign Tripura' would never be accomplished, then the IPFT raised the separate state demand to drive a wedge between tribals and non-tribals," said Sarkar. Sarkar, who has termed the poll tie-up between the BJP and IPFT an "unholy alliance", said it was aimed at dividing Tripura. "But we will not let this happen." "Despite being a national party, the BJP has no policy -- or it would not forge an alliance with IPFT," said the Chief Minister, adding that the tribal party was "destroying the future of the tribals". "The IPFT, with support from BJP, is trying to remove Tripura's name from history. So long as Left parties are in the state this detrimental plan would not be allowed to happen," he stated. Since 2009, the IPFT has been agitating for upgrading the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) into a separate tribal state. Most major political parties, including the CPI-M, Congress, BJP and other tribal-based parties, have rejected the demand, saying it is not practical to divide the small state which has a population of around four million. Attacking the Modi government, Sarkar said: "Every month four to five central ministers would be visiting Tripura. After holding meetings with us and state officials, and voicing appreciation at the state government's achievements, these central ministers would go to the BJP office here or address party meetings where they would make slanderous speeches against my government. When our officials write to the Centre telling them about the reality, it just keeps mum." Taking on the Prime Minister, he said that Modi during his election campaign accused the Tripura government of not having spent central funds. "But the central government itself has either reduced or stopped funding to the state under many schemes and projects, including MGNREGA," Sarkar said. Sarkar, a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Politburo member, claimed that the Centre has "not been providing the Rs 1,700 crore-Rs 2,000 crore" due to the state every year. "They have also been ignoring our appeals and letters in this regard," he added. Among India's Left leaders Sarkar is one of the main faces and key political figures. Tripura has been ruled by the Left Front since 1978 with a five-year break between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress and its tribal party ally Tripura Upajati Juba Samity were in power. The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Modi and the BJP should first implement their 2014 poll pledges, and then raise fingers against the Left Front government, which he said has drawn the attention of the entire country for its good governance and also won many national awards. "The BJP leadership, after having failed to create anarchy, tried to promulgate President's Rule in Tripura. It motivated the IPFT to blockade the state's vital National Highway and lone railway line, like in Manipur, and it also directed officials not to release the due central funds. All this is besides the continued malicious campaign against the Left leadership," he added. "The Narendra Modi government's policies and the activities of the BJP workers have created a deep crisis for the entire country, and led to panic among the minorities and others," Sarkar said. Sarkar said his government had made school education free and students get their text books free of cost on the day the results of their annual exams are declared. "In terms of education we have moved far ahead, and Tripura is a leading state not only in education but in all indexes of human development." The Manik Sarkar government -- in a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country -- has launched more than 30 social pensions and schemes from its own funds to benefit over 400,000 people belonging to all sections. Sarkar, who has been in the election fray since 1981, has been elected to the state assembly six times -- in 1981 (by-polls), 1983, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013. He is seeking re-election in the February 18 polls from the Dhanpur (western Tripura) assembly constituency for the fifth consecutive time. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Mumbai, Feb 16 : Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who is caught up with the production of the movie "Thackeray", says actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was the only choice to play the party's late supremo Bal Thackeray on the big screen. Raut attended the India Art Festival along with Sonu Nigam, Mahima Chaudhry and Lesle Lewis here on Thursday. On the film "Thackeray", Raut said: "Earlier, we released a teaser of 'Thackeray' and within 24 hours, it had got more than 3 million views. I am sure it will increase in the coming period. As of now, the film has gone on the floors and I think people all across the world will appreciate the movie." Asked if any other actor apart from Nawazuddin was considered to play Bal Thackeray, Raut said: "No... Nawaz (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) was the only choice in front of me when I thought of making this film." Directed by Abhijit Panse, the film will be shot in Hindi, Marathi, and dubbed in English. It is slated for release on January 23, 2019. Sonu shared his excitement to watch "Thackeray". "I think the actor he has selected to play character of Shri Bal Thackeray is one of the best from our country and more than that, I think when a film is made on certain person from his own family, then it gets another level of validation. "So, none of the Sena's people can oppose whatever has been shown in the film because this film is made by the Sena itself," Sonu said. Raut was happy to attend the India Art Festival. "Major artists across the country have exhibited their art in this festival. I think if we would not encourage artists from our state or country, then who will encourage them?" New Delhi : (ATTN EDITORS: This is the eighth in a 10-part "Translating India" series where noted translators -- in articles written exclusively for IANS -- share their experiences of translating from their respective languages.) By Ministhy Nair I had admired K.R. Meera's extraordinary talent as a writer -- the mesmerising wordplay and magical imagination -- long before I became her translator. In my wordpress blog, I often translate Malayalam poetry and post articles about literature. By a serendipitous turn of events, Meera left a comment on my blog article which was based on her novel "Aarachar". I was thrilled. I also found that we had mutual friends at Lucknow where I worked. Meanwhile I wrote a review of Meera Sadhu entitled "Meera Sadhu, Medea and Asia Weevil: K.R.Meera's novel and an analysis" in October 2015. In November that year, I met Meera for the first time in a Lucknow restaurant. Meera and my younger daughter decided to enjoy a paneer dish. The rest of us avoided it for some reason. That night both fell sick. The milk, the critical ingredient in the paneer, was apparently bad. If you have read "Meera Sadhu" or "The Poison of Love", you will remember that milk plays a very poignant role in the novel. "Love is like milk. With the passage of time, it sours, splits and becomes poison." That is how the book begins. Ironically, it all began with that dinner where the milk played truant. While talking to Meera, I had expressed interest in translating her writing, and she in turn had asked me to try it out. I chose to translate a few pages of "Meera Sadhu: a novella" which had made me cry as a reader. When Meera responded, she was very positive and highly encouraging. Dr Dhanya Lakshmy and Dr Piyush Antony -- our mutual friends, and extremely well read in multiple languages -- gave me their warm support. I transformed from a staid bureaucrat to a confident translator. When the first draft reached Meera, she told me something in her inimitable style. "Sit down and polish it as hard as you can. Burn with the script. Consider the effort as a prayer. Writing is a never ending process...". I was a novice who actually thought that with the first draft, the "file" was closed. The real work, I realised, was only beginning. When you translate, you become a medium through which the writer narrates her tale in another language. Indeed it is akin to a prayer. You have to be faithful to the original word play, the rhymes, the puns, the subtle humour, and the sharp sliver of slyness hidden amidst words or sentences. For example, in the original Malayalam, the words "Pulikkum" and "Piriyum" have deep undertones contrasting with their innocuous placement in a sentence. Apart from the fact that both start with the same letter, the former word means "turning sour", while the latter has two meanings: "curdling of milk and separation from a partner." My challenge was to find two words which also started with the same letter and caught all the nuances . 'Sour' was easy but 'Split' took a while! I had to crosscheck if milk "splits". It did, thankfully. I remember crying while translating the atrocious revenge of Tulsi. I sat there, numb and sick, not believing what my fingers were typing out. I then recollected Meera telling me that she underwent intense exhaustion after writing some of her stories. It was a visceral experience; shaking me to the very core. I had to train my mind to detach itself from the story which I was translating. When Ambar Chatterjee (of Penguin India) stepped in as Commissioning editor from Penguin Random House, all my fears fell away. His incredible talent for his job, kindness and understanding gave me wings as a translator. Meera's clarity as a writer helped to fine tune the translation. She said once, "I need a stronger word than dislike in this sentence." And then it was created... "I loathe every love story except my own..." I also remember when she gave me the confidence of experimenting with the structure of a sentence. "Imagine you are me, narrating the story in English...think like me..." I had been too loyal to the original script in the first few drafts, and had consequently committed many clumsy mistakes. When I started thinking anew, as she suggested, it became easier to correct the errors. Every sentence in the translated novel underwent excruciating scrutiny: for both meaning and lyrical quality. I felt that Meera Sadhu was actually a poem, and Robert Frost would have been happy to taunt me about what was lost in translation. One has to humbly acknowledge the sharp editing skills of Shatarupa Ghoshal and the immensely talented design team. When the "The Poison of Love" became a reality, I could only marvel at the miraculous and serendipitous journey. A translator resembles a bureaucrat in many ways. One has to remain faceless, anonymous, and behind the curtains. But there is great joy and satisfaction in being part of a brilliant creative project. A translator cannot afford to have any selfish agenda or unnecessary ego. Truly, translation is like a prayer. When 'Grace' flows through you, the words emerge. One forgets oneself, and translates. (Ministhy Nair is an IAS officer and a writer and translator. Her translation of K.R Meera's "The Poison of Love" has been widely lauded as a masterpiece.) Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 16 : The Congress in Kerala on Friday asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to break his silence on the brutal murder of a Youth Congress worker by suspected CPI-M men in Kannur. The Youth Congress worker, Shoaib, 30, was allegedly stabbed 48 times, on Monday night. The Kannur Congress unit blamed the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activists for the murder. The CPI-M leadership has, however, denied any link with the killing. Speaking to the media here, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala who reached here after visiting Shoaib's home, said "it has been four days since the ghastly incident took place and till now, Vijayan has not spoken a word and no one has been taken into custody". "He reacts to anything and everything either at the assembly or otherwise but on this brutal murder which took place just 10 km away from his home, he is yet to utter a word," said Chennithala. "This clearly shows that he has something to hide and we all suspect that the police are waiting for the CPI-M to produce 'dummies' as the accused, which has always been the practice of the party," he said. He said this is the 22nd murder that has taken place in Kannur since Vijayan assumed office and he has turned Kannur into a 'red terror' area. "It took 90 minutes for police to start their work after the incident took place and this was meant to allow a safe passage to the accused," said Chennithala. Shoaib was waiting in front of an eatery near Mattanoor around 10.45 p.m on Monday when four persons came in a car and hurled bombs to create a panic situation. They then slashed him with a sword. Shoaib's friend, who also suffered a slash, told the media that Shoaib was 'butchered'. "On February 22, the entire top leadership of our party would be in Kannur and we have decided to take up the responsibility of taking care of Shoaib's family which includes his parents and three sisters. We will be organising a fund drive," said Chennithala. He also said the party will stand with the decision of the Kannur district Congress committee if they seek a CBI probe into the murder. New Delhi, Feb 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with students from across the country over exams and said they should compete with themselves instead of competing with others. "You should compete with yourself. Stop competing with others and start competing with yourself," Modi said in response to questions from students. The interactive session which is being held at Talkatora Stadium here, is called "Pariksha pe Charcha". It has been organised days after the Prime Minister launched his book "Exam Warriors", a collection of anecdotes from his growing up years. During the interaction, he told the students they were not talking to the Prime Minister of India but to a friend. Some students urged the Prime Minister to make their parents understand that they should not put too much pressure on them for good marks. Modi asked the students not to doubt the intention of their parents, and also said parents should not put the burden of their own dreams on their children. The Prime Minister said marks should not be made a social status. Modi also remembered his own teachers and thanked them. "They inspired me to keep the student alive in me," he said. Hyderabad, Feb 16 : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday visited the historic Makkah Masjid here and offered prayers for Shia-Sunni unity and peace across the Muslim world. On the second day of his three-day visit to India, Rouhani joined commoners in offering prayers at the 17th century mosque whose foundation was laid in late 1616 by Qutub Shahi ruler Sultan Mohammad and was completed during Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's reign in 1694. Accompanied by ministers and senior officials, Rouhani offered 'namaz' in the first row. Before that he sat through the sermons delivered in Arabic by Moulana Rizwan Qureshi, Imam of the mosque in the Muslim-majority old city. Qureshi, during his sermon, prayed for the safety of Muslims across the world, especially in Palestine, Syria and Yemen. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and legislators of his party were also present. Rouhani's visit to the Sunni mosque is significant. Analysts say it is aimed at conveying the message of Shia-Sunni unity. Earlier, the Iranian delegation visited the historic Qutub Shahi tombs here. They went around the complex, housing mausoleums of rulers of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty (1518-1687) who had Iranian lineage. The Telangana officials briefed Rouhani about the necropolis, which has 72 mausoleums, many of them built in Persian architectural style. He was also told about the restoration project taken up by Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Addressing Muslim leaders and scholars on Thursday night following his arrival, Rouhani had underlined the need for Shia-Sunni unity. Tight security arrangements were made for Rouhani's visit. Barricades were erected at the place where the Iranian delegation and VIPs offered prayers to separate them from thousands of other worshippers. Hyderabad has historic cultural links with Iran. The city, founded by Quli Qutub Shah, was designed on the lines of Iranian city Isfahan. Mir Momin Astrabadi, who migrated from Iran, prepared the design of Charminar and Hyderabad. Berlin, Feb 16 : A German-Turkish journalist, jailed in Turkey for a year on charges of espionage, has been released, German newspaper Die Welt, for which he works, said on Friday. Deniz Yucel's detention had strained relations between Ankara and Berlin. On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim for a fast and fair trial for the journalist who has not been formally accused of anything, reports Efe news. A spokesperson for Germany's Foreign Minister confirmed Yucel's release. Kolkata, Feb 16 : Jewellery traders and exporters are apprehending that "ripple effects" of the $1.8 billion fraud involving billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi's companies could make lenders more cautious and impact credit flow to the industry to some extent, officials said here on Friday. However, they also said that in the wake of the fraud, the entire gems and jewellery industry should not be blamed or branded as "risky" industry. The Punjab National Bank had admitted to unearthing a fraud of Rs 11,515 crore involving Modi's companies and certain other accounts with the bank's flagship branch (Brady House Branch) in Mumbai and its second largest lending window in India. "Some ripple effects are bound to happen and it (the fraud) will have some psychological impact on the mind of loan advancers. Whenever a banker is financing someone, he will be more cautious to check out whether there is any possibility of fraud or not. This could impact credit flow to the industry or lead to delay in extending advances," Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Regional Chairman (Eastern Region) Prakash Chandra Pincha said. He, however, said the entire industry cannot be blamed for a single person's act. "I do not think the exports of gem and jewellery and the industry as a whole will be impacted by this fraud," he said, adding that the council has been a whistle-blower and had cautioned the government over "round tripping" issue. The council does not hesitate to inform the government if any policies or schemes are misused, Pincha said on the sidelines of inauguration of "Sonar Sansar", a four-day exhibition of gems and Jewellery. GJEPC's former Vice Chairman and India Bullion and Jewellery Association West Bengal President Pankaj Parekh said not only bankers, insurance companies could now also turn cautious in extending their services to jewellery exporters. "Following the fraud, the bank may ask for more collateral before providing credit to jewellers or jewellery exporters. Due to this fraud, the entire industry might be branded as a risky industry. This should not be done. Unfortunately, our past experience has been like that particularly after the incident of Winsome Diamonds default," Parekh said. After the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the industry has been faced with "refund problems", which is resulting in "dearth of working capital", Pincha said. "Post exports, we are to get the refund but that is not coming. However, the payments of refunds have been started right now. But it is after seven months and a lot of working capital of jewellers has been blocked due to delay in payments of GST refund. It is a burning problem," he said. Parekh also said exporters started receiving parts of Central GST (CGST) refund but the State GST (SGST) refund payments have not been started. "With the delay in payment of refund, the profitability has reduced and the exporters' confidence was also impacted," he said, adding that the impact of the Nirav Modi fraud case and crunch in working capital due to delay in GST refunds would act like a "double whammy" for the industry. New Delhi, Feb 16 : Total production of wheat this year is expected to be 98 million tonnes, which is as same as last year, a top official said on Friday. "Last year it was 98 million tonnes. We hope we will match it this year," Union Agriculture Secretary S.K. Pattanayak told reporters here. He however said there could be variation in the output owing to possible changes in weather. "We will have to see how weather plays out. There was hailstorm in Maharashtra. I hope it does not happen here (north India). But the situation is good so far," he said. Mumbai, Feb 16 : Following the $1.8 billion fraud detected by the Punjab National Bank (PNB), stocks of jewellery company Gitanjali Gems on Friday plunged almost 20 per cent -- hitting its lower circuit -- while PNB's shares closed over 2 per cent lower. Stocks of Gitanjali Gems, the luxury jewellery brand promoted by the main accused Nirav Modi's maternal uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi, plunged 19.94 per cent to close at Rs 37.55 per share. "Price-wise, the way the stock of Gitanjali Gems has slipped and the kind of circuit that we are seeing, probably the sequence may continue for some days. From a support perspective, Rs 29-30 is a support," Sacchitanand Uttekar, Assistant Vice-President, Research for Tradebulls, told IANS. "But with developments in the company going off-track, how much will it hold is something that time will decide," he added. According to market analysts, the stock prices fall to an effective level which gives the traders the chance to reinvest in the stock and arrest the fall. "The stocks fall to a level where the current negatives seem fully discounted, prompting traders to re-enter. The exchanges keep changing the circuit limits, which typically cushions the rise or the fall in stock prices," Deepak Jasani, Head - Retail Research, HDFC Securities, told IANS. The shares of PNB -- the second largest public sector bank in India -- started to decline after the bank detected a multi-crore fraud case in one of its branches in Mumbai on February 14, and authorities blamed billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi for the fraud. On a closing basis, scrips of PNB slipped by 2.10 per cent to Rs 125.65 per share, lower by Rs 2.70 from the previous close at Rs 128.35. PNB on Wednesday told the stock exchanges through a regulatory filing that it detected fraudulent transactions at $1,771.69 million (around Rs 11,515 crore) in one of its branches in Mumbai, which is equivalent to eight times the bank's net income of about Rs 1,320 crore ($206 million). On the same day, the bank's shares had plunged drastically following the news of the fraud to close lower by 9.81 per cent at the BSE. On Thursday, too, the scrips dropped by almost 12 per cent. The fraud, which included money-laundering among other things, concerned the Firestar Diamonds group of Modi, in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and uncle Choksi. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate launched a nationwide raid on the offices, showrooms and workshops of Nirav Modi. The CBI on Friday registered a FIR against the Gitanjali Group of companies based on a complaint registered by the PNB. Dharamsala, Feb 16 : Tens of thousands of Tibetans assembled here in Himachal Pradesh on the first day of the sacred Losar New Year festival on Friday and offered prayers for peace. Officials of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), led by its President Lobsang Sangay and members of parliament-in-exile participated in daylong religious ceremonies. Special prayers were held in the morning at the hilltop Tsuglagkhang temple close to the official palace of the Dalai Lama at McLeodganj. According to the Tibetan lunar calendar, Losar is the first day of the New Year and is traditionally celebrated by Tibetans in a big way. This year, the festival fell on February 16. In a message, Sangay said this year marked the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Tibetan national uprising and also the 60th anniversary of Tibet's brutal occupation by Chinese communist forces. "However, due to the untiring efforts and leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the indomitable spirit of the Tibetan people, the Tibetan freedom movement has sustained and persisted. We need to continue moving forward with an unflinching determination and unity." To mark 60 years of Tibetans taking refuge in exile, the CTA is marking this year as "Thank you year" to express its gratitude to India and its people. The three-day festival marks sacred and secular practices like prayers, ceremonies, rituals and folk dancing and merrymaking. The Dalai Lama and his followers fled Tibet after a failed uprising against China's communist rule in 1959. Around 140,000 Tibetans now live in exile, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The Congress on Friday continued its belligerent attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that the PNB fraud of over Rs 11,000 crore was India's biggest "bank loot scam" and has got bigger to touch Rs 21,306 crore. The party asked why the government was silent on the issue and how did it and the agencies permit billionaire diamond merchant Nirav Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others to leave India. "Punjab National Bank has already admitted exposure of Rs 11,400 crore in the 293 'Letters of Undertaking' (LoUs). "In addition, exposure of 30 banks in loans extended to four companies -- Firestar International Private Limited, Firestar Diamond Fze, Gitanjali Gems Limited and Gitanjali Exports Corporation -- is Rs 9.906 crore," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told mediapersons. "Thus, total exposure comes to Rs 21,306 crore." The leader also said: "In addition to this, PNB stock has depreciated eroding Rs 7,000 crore in value. Incidentally, government owns 57 per cent shares in PNB and the remaining is owned by financial institutions/common investors. If you add the erosion of value, total exposure comes to Rs 28,306 crore." "The exposure of banks to three more companies -- Diamonds RUS, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds -- is yet to be disclosed by the banks and Modi government. "Experts estimate this exposure to be in the range of Rs 3,000/Rs 5,000 crore. This will further enhance the total figure of the scam," he added. Taking a dig at the government's scheme, he said: "No wonder, 'UDAAN' is the buzzword of Modi government, wherein every scamster can fleece and fly - unchecked and undetected." The Congress asked what is the total loss to the banks and posed more questions. "Did the Prime Minister, PMO, ED, Corporate Affairs Ministry, SFIO, SEBI and governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat have prior knowledge of the scam as early as on May 7, 2015? Why did they not take action? "Does Prime Minister know accused Mehul Choksi? If yes, why is Modi government denying it? Did the PMO, PIB and MEA not tweet the picture of Business Delegation comprising of Nirav Modi with Prime Minister? "How did the entire fraud escape the four stage audit system of banks? Why did the banks not get alerted despite the withdrawal of ratings by rating agency CARE?" Surjewala asked. Thiruvananthapuram, February 16 : Congress leader and leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Friday levelled serious allegations against the CPI(M)-led LDF government in connection with the murder of youth congress activist S P Shuhaib at Edayannur in Kannur the other day. Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, Chennithala alleged that the LDF government granted parole to 19 convicted prisoners, including T P Chandresekharan murder case convict Sunil Kumar aka Kodi Suni, linked to the CPI(M) prior to the gruesome killing of Shuhaib. Drawing a connection between the grant of parole to CPI(M)-linked murder convicts and the murder of Shuhaib, Chennithala charged that the killing of the youth activist bore an eerie resemblance to the murder of RMP leader T P Chandresekharan by CPI(M) workers. At the presser, Chennithala also produced documents to prove his charge that murder convicts including Kodi Suni were granted parole in one go by the state government last month. Later in the day in a facebook post, the congress leader reiterated the charge that Shuhaib was eliminated in the same manner as CPI(M) goons had carried out previous killings. This showed that the murder was planned and executed by the CPI(M) using their killer gangs, he added. Describing CPI(M)s modus operandi of killing, he wrote, hack mercilessly after hurling a bomb to create terror. There were 37 stab injuries below Shuhaibs waist alone, 41 stab wounds in total on his person, Chennithala wrote, reminding that the killers of T P Chandrasekharan had inflicted 51 stab injuries on his body. In the backdrop of the police failing to make any headway in the probe into the murder of Shuhaib, the facebook post said that the police need not grope in the dark to nab the killers. All they have to do is take CPI(M) leaders into custody and question them. Chennithala also drew a comparison between the CPI(M) and the sangh parivar over how they allegedly shielded murderers. Just as the UP government gave jobs to murderers of Akhlaq in Dadri, the CPI(M) gives employment to killers in co-operative societies under their control, the facebook post says. Youth congress leader S P Shuhaib was hacked to death by suspected CPI(M) workers at Edayannur in Kannur district on Monday night. Chennai, Feb 16 : Tamil Nadu saw mixed reactions over the Supreme Court's Friday order on the sharing of the Cauvery river water, with the farming community looking forward to its implementation while the political parties said the state has been cheated. "In a way, this is a historical judgment where the apex court has said no state can claim ownership over a river. The Central government should now nationalise the rivers," farmer leader P.R. Pandian told IANS. He said though the reduction in Tamil Nadu's share of water would impact the farmlands in the state's Cauvery delta region, the Central government should take steps to implement the judgment and see that Tamil Nadu gets its share of water. "Higher allocation of water can be sought from the Cauvery River Water Management Board once it is formed. The Central government should set it up soon," Pandian said. S. Ranganathan, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association Secretary, told IANS: "We welcome the judgment. The government should set up the Cauvery River Water Management Board. The reduction in Tamil Nadu's water share can be managed." He said he filed the case in the apex court when he was 45 years old. "Now I am 82." Political leaders on the other hand opposed reduction in the state's water share. Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said a detailed response could be given only after studying the order but added it is unfortunate that Tamil Nadu's share has gone down. However, it is heartening to note that the court has ordered to set up the Cauvery River Water Management Board, he said. Slamming the DMK, he said the party has no right to criticise the ruling AIADMK government as the blame for the Cauvery water dispute has to be borne by it (the DMK). PMK founder S. Ramadoss termed the order an "injustice" to Tamil Nadu even as he welcomed the judgment on the setting up of the management board and also on barring the possibility of any further appeal against the order. DMK leader M.K. Stalin hit out at the government, saying the state has been cheated out of its share of water while Karnataka, which did not honour any of the earlier orders of the court, has got a higher share. According to Stalin, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami should convene an all-party meet to discuss the unprecedented situation and decide on the next course of action. "I would like to insist that representatives from farmers' association should be allowed to take part in the meet," he said. DMK leader Duraimurugan told a television channel that the current government changed its lawyers frequently and the state's arguments were not put forth strongly. He demanded the resignation of the AIADMK government headed by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami as the state's share of water got reduced to 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) from the 192 tmcft allocated by a Tribunal in 2007. Tamil Nadu Congress leader S. Thirunavukkarasar said the good thing was that Karnataka can't claim ownership over Cauvery river. MDMK leader Vaiko said the apex court order is unfair to Tamil Nadu. Mumbai, Feb 16 : "The Test Case" actress Nimrat Kaur's father was killed by Muslim militants, but she says her mother kept them away from an anti-Islamic environment and brought her up to have a liberal mind. She also said there should be no political interference in the Indian Army. Nimrat plays the role of a combat soldier in the web series "The Test Case". On last week's terror attack in Jammu where militants stormed an army camp, Nimrat said: "I think politics should be in its area and should not enter into the Indian Army, just the way the Indian Army does not enter politics. See, in our country, it is very easy to grow up in an anti-Islamic environment, especially for people like us. "Because my father's life was taken by militants who were Muslims, there were many occurrences where people said 'Muslims are like that, violence exists in their religion, they kill people' and all other hate thoughts. But my mother always shut them up and took us away from those people because she wanted us to be grow up with a liberal mind." The actress was present along with producer Ekta Kapoor on the talk show "The Town Hall", hosted by journalist Barkha Dutt, here on Thursday. On her growing up days in an army cantonment, in a secular environment, Nimrat said: "See, identifying a Sikh is very easy. A Sikh man has a turban and facial hair... that is in our religion. Keeping that aside, I have seen or faced no difference between me and my friends in the army cantonment... We all were given same ration, same food, same space on living all was the replica of each other. "We had mandir-masjid-gurdwara next to each other, with no difference. Inside the cantonment, the environment is so secular that until after my father's death when my family shifted to Noida, I did not realise religious difference exists." The conversation will air on Mirror Now. Lucknow, Feb 16 : Buoyed by the steep rise in the number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) in the country last year, the Union Tourism Ministry will be aggressively marketing domestic religious circuits and adventure tourism through digital and social media, an official said on Friday. Interacting with the media in the state capital after reviewing the tourism growth and projects in northern states, Union Tourism Secretary Rashmi Verma said the central government is keen to tap to the maximum the potential offered by its tourist sites. "We have in the past been focussing on the print and television mediums but now on we would aggressively be using the digital, online and social media to attract both domestic and foreign tourists," she added. Under the campaign - Dekho Apna Desh, the Indian diaspora will also be targeted in a big way, the official said. She added that in 2017, the FTAs grew by 15.6 per cent which was much higher than the 4-5 per cent logged in other countries. Verma said that several audio-visual campaigns to increase the tourist footfalls would soon be unveiled. With tourism contributing 7 per cent to India's GDP and 12 per cent in total job creations, it is being accorded top priority by the union government, the official stated. The second version of the Incredible India campaign, she added, would target the domestic market and informed that parleys were held in the state capital with travel and tour majors to find ways to further fine tune it. She said that a new mobile application and a new, user friendly, personalized website of the campaign was also underway. Pointing out that the opening of the e-visas for 163 countries had been a major trade booster for the tourism industry, Verma said that many private players like JMR and Yatra and public sector undertakings like the NTPC were adopting tourism sites. Under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme of the central government 60 projects are already on the roll in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 480 crore have been sanctioned for the same, while under the 'Prasad' scheme' five projects have begun with Rs 150 crore being sanctioned. Kumbh Mela, to take place in Allahabad in 2019, would also be pitched at the international level in a big way and specific events held to promote it at events like ITB in Berlin in March. Principal Secretary (Tourism) government of Uttar Pradesh, Avaneesh Kumar Awasthi told the media that a tourism policy would soon be unveiled by the state in which other than provisions of capital subsidy, identification of new tourism circuits will be announced. He also informed that before the 'Investors Summit' slated for February 21-22 in Lucknow, 27 MoUs have been inked in the tourism sector. He also said that 11 bidders have come forward for the helicopter rides to prominent tourist spots proposed by the state government. Like the Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya last year, Awasthi said that Holi will be celebrated in style at Mathura this year. Earlier, the Union Tourism Secretary held meetings with the state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students protesting against the varsity's new attendance rule not to obstruct the way of the staff when they enter the administrative block. The court also barred them from holding demonstrations within 100 metres of JNU's administrative block. Justice V. Kameswar Rao directed the students to allow the Registrar and other staff to enter the admin block of the campus on Saturday and Sunday when the university would remain open for disbursing salary to its employees. However, it allowed the students to hold a peaceful protest on the Sabarmati lawn but directed them to follow the court's ruling which restrained them from holding demonstrations within a 100-metre periphery of the university's administrative block. The court also granted permission to the authorities to call police in any extreme condition. The direction came on a plea by the university, seeking the court's direction to issue contempt notice against the students for violating the court's August 9, 2017 order. The court has also issued a notice to the JNUSU office- bearers on the plea and listed the matter for February 20. "By their action of blocking and protesting at the administrative block they have once again brought the university to a standstill. The officials are unable to carry out their duties amid the blocking of the administrative block which on occasions turn violent and aggressive in nature," said advocate Monika Arora in the plea filed by the JNU administration. The counsel told the court that the protesters broke all the flower pots which were worth around Rs 3 lakh and did not allow an ambulance to enter to pick up an official who had fainted inside the admin block. Meanwhile, JNU students vacated the administrative block after occupying it for two days. However, the students continued their strike against the new attendance rule, as per which they would be forfeited of their hostel accommodation and scholarship/fellowship in case they do not achieve 75 per cent attendance. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The Agriculture Ministry will hold a National Conference, Agriculture 2022 - Doubling Farmers' Income, here on February 19-20 to identify various critical farm-related issues and to find their solutions. "The main aim of the conference is to build a consensus around appropriate recommendations that will help in shaping and sharpening the vision of the government on doubling farmers' income by 2022 into actionable points. The idea is to arrive at practical solutions that can be implemented for the benefit of farmers in the country," the Ministry said in a statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the session of the conference on February 20. The Ministry said the government was keen on finding and adopting suggestions made by the participants during the two-day conference, which "will help in yielding quick results across the agricultural sector, comprising several sub-sectors in addition to initiating long-term interventions". The 300 participants of the conference are comprised of farmers, farmers' associations, scientists, economists, academics, trade industry, professional associations, NGOs, policy makers, and officers. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The government on Friday sought to distance itself from a controversial group photograph featuring absconding businessman Nirav Modi along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some Indian CEOs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month. "The photograph you are referring to is basically a very impromptu thing which happened," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to a question in his weekly media briefing here. "This was a very impromptu thing which just happened as we were going from one meeting to another," Kumar said. "No agenda, no meeting. It was a very impromptu that took place between the group of India CEOs who were there and the Prime Minister." The photograph was released by the Congress on Thursday, a day after the $1.8 billion fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) broke out. Nirav Modi reportedly left the country on January 1, days before the fraud began to be unravelled, and the photograph was taken on January 23. To another question, Kumar said that neither did the absconding fraud-accused celebrity designer contact any External Affairs Ministry official nor did the ministry have any knowledge about his whereabouts. Earlier, the Ministry suspended the passports of Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, who has also fled the country. "On the advice of the Enforcement Directorate, the Passport issuing authority in the Ministry of External Affairs has today suspended the validity of passports of Nirav Deepak Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks u/s 10(A) of the Passports Act 1967," the ministry said in a statement. "Nirav Deepak Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi have been asked to respond within one week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under Section 10 (3) (c) of the Passports Act 1967. If they fail to respond within the stipulated time it will be assumed that they have no response to offer and the MEA will go ahead with the revocation," it added. New Delhi, Feb 16 : In the midst of a raging controversy over the Rs.11,500 banking scam, a video has surfaced of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosting fugitive Gujarati jeweller Mehul Choksi at his official residence in 2015. The video clip put out by online newsportal GoNews shows Choksi, Chairman and MD, Gitanjali Group, seated among the audience at the Prime Minister's 7, RCR residence, now called 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. The event, which took place on November 5, 2015, was to unveil three schemes aimed at dampening physical demand for gold in the country and tap into an estimated 20,000 tonnes of the yellow metal lying idle with households and institutions in India. "People should take advantage of the golden opportunity to help India march to a golden period," Modi said, announcing the schemes. "A buyer will go to the biggest showroom to buy jewellery but will get it checked by his family jeweller. Our Mehul Bhai is sitting here. He would know, the buyer would go to his own jeweller to get it checked," Modi says with his trademark laughter in the video. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The 15th edition of South Africa (SA) Tourism's Roadshow will capitalise on the growing demand and align efforts to meet the evolving demands of the Indian traveller, an statement said here on Friday. "This unique interactive platform has been developed with an aim to offer trade partners in the Indian market an opportunity to interact and educate on diverse product offerings and experiences from South Africa," said an SA Tourism statement. Beginning February 12 and lasting till February 19, the Roadshow would be travel to five cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Ankara, Feb 16 : Turkey and the US agreed to normalise their ties, after weeks of rising tensions due to Turkey's military operation in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. Addressing a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Cavusoglu said the two sides will set up mechanisms to address the issues that have strained the bilateral relations, Xinhua news agency reported. "Our relations were at a critical turning point," Cavusoglu said, adding that the two sides are going to either correct this or "it was going to take a turn for the worse". The top Turkish diplomat said the two sides will hold another meeting by mid-March as part of the mechanisms. For his part, Tillerson reaffirmed the deep, important relationship between the US and Turkey, which he said is at "a crisis point". He said the US and Turkey will work together in Syria, where Turkey is conducting a cross-border military operation to fight the Kurdish militia. "We are not going to act alone any longer, not the US doing one thing, Turkey doing another," said Tillerson who, according to CNN, earlier broke protocol by meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan without an American translator or policy aides. The two NATO allies share the same objectives in Syria, he said while pledging to fight terror group Islamic State (IS) and "other terrorist organisations" together. While recognising Turkey's right to secure its borders, Tillerson urged Ankara to show restraint in its military operation in Syria. He was referring to the ongoing operation by the Turkish military in Afrin, Syria in a bid to oust the Kurdish militia of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is regarded by Ankara as the Syrian affiliate of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast. Turkey has vowed to expand its military operation to Manbij where US troops are deployed with Kurdish forces to fight the IS. The US had warned Turkey against such a move which it said could lead to confrontation between Turkish and US troops. Tillerson said priority will be given to the issue of Manbij as the two sides work together. Cavusoglu said once the YPG leaves Manbij, then Turkey and the US could take joint steps to restore stability there and in other cities. Tillerson also expressed concern about the local employees in the US diplomatic missions in Turkey, while urging Turkey to release some American detainees. The US-Turkey ties have been strained by a series of events since the failed coup to topple Erdogan in 2016 which was blamed on the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the US. Washington has turned down repeated Turkish requests for extradition of Gulen. The US and Turkey halted visa services for months in 2017 after some Turkish employees at the US diplomatic missions were detained. New Delhi, Feb 16 : There is a proposal to put Pakistan in the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body combating money laundering and terror financing among other things, in its upcoming meeting, a senior official said here on Friday "There is a proposal by some countries as part of the FATF process to put Pakistan in the grey list," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to a question whether the issue of Hafiz Saeed would figure in the meeting during a media briefing here. "This grey listing happens because the commitment which was given by Pakistan on the action which they were supposed to take, that has not happened," Kumar said. Stating that India has shared its views with the members of FATF in this regard, he said: "We, of course, would like to ensure through this that the government of Pakistan take effective measures in letter and spirit to curb terror financing, to curb fund raising activities of UN designated and other terror entities which are operating from their soil." Pakistan earlier this week launched a crackdown on seminaries and health facilities run by Saeed, chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the mastermind behind the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. The action has sparked speculation that Pakistan is doing this to avoid getting grey listed at the plenary session of the FATF scheduled to be held in Paris later this month. Asked how India viewed this action, Kumar said it was "quite surprising that it took Pakistan 10 years to figure out which was known by the entire world that he is a terrorist". "In any case, the timing of such declaration of Hafiz Saeed as a terrorist is very suspect. We will have to see if they are willing to walk the talk and take concrete measures against terrorists and terror outfits which are operating from the soil of Pakistan." The spokesperson said that India is committed to the objectives of the FATF and believes that UN Security Resolution 1267 and FATF standards pertaining to money laundering and terror financing must be implemented in letter and spirit by all nations. "And those nationals and nations who are found wanting in implementing their obligations and are freely allowing the UN designated terrorist entities and individuals to operate and raise funds and have access to assets for their nefarious activities must be held accountable and subjected to appropriate action," he added. Kolkata, Feb 16 : State-run Allahabad Bank on Friday said it has an outstanding exposure of about $366.87 million in the $1.8 billion fraud detected by another public sector bank PNB, but added it was confident of receiving the payment. Punjab National Bank (PNB), the country's second largest public sector bank, had detected the $1.8 billion fraud in one of its branches in Mumbai. Allahabad Bank was among other banks that were said to have offered credit based on Letters of Undertaking (LoU) issued by PNB. "The outstanding exposure related to the incident is approximately $366.87 million and the bank is fully secured by LoU documents and fully confident to receive the payment," it said in regulatory filing. The lender said it, through its overseas branch in Hong Kong, has been taking exposure with PNB as counter party under various LoUs issued through authenticated SWIFT message. An LoU is in effect a guarantee issued by one bank to the branches of other banks, based on which foreign branches offer credit to buyers. The bank has also purchased some buyers' credit assets from Axis Bank extended against PNB LoU through risk participation as a part of normal international business practice. Another public sector bank Union Bank of India had also said it has an outstanding exposure of about $300 million. Hyderabad, Feb 16 : With a call for unity among Muslims across the world and the announcement of his readiness to simplify visa procedure for Indians, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday wound up the first leg of his India visit. In a rare gesture, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is a senior Shia cleric too, visited the historic Makkah Masjid, a Sunni mosque, to offer Friday prayers and called for unity among Muslims across the world. Addressing the congregation after the prayers, he said unity among Shias, Sunnis and other Islamic denominations was only solution to the problems faced by the Muslim world. Rouhani urged Muslims to treat all human beings with love and affection in the true spirit of Islam. On the second day of his three-day visit to India, he joined common worshippers in offering prayers at the 17th century mosque, noting that Friday prayers symbolize the unity among Muslims as they come together to pray. "If Islam is presented before the world in true sense, then the whole world will love this religion," he said. He underlined the need for tolerance and for recognizing all Islamic denominations and respecting them. "They all can be compared to streams which come from a single spring and all these streams eventually into one ocean," he said. Alleging that enemies of Islam were creating rift among Muslims, he said the message of Iran was peace and unity. His visit to the mosque and call for unity is significant as Tehran is locked in a bitter proxy conflict with Saudi Arabia and its allies in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The Iranian leader said the massacres in schools and university campuses in the US show that materialistic civilization is no guarantee for human welfare and development. He condemned the travel ban imposed by the US on some Islamic countries by branding Muslims as terrorists. He said Islam is based on kindness and affection. He quoted Quran to say that the light of Allah can never be extinguished. "Despite all hostilities towards Islam the future belongs to Islam and future belongs to Asia," he added. Rouhani announced that Tehran is ready to simplify visa procedures and hoped India will reciprocate to facilitate easy movement of people between the two countries. Stating that India and Iran share many commonalities, he called for further strengthening bilateral ties. He said Iran with its rich resources of oil and gas was ready to help India to meet its requirements. He announced that Iran was ready to allow India access to Chabahar Port to facilitate transit to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe. Rouhani said Iran and India can cooperate in areas like industry, agriculture and advanced technology and take steps to contribute to the interests of both the countries and the region. Earlier, the Iranian delegation led by the President visited Qutub Shahi tombs here. They went around the Qutub Shahi tombs complex, housing mausoleums of rulers of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty (1518-1687) who had Iranian lineage. Rouhani had addressed Muslim leaders and religious scholars after landing here on Thursday on a three-day visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He addressed a meeting of Iranians settled in Hyderabad on Friday evening before leaving for New Delhi. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali and senior officials saw him off at Begumpet Airport in the city. In Delhi, Rouhani will hold bilateral talks with Modi on Saturday. He will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The Supreme Court on Friday asked the CBI to seek instructions from the Central government on conducting a probe and providing adequate compensation to the widow of a Muslim labourer, who was hacked and burnt alive in Rajasthan last year. Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to inform it about the issue raised by Gulbahar Bibi, wife of 50-year-old Afrazul Khan who was from West Bengal. The woman also sought an independent probe into the murder and direction that the video of the ghastly murder be withdrawn from the internet and social media sites. Appearing for Gulbahar Bibi, senior advocate Indira Jaising asked the court to transfer the probe from Rajasthan to West Bengal which the judges said would be decided later. The apex court had earlier termed as "horrendous" the video of Khan being hacked and burnt alive in Rajsamand district. The petition sought appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor to conduct the trial and transfer of the investigation to Malda district in West Bengal where Bibi resides. Khan was killed allegedly by Shambhulal Regar on December 6 last year and the entire murder was recorded by the minor nephew of the accused, who is in judicial custody. After killing Khan, Regar was seen in the video saying he did it to stop Love Jihad -- a term used to refer to Muslim men marrying Hindu women. The plea said: "The petitioner is aggrieved by the limited investigation being conducted by the Rajasthan Police into the murder of her husband since its videography and uploading as well as dissemination of the same is more inhuman and gruesome than the murder itself which is beyond the scope of the present investigation agency so the real guilty will never be brought to the book." New Delhi, Feb 16 : The CBI on Friday registered fresh FIRs against 10 directors of the Gitanjali Group of companies based on a complaint registered by the Punjab National Bank in a multi-crore fraud case and questioned four bank officials in connection with the case, an official said. The FIR has also named two former bank employees who were said to be directly involved in the fraudulent transactions. Additionally, three companies of Gitanjali Group were also named in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR registered on Thursday for causing alleged loss of Rs 4,886.72 crore. The CBI also conducted searches at 26 locations related to the Group in six cities - Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Coimbatore - across five states. The raids were conducted at the official and residential premises of accused including three private companies and their directors, factories and plants which led to recovery of incriminating documents and other items, the official said. The CBI registered the case under charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act against Mehul Choksi, the Managing Director of Gitanjali Gems Ltd based at Mumbai's Walkeshwar. Choksi is the uncle of billionaire diamond trader Nirav Modi who has been accused by the PNB of fraud along with his wife, Ami and brother Nishal Modi. The PNB had filed the complaint on February 13 in the Rs 11,515 crore ($1.8 billion) fraudulent transaction case. On Thursday, several outlets belonging to Modi and Choksi were searched by the Enforcement Directorate and assets, including gold, jewellery and diamonds, seized. In its FIR, the CBI named three Mumbai-based private companies -- Gitanjali Gems, Gili India Ltd and Nakshatra Brand Ltd. PNB's retired Deputy Manager Gokul Nath Sethi, and Single Window Operator Manoj Hemant Karat are also named in the CBI FIR along with ten directors of the three private firms namely Krishnan Sangameshwaran, Nazura Yashjaney, Gopal Das Bhatia, Aniyath Shivraman, Dhanesh Vrajlal Sheth, Jyoti Bharat Vora, Anil Umesh Haldipur, Chandrakant Kanu Karkare, Pankhuri Abhijeet Varange and Mihir Bhaskar Joshi. The CBI has also mentioned some unknown public servants and others in its FIR. According to FIR, it was alleged in the PNB complaint that Gitanjali Gems, Gili India Ltd and Nakshatra Brand Ltd and their directors in connivance with Sethi and other officials had caused an alleged loss of Rs 4,886.72 crore to the bank. "The accused officials in conspiracy with the private persons had sent unauthorised Letters of Understanding (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLC) to overseas branches of Indian banks based on which these overseas branches released funds to the suppliers of said companies or cleared the liabilities outstanding against the said companies. "They did not make entries of the LoUs purportedly issued on behalf of the accused companies in core banking system to evade detection. "Funds were meant for payment of import bills or the accused companies. However, they were dishonestly utilised for discharging the earlier liabilities on account of buyer's credit facility allowed by the foreign branches of Indian banks," the CBI official said. "With regard to FLCs, they were initially opened for small amounts by creating purported entries in Core Banking Solution system and sending the letters to overseas through Swift messages. The officials then enhanced the value of FLCs manifold by issuing amendments through Swift system without recording the same in the CBS. These overseas branches discounted the bills submitted by the beneficiary suppliers." The three companies named in FIR have 36 subsidiaries, 17 in Bombay and one in Hyderabad. All these India located firms searched on Friday in the CBI raids. Other subsidiaries are located abroad. Meanwhile the CBI also questioned four PNB officials - Bechu B. Tewari (ex-Chief Manager of PNB Nariman Point branch), Sanjay Kumar Prasad (presently DGM and Ex-AGM Brady House branch of PNB), Mohinder Kumar Sharma (Chief Manager and former concurrent auditor) and Karat. The agency, which has formed a crack team under a DIG rank officer to investigate the bank scam, has mentioned 143 LoUs and and 224 FLCs in the FIR issued by Indian bank's overseas branches to the three companies. Gitanjali's LoUs amount Rs 2,144 crore, Gili's to Rs 566 crore and Nakshatra's to Rs 321 crore while the FLCs are of the three are Rs 575 crore, Rs 625 crore and Rs 598 crore respectively. New Delhi, Feb 16 : The Congress on Friday continued its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the PNB fraud of over Rs 11,000 crore was India's biggest "bank loot scam" and has got bigger to touch Rs 21,306 crore. The party also asked why Modi was silent on the issue and how did the agencies permit billionaire diamond merchant Nirav Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others to leave India. "Punjab National Bank has already admitted exposure of Rs 11,400 crore in the 293 Letters of Undertaking (LoUs). "In addition, exposure of 30 banks in loans extended to four companies -- Firestar International Private Ltd, Firestar Diamond Fze, Gitanjali Gems Ltd and Gitanjali Exports Corporation -- is Rs 9.906 crore," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told media persons. "Thus, total exposure comes to Rs 21,306 crore." "In addition to this, PNB stock has depreciated eroding Rs 7,000 crore in value. Incidentally, the government owns 57 per cent shares in PNB and the remaining is owned by financial institutions/common investors. If you add this, total exposure comes to Rs 28,306 crore." He added that the exposure of banks to three more companies -- Diamonds RUS, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds -- was yet to be disclosed by the banks and the government. "Experts estimate this exposure to be in the range of Rs 3,000/Rs 5,000 crore. This will further enhance the total figure of the scam." Taking a dig at the government's regional air connectivity scheme, he said: "No wonder, 'UDAAN' is the buzzword of Modi government, wherein every scamster can fleece and fly - unchecked and undetected." The party also alleged that Prime Minister's Office, Enforcement Directorate, Corporate Affairs Ministry, Serious Fraud Investigation Office, SEBI, and the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments were aware of the scam "as early as on May 7, 2015". "Why did they not take action? "Does Modi know accused Mehul Choksi? If yes, why is the government denying it? How did the entire fraud escape the four stage audit system of banks? Why did the banks not get alerted despite the withdrawal of ratings by rating agency CARE?" he asked. Bengaluru, Feb 16 : In a bid to encourage girl child education, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that all girls studying in government institutions up to post-graduation will be given free education. "Rs 95 crore of the budget would be spent on providing free education for all the girl students taking admission in government pre-university (11th and 12th), degree and post-graduation courses," Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, said while presenting the Budget for 2018-19. The provision of free education up to post-graduation is is expected to benefit 3.7 lakh girl students in the state. In 2017, the state government had announced free education for girls from class 1 till graduation in government schools and government aided-private schools from 2018-19 academic year. "A total of Rs 4,514 crore is being provided for higher education in 2018-19," Siddaramaiah said, presenting his 13th state budget. During 2018-19, 100 'Karnataka Public Schools' will be opened across the state at an expenditure of Rs 5 lakh per school, and a total expenditure of Rs 5 crore, he said. The Chief Minister has earmarked Rs 22,350 crore in the 2018-19 Budget for primary and secondary education. To ensure safety of the children at government primary and secondary schools, CCTV cameras will be installed in the upcoming fiscal, Siddaramaiah said. "Rs 5 crore has been allocated to provide digital library facility through cloud computing to around 10 lakh students studying in government high schools and pre-university colleges." Siddaramaiah also announced free bus passes to students from schools and colleges across the state from 2018-19, benefiting 19.6 lakh students. New Delhi, Feb 16 : Alleging that despite Centre's knowledge, banking scam kingpin Nirav Modi was successful in fleeing the country after duping PNB of Rs 11,515 crore, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is answerable for the fraud. Party leader Dilip Pandey told a media conference here that no action was taken against the diamond trader even though the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister knew about Punjab National Bank (PNB)'s complaint against him with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Pandey quoted media reports suggesting that Dinesh Dubey, a former Director of Allahabad Bank, had in September 2013 written mails to the Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the then Financial Services Secretary over unsanctioned loans being given to Mehul Choksi, uncle of Nirav Modi. But later, Dubey was pressurised to resign, he said. From the Congress era, "junior Modi (Nirav Modi)'s involvement in corruption was known", he said, referring to Prime Minister Modi as "senior Modi". "Both the Congress and the BJP are blaming each other for the scam and fooling the nation," said Pandey. "A 'Modi Desh Looto Yojna' is going in this country," he added. Noting that Nirav Modi was part of a delegation travelling with PM Modi to Davos in January this year, despite the complaint against him and a letter received by the CBI, he said the Prime Minister and the Finance Ministry were aware about the scam, yet no action was taken. "Prime Minister is the watchman of this country. He should answer the public on this." AAP Rajya Sabha member N.D. Gupta said the bank management was also involved in the scam. "He (Nirav) ran away with the whole family in January. How?," he said. Tel Aviv, Feb 16 : More than a thousand protesters on Friday demanded the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in what was the first protest here since the release of a police report recommending that he be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The demonstrators, who gathered at Habima Square, shouted slogans and carried placards that accused Netanyahu of corruption and called for him to step down, reported Efe. One of the protesters, Regina Ari, told Efe that people wanted social and judicial justice and that is why they have been demonstrating for months. Demonstrations against corruption in Israel have been held every Saturday for 64 consecutive weeks, but this week's protest was held earlier on Friday as protesters are planning to demonstrate on Saturday in front of the house of the state Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, who has the authority to formally accuse Netanyahu of the charges. Among the protesters was former police commissioner Assaf Hefetz, who told Efe that he used to support the Prime Minister but now thinks Natanyahu must resign. Famous writer Dorit Rabinyan also participated in the protests and criticized Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leadership is fraught with anxiety, fear speech and the shadow of suspicious practices. Beijing, Feb 16 : People across China on Friday celebrated the Spring Festival, the country's most important occasion for family gatherings, with fireworks, greetings, delicious food and performances on the first day of the Year of the Dog. It's a tradition for Beijingers to visit temple fairs during the Lunar New Year holiday, Xinhua news agency reported. On Friday, the first day of the Year of the Dog in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac, many visited the bustling, crowded fairs in the Chinese capital, enjoying delicacies and handicraft works and watching traditional performances. "The traditional culture represents ancient people's aspiration for a good life," said Peng Lei, 33, who visited the Ditan Park temple fair with his little daughter. "I want my daughter to see with her own eyes and get to know the root of our culture," said Peng, who has lived in Beijing for 18 years. Some, however, spent the holiday visiting tourist destinations. On Friday morning, Kong Mingquan and his parents attended the flag-raising ceremony at the Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing. "I bring my parents to the flag-raising ceremony and pay respect to late Chairman Mao Zedong," said Kong, a native of northeast China's Jilin Province now working in Beijing. At the square, many waved small national flags and posed for photos. They extended new year greetings to each other as the flag was raised to the top of the flagpole. In Shanghai, a Buddhist temple launched a charity programme to receive children of migrant workers who remain working in the city in the Spring Festival holiday. In southwest China, Tibetans celebrated the Tibetan New Year, which coincided with the Spring Festival this year, making prayers at monasteries and watching Tibetan opera performances. Berlin, Feb 16 : Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC), has warned against the risk of a military confrontation between the US and Russia on Friday. Speaking on the opening day of this year's conference, Ischinger told the radio station "Deutschlandfunk" that there was "deep distrust" between military leaders in Washington and Moscow, making an outbreak of war more likely than at any time since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. He blamed the deterioration of relations on the changing global role of the US under President Donald Trump, reported Xinhua. "I have the impression that, rather than just threatening the use of force, weapons are increasingly employed to secure narrow interests", he said, arguing that Washington had "visibly retreated" from its older role as "global policeman", especially in the Near- and Middle East. Following an opening speech by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, more than 500 politicians and experts from across the world will meet for three days at the luxury hotel "Bayrischer Hof", the MSC's traditional venue, to hold consultations over security issues. Attendees this year will include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Trump's National Security Advisor Herbert Raymond McMaster, and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. For the first time in a year, the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine, are also scheduled to discuss ongoing fights between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces on the sidelines of the conference. A likely focal point of talks will be the potential deployment of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission to areas of conflict. Depending on whether or not his term in office extended after a bitter personnel dispute among the German Social Democrats (SPD), the 2018 MSC could mark the last such event for German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. Commenting on the opening of the conference in the newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ) on Friday, Gabriel urged Europe to become more self-confident with regards to its military power. "Vegetarians face difficulties in a world of carnivores," Gabriel wrote. He consequently advocated for Europe not to "shy away from the occasional use of force" whilst still "prioritizing civilian measures". Similarly, Hans-Peter Bartels (SPD), the Defense Commissioner for the German federal parliament (Bundestag), took the beginning of the 2018 MSC as an opportunity to demand better funding for his country's armed forces. "The gaps should be filled by 2030", Bartels told the newspaper "Passauer Neue Presse" with reference to a promise of 130 billion euros in additional funds promised by the German ministry of defense back in 2016. London, Feb 16 : The chances of a young British adult owning a home on a middle income have been halved in the past 20 years, said research released on Friday. Home ownership among the middle income earners aged 25 to 34 has fallen from 65 percent two decades ago to 27 percent in 2015 and 2016, according to findings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, reported Xinhua. Middle income earners are considered those who have a take-home pay of 22,200 to 30,600 pounds ($31,164-42,956) The biggest drop in home ownership was observed in southeast England. Local newspapers accused the explosion in house prices of having "robbed" the younger generation of the ability to buy their homes. Over the past 20 years, house prices have grown about seven times faster than the average income of young people, said the study. As a consequence, those born in the late 1980s are much less likely to be able to buy their own homes. Every region of Britain has seen a drop of 10 percentage points over the same period, IFS said. Bengaluru, Feb 16 : The European Union's delegation to India on Friday held a hackathon challenge for Indian developers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here to develop smart city applications (apps). "The hackathon was held to familiarise Indian developers from start-ups and academia with emerging global standards for machine-machine communications and the Internet of Things (IoT)," EU Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski said. A total of 60 developers from across the country took part in the hackathon. The winning team, which presented a project on using sensors to reduce road congestion near schools due to school buses, will get a trip to Estonia to attend the Baltic country's flagship start-up and technology event Latitude59 to be held in May. The hackathon was meant to imagine new applications a smart city could offer its citizens, said Kozlowski. The EU and Estonia, in particular, were looking at building connections with the Indian start-up community through the event, said the Estonian Ambassador to India Riho Kruuv. "Estonia has one of the largest start-up ecosystems in Europe and we are keen on connecting and working with Indian start-ups," he said. The EU delegation also held tutorials for developers in Bengaluru on Thursday, in Hyderabad on Wednesday and in Delhi on Monday. One more tutorial will be in Chandigarh on February 19. The hackathon and tutorials have been organised under an EU-funded project, supporting cooperation between India and the EU on information and communications technology (ICT) standardisation. "The initiative is an example of how we are implementing the decision taken the India-EU Summit on October 6 last year to broaden EU-India's cooperation on ICT standardisation," said Kozlowski. Select participating teams will also have access to the final jury for the SAP Labs' start-up studio cohort in May 2019 and an opportunity to receive mentoring at the SAP studio here. : - , , . , , - . : - , , . - ? : . , , . - . , . . , , , , , . - , , , . : ? : , , . , , . - , . , . : , . , , ? : , , . . . , ! , , - , . : , . : - ? : , , , , - , . , - -, . - , , , . , , , . , , , , - , , , - , . , ! : ? ? : - . , , - - . , , - . . , , , .. . . . : ? : - . , , . , , , . , , . , . , , , , , , , , . . , . . . , , ! , . . , , . ! - . , ... . . , , . . , . , , . . : , . - , - , , ?! - . , , , . , ?! : , ? : , . . , . , , , , . . , , , - . : ? : . . . , , , . : , ? : , . . , , , , , : -. : , , . , ( - ), . , - ! , , , , . , , , , . . , , ?! , -. : - ? : - , . (.. , , , 21 2006 .), , , - . . Rome, Feb 16 : Italian authorities have expelled a Tunisian accused of being a supporter of the Islamic State jihadist group, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday. Italian police traced the suspect to the eastern Italian city of Ravenna, where he was arrested on January 31 and held in an expulsion centre until his deportation, the ministry said. Tunisian police alerted their Italian counterparts to the 23-year-old Tunisian, who allegedly has ties to IS, the ministry said. The Tunisian's expulsion brings to 18 the number of suspected Islamic extremists deported from Italy this year, said the ministry, adding that a total of 255 religious extremists have been expelled from the country since January 2015. Ahmedabad, Feb 17 : A 60-year-old Dalit activist, who set himself on fire in Gujarat over government's alleged failure to regularize land tilled by a landless labourer, succumbed to his burn injuries late on Friday. Bhanubhai Vankar set himself on fire on Thursday inside the compound of Patan Collector's office. He was rushed to a local hospital before being moved to the Apollo Hospital in Ahmedabad. Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that the State government was taking full care of Vankar. He said the government would bear all the expenses the Dalit activist's treatment. "We are receiving messages from many supporters across the state that they are frustrated and would resort to suicide. I request all of them not to take any such steps and instead go on an indefinite dharna (protest). "I would request them to approach me and we will carry forward the fight," Jignesh Mevani, MLA from Vadgam constituency and a Dalit youth leader told reporters on reaching the hospital where Vankar died. Vankar had been seeking physical possession of land that was allotted to Dalit families by the state government. He had written a letter to the Chief Minister last month, warning him of taking the step of self-immolation if the families were not allotted the land. Though the Chief Minister's Office had sent in an advisory to the collectorate, the officials there allegedly took the matter casually. Vankar reached the Collector's office along with the Dalit families of Hemaben and Ramabhai on Thursday, drenched himself in kerosene and set himself on fire. The body of Vankar is likely to be moved to Unjha in Mehsana district on Saturday for last rites. This year, we hope to raise awareness of South Korea through the legacy of the Olympic Games, said Heesun Kim, executive director of KTO LA. Korea Tourism Organization Los Angeles (KTO LA) will participate in the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show on February 17th and 18th at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara and the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show on February 24th and 25th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. You can find KTO at booth number 1336 in the Bay Area and 319 in Los Angeles. KTO LA will provide its visitors with the ultimate experiential guide on how to plan and book their next vacation to South Korea. The program includes free on-site experiences including Hanbok (Korean traditional dress), a VR tour of the Olympics, Korean snack taste testing, and photo opportunities with Olympic Winter Games mascots, Soohorang and Bandabi. Furthermore, KTO LA will promote with local travel agencies, airlines, and government agencies such as Viator, SITA, Hana Tour, Four Seasons Tour and Travel, Info Tour, Asiana Airlines, and Overseas Trade & Investment Office of Busan Metropolitan City of Korea. "This year, we hope to raise awareness of South Korea through the legacy of the Olympic Games," said Heesun Kim, executive director of KTO LA. "With this in mind, we plan to provide visitors the broad variety of cultural experience and expertise that come together in one spot," she added. The show runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles. In the Bay area, the show will run from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday. # # # The Los Angeles Office of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is a tourism board of South Korea located in Los Angeles, California. It is responsible for promoting Korea as a travel destination in the Western region of the US and Latin America. The Western region is comprised of 13 states, which include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Latin America includes Mexico and all countries in Central and South America. It is also responsible for staying visible among community leaders while maintaining a high-level presence in the region. An Elite Dentist is a beacon to other dental care providers for what the profession can be. Dr. Clint Newman is proud to announce that he has received special recognition from MicroDental Laboratories. The esteemed North American dental lab network has named Dr. Newman a 2017 Elite Dentist, citing his high-quality work in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. This honor is only given to a select number of dental health professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of dentistry. As a dental health leader in his community, Dr. Clint Newman is proud to be recognized for his work. Moreover, he is pleased to continue providing patients in the Nashville area with exceptional dental care. What It Means to Be an Elite Dentist An Elite Dentist is someone whose work has helped push the field of cosmetic and restorative dentistry forward. This is reflected in the type of work performed, the satisfaction of the patients, and the overall results that are achieved. In short, an Elite Dentist is a beacon to other dental care providers for what the profession can be. MicroDental Labs is partnered with many dentists and dental practices, but only an exclusive group can count themselves among the Elite. The team at MicroDental has noted the work that the dental practice of Dr. Newman has performed over the last year. Lab technicians and others at the company felt that the overall quality and nature of the work deserved to be honored due to its impact on the lives of patients and the field of dental care. A Track Record of Patient Satisfaction Dr. Newmans recognition from MicroDental would mean nothing without his patients. Patient-centered care is always at the core of the practice, and patient satisfaction is a consistent goal. Each member of the team puts the patient first because the patient makes excellent dental work worthwhile. Dr. Newman and his team have enhanced the lives of countless individuals and families over the years. This is something that they will continue to do for years to come. A Continued Commitment to Excellent Results Thanks to the practices partnership with MicroDental Labs, Dr. Newman and his team can achieve incredible cosmetic and restorative density results. When the expertise and care of a dentist are matched by a dental labs craftsmanship, patients can experience optimal dental health and beautiful smiles that last. About MicroDental Laboratories MicroDental Laboratories is a network of dental labs located across the United States and Canada. These labs are joined by a common goal of creating high-quality dental restorations and appliances that enhance smile aesthetics and general dental wellness. Each lab in the MicroDental network shares values of respect, personal integrity, great service, and the pursuit of further excellence. These values are also found in the individual practices that are partnered with the MicroDental network. Contact the Practice of Clint Newman, DDS To learn more about Dr. Newman and the services provided at his dental practice, please contact his office online today. Dr. Newmans practice can also be reached by using the contact information provided below. Nashville Office 3796 Bedford Ave, Suite 201 Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 697-3230 Originally posted by Clint Newman, DDS. This is a dynamic time for Navitas and the industry, as GaN power systems graduate from academic curiosity to real-life commercial applications Navitas Semiconductor announced today that the company will demonstrate its leading GaN power IC technology at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) March 4-8 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas. As a Diamond APEC sponsor, Navitas will showcase both its own advanced GaN (Gallium Nitride) power ICs and GaN-enabled power systems in a private demo suite and on the exhibition floor (booth #1341). Its great to return to APEC as many commercial uses of GaNFast Power ICs are rapidly advancing, said Navitas CTO/COO Dan Kinzer. We are pleased to demonstrate how monolithic GaN integration has overcome both engineering and commercial hurdles to enable a new class of high-frequency, high-efficiency & high-density power systems. Visitors can learn about the latest Navitas GaNFast devices and reference designs that achieve unprecedented small size, low weight and high efficiency levels, with fast-charging speeds for end products ranging from smartphones and tablets, to laptops, monitors & gaming systems. Navitas recently introduced the worlds smallest 65W USB-PD laptop adapter reference design, supporting the dramatic size and weight reductions that consumers are demanding. This is a dynamic time for Navitas and the industry, as GaN power systems graduate from academic curiosity to real-life commercial applications, explained Stephen Oliver, vice president of sales and marketing. Navitas will showcase a new series of GaN platforms that are the result of close collaboration with our customers and partners. To request an APEC meeting with Navitas, contact +1 ThinkGaNIC (844-654-2642) or email info(at)navitassemi(dot)com. Navitas will present or be featured in the following conference papers, events at the conference: Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Paper ID#: 1180 Room 206 at 8:30 a.m. GaN Power ICs Enable Breakthroughs in Adapter Performance Dan Kinzer (Navitas) Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Rap Session 1: Biggest Impact on Power ConsumptionDevices or Magnetics? Room 217D at 5 p.m. Moderator: Kevin Parmenter, VP of Applications Engineering, Excelsys Dan Kinzer (Navitas) Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Paper ID#: 1736 Room 214A at 2:20 p.m. A Single-Stage Bi-directional Dual-Active-Bridge AC-DC Converter Based on Enhancement Mode GaN Power Transistor Tianxiang Chen, Ruiyang Yu, Qingyun Huang, Alex Q. Huang (University of Texas, Austin) Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Paper ID#: 2018 Room 214B at 2 p.m. Design Considerations of Highly-Efficient Active Clamp Flyback Converter Using GaN Power ICs Lingxiao Xue, Jason Zhang (Navitas) Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Paper ID#: 1171 Room 214B at 2:20 p.m. Design Consideration of Active Clamp Flyback Converter with Highly Nonlinear Junction Capacitance Pei-Hsin Liu (Texas Instruments) Thursday, March 8, 2018 Paper ID#: 1179 Room 206 at 8:30 a.m. GaN Reliability Through Integration and Application Relevant Stress Testing Nick Fichtenbaum (Navitas) About Navitas Navitas Semiconductor Inc. is the worlds first and only GaN Power IC company, founded in 2013 and based in El Segundo, CA, USA. Navitas has a strong and growing team of power semiconductor industry experts with a combined 200 years of experience in materials, devices, applications, systems and marketing, plus a proven record of innovation with over 200 patents among its founders. The proprietary AllGaN process design kit monolithically integrates the highest performance GaN FETs with logic and analog circuits. Navitas GaN Power ICs enable smaller, higher energy efficient and lower cost power for mobile, consumer, enterprise and new energy markets. Over 30 Navitas patents are granted or pending. About APEC As the premier event in applied power electronics, APEC focuses on the practical and applied aspects of the power electronics business. This is not just a designers conference; APEC has something of interest for anyone involved in power electronics: Equipment OEMs that use power supplies and dc-dc converters in their equipment Designers of power supplies, dc-dc converters, motor drives, uninterruptable power supplies, inverters and any other power electronic circuits, equipment and systems Manufacturers and suppliers of components and assemblies used in power electronics Manufacturing, quality and test engineers involved with power electronics equipment Marketing, sales and anyone involved in the business of power electronics Compliance engineers testing and qualifying power electronics equipment or equipment that uses power electronics Navitas Semiconductor and the Navitas logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Navitas Semiconductor, Inc. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners. Press Contact Navitas Semiconductor Inc. Stephen Oliver, +1 ThinkGaNIC (+1 844-654-2642) VP, Sales & Marketing stephen.oliver(at)navitassemi(dot)com Representatives from Blount County Schools and Schneider Electric at a construction kickoff event on February 14, 2018. Through this project, we will be able to gain invaluable insights into our energy usage and completely transform our facilities, creating the 21st century learning environment our students deserve. Blount County Schools, located just north of Birmingham, Ala., today announced a partnership with energy and sustainability expert Schneider Electric to dramatically improve energy efficiency at its 20 facilities. Schneider Electric will implement a wide range of infrastructure improvements to help the district transform the learning environment for students, faculty and staff. In total, the project will generate $14.6 million in energy and operational savings. Modernizing our schools has been a priority for many years, but with limited funding, we have not been able to make this dream a reality, said Rodney Green, Superintendent, Blount County Schools. We are thrilled to be working with Schneider Electric, a trusted resource and partner in Alabama K-12 education. Through this project, we will be able to gain invaluable insights into our energy usage and completely transform our facilities, creating the 21st century learning environment our students deserve. The project is being financed through an energy savings performance contract (ESPC), where utility and operational savings are used to help fund the renovations. Savings will come from a wide variety of measures that improve energy efficiency and enhance the learning environment, including: Brightening classrooms with interior LED lighting and controls Improving campus safety at night with exterior LED lighting Enhancing communication with the installation of a district-wide VoIP telecommunications system Saving water with new water-reduction technologies at multiple facilities Modernizing HVAC and improving building comfort at multiple facilities with hundreds of material replacements Saving energy and improving comfort with extensive sealing of windows, doors, gaps and cracks across all buildings Streamlining operations with a new district-wide building automation system, which will ease the burden on maintenance staff who previously had to drive between the districts widespread facilities to monitor equipment Replacing the boiler system at Susan Moore High School with a new variant refrigerator flow system Replacing the roof and HVAC systems at Hayden Primary School Like other schools in Alabama and across the country, Blount County Schools faced an all-too-common dilemma: it was over-spending on utilities and needed to address critical infrastructure needs without placing a burden on local taxpayers, said Tammy Fulop, Vice President, Schneider Electric. Were proud to help the district accomplish its goals by reinvesting current expenditures into facility renewal. In addition to the facilities improvements, the project will make a significant environmental impact by removing nearly 6,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is equivalent to removing 1,275 cars from the road or powering 643 homes for one year. The project builds on Schneider Electrics expertise in energy efficiency projects in Alabama, having implemented over $230 million in energy efficiency projects for more than 40 clients and helping public entities secure over $60 million in energy-related grants and rebates. In addition to its work with Blount County Schools, Schneider Electric has partnered with a quarter of all school districts in the state including Gadsden City Schools, Etowah County Schools and Marshall County Schools. Over the past 25 years, Schneider Electric has successfully implemented more than 675 ESPC projects across the nation, saving its clients nearly $2 billion. This project delivery method helps publicly funded entities make capital improvements over longer payback periods and offers many long-term benefits such as improved facility efficiency, occupant comfort, financial management and environmental protection. For more information on how Schneider Electric helps K-12 schools tackle energy efficiency, please visit http://www.enable.schneider-electric.com or contact your local Schneider Electric representative. -XXX- About Schneider Electric Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment. http://www.schneider-electric.us Hashtags: #SchneiderElectric #Alabama #BlountCountySchools #EnergyEfficiency #LEDs #ESPC #LifeIsOn #DigitalEconomy Otis Nelson of Ashland, Maine, jumps on his new Harley-Davidson(R) motorcycle after winning National Nail's CAMO Screw Off speed fastening event at the LBM Expo in Providence, RI. We couldnt have planned a more successful event. The competition was intense--everyone came to win, with many of the contractors practicing for months. We congratulate Otis Nelson who got to drive home a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle.--W. Scott Baker, CEO, National Nail National Nail announces Otis Nelson of Modern Roofing & Siding in Ashland, Maine, is the Grand Prize winner at the company's CAMO Screw Off! held at the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) LBM Expo in Providence, Rhode Island on Feb. 14, 2018. Representing his dealer SW Collins in Presque Isle, where he first qualified in July 2017, Nelson beat out 28 other competitors in the action-packed deck fastening event to win a 2017 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. There were 42 contractors who qualified from local lumberyard events this past spring and summer. The CAMO Screw Off was an exciting event, starting at my lumber dealer SW Collins all the way to finals here in Rhode Island, said Nelson. It was a great way to learn more about CAMOs deck fastening products. I cant wait to take a cruise on the new bike! During the event, finalists faced off in a series of speed competitions with the winner moving onto the next round. The Elite 8 then battled down to two finalists with Nelson taking first place with a winning time of 41.5 seconds. The other finalists were awarded cash prizes: 2nd place -- David Orgain, Birdseye Building Co., Burlington, VT representing his dealer Richmond Home Supply in Richmond, VT ($1,500 award winner) 3rd place -- Robert Smart of Building Smart in Freeport, ME, representing his dealer Hammond Lumber Company in Brunswick, ME ($500 award winner) 4th place --Nathan Demers of Perkins Quality Construction in Middleboro, MA representing Mahoneys Building Supply in Mattapoisett, MA ($500 award winner) We couldnt have planned a more successful event, said W. Scott Baker, CEO, National Nail. The competition was intense--everyone came to win, with many of the contractors practicing for months. We congratulate Otis Nelson who gets to drive home a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Designed by National Nail to provide hands-on experience with its CAMO Deck Edge Fastening system, the CAMO Screw Off was hosted by CAMO stocking dealers this past summer and fall in a series of deck fastening speed contests. The unique system, comprised of propriety guides, drill bits and fasteners, fastens deck boards on the edge, to give decks a more beautiful, barefoot-friendly, fastener-free surface. In the coming months, National Nail is expected to announce the details for the next round of CAMO Screw Off! events. For more information on the CAMO Screw Off!, visit http://www.camofasteners.com/screw-off About CAMO Edge Fastening CAMO Edge Fastening from National Nail delivers beautiful, fastener-free, Barefoot Approved results with virtually any wood, composite or PVC decking. CAMO offers a variety of guides, fasteners, and accessories, as well as a collated system to suit project requirements. For more information or to locate a dealer, visit CAMO Fasteners or call 1-800-968-6245. Be sure to Like @camofasteners on Facebook and @camodeckfasteners on Instagram. Fromental created a French Deco, chinoiserie wallcovering to provide the backdrop and ambiance to the jewelry and antiques in the TCH Collection Pop-Up Shop at Galerie Vauclair in Paris "Having the opportunity to work with Toma and her team to create the ambiance for the TCH Collection launch was a no-brainer for us. It brought a new opportunity to show what we do best: create style defining interiors." - Mellissa Mittag, Fromental Mellissa E. Mittag, Fromentals North American Sales and Marketing Director, collaborated with TCH Collection Founder and Jewelry Designer Toma Clark Haines and Art and Brand Director Chiara Zanella as well as gallery owner Laurence Vauclair to design a setting that inspires lush ambiance to launch the jewelry collection. Galerie Vauclairs antique rattan and majolica barbotine pieces are important elements for the installation, plus a special limited edition of Diva Line pillows by Dutch artist and designer Mariska Meijers, which create an exotic setting to debut the TCH Collections. Says Mittag, Wallcovering by Fromental is not meant to stand on its own. Rather, it is a layer used to create an ambiance, to envelop the room in luxury and create a mood. Having the opportunity to work with Toma and her team to create the ambiance for the TCH Collection launch was a no-brainer for us. It brought a new opportunity to show what we do best: create style defining interiors. Toma's jewelry is an exuberant and luxurious collection of pieces that begged a striking and moody ambiance. Working from the vision laid out by Toma Clark Haines and Chiara Zanella for the jewel-box space that is Galerie Vauclair, Fromental adapted our Chinon design to be the perfect backdrop for the launch. Chinon is inspired by French Deco and features an over-scaled chinoiserie motif with raised gesso edges. Using both black and chocolate brown dyed-silk grounds and metallic gold pigments, we were able to create two subtly different spaces that wrapped the space yet did not compete with the jewelry and antique collection displayed. The collaboration between Fromental and TCH Collection sends an important message about women in business, explains Mittag: Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back. Toma is one of my tribe, so of course, we jumped at the chance to help her launch her Collection. Without purposefully creating a #girlboss collaboration, we did: Toma Clark Haines, Melissa Mittag, Laurence Vauclair, Chiara Zanella and Isa and Laure who did the magnificent installation. The important thing to remember is that if you are going to collaborate with someone, make sure it's someone you can learn from and I think it's fair to say we all learned a lot from each other in this process. The end result is spectacular! About Fromental Fromental creates beautiful handmade interiors bringing an inspirational edge to traditional decorative arts. Our wallcoverings embody our brand ethos: Exquisite interiors balancing modern design with traditional craftsmanship. The TCH Collection offers one-of-a-kind, bespoke semi-precious and precious couture jewelry. All pieces in the collection are handmade and personally designed by Clark Haines and her colleague, May Au of Madame Siam. The studio accepts personalizations to pieces in the collection and custom designs, which they translate into wearable art. The TCH Collection also offers a selection of pedigreed vintage and antique finds; the Ara Collection is available at the Paris Pop-Up Shop. TCH Collection Paris Pop-Up Shop January 17 - March 18, 2018 Where: Galerie Vauclair 24 rue de Beaune 75007 Paris France For Wholesale Inquiries: toma(at)tchcollection(dot)com chiara(at)tchcollection(dot)com For Press Inquiries: garrett(at)AndrewJosephPR(dot)com https://www.andrewjosephpr.com Andrew Joseph PR New York City, New York eTargetMedia eTargetMedia is committed to supporting national charities and foundations that make our world a better place to live in. Supporting communities through giving is at the cornerstone of our company. eTargetMedia, a leading provider of Email Lists, Postal Lists, Data Append and Creative Solutions announced that during the year of 2018, the email marketing company would be donating a portion of the profits from their email marketing campaigns to national charities that are making a difference in the world. eTargetMedia has chosen highly productive charities to make a donation to each month. The organizations include charities who are committed to helping soldiers, feeding the hungry, stopping animal cruelty, helping families in need, relieving poverty, and fighting children's and adult cancer. "eTargetMedia is committed to supporting national charities and foundations that make our world a better place to live in. Supporting communities through giving is at the cornerstone of our company," stated Harris Kreichman, Managing Partner of eTargetMedia. "By donating a portion of our profits from our targeted email marketing campaigns, we hope our support to these effective national charities can make a difference in the lives of others." eTargetMedia's leading edge technology, smart and dedicated campaign managers and high-quality database comprised of responsive prospects can help companies improve their email marketing campaigns, generate revenue, increase brand loyalty and build strong relationships with customers. eTargetMedia has 20 years of experience in the industry and has built successful email and direct mail campaigns for some of the top brands in the world including Mercedes Benz, Alcon, MetLife, Marriott, AARP, P&G, TGI Fridays, Anthem, Sony and more. eTargetMedia, based in South Florida, provides Email Lists, Postal Lists, Data Append and Creative Solutions to a wide variety of direct marketing customers. eTargetMedia is a member of the Direct Marketing Association. You can download the report and visit eTargetMedia online at http://www.eTargetMedia.com. We see this cohort as being a driver of the continued growth of the already strong agtech sector in Australia, and supporting our role as a global leader in this space," stated Jonathon Quigley, Partner at SparkLabs Cultiv8. Globally, 2017 was a mammoth year for food and agtech. Later stage deals pushed up overall funding totals, as a broader range of investors got more comfortable with the space. As the first wave of agtech startups mature, capital is increasingly being deployed to later stages. Rounds valued at over $25 million accounted for 61 percent of all 2017 Venture Capital invested through August 25. However, seed stage funds and specialist accelerators also supported a strong pipeline of new early-stage agtech businesses. Over the last four years, the number of seed/angel agtech financings has continued to grow. The seed and angel financings recorded in 2016 were a 31 percent jump from 2015 and that continued to grow in 2017. SparkLabs Group (http://www.sparklabsgroup.com), a global venture and accelerator group, recently launched SparkLabs Cultiv8, a new $10M food and agtech accelerator based in Australia. This has been a catalyst for agtech companies from the U.S., and other parts of the world, to come to Australia to enhance their businesses benefiting from Australias farming expertise, research institutions and access to Asian markets. This is part of a wider movement of the best food and agtech quickly moving to grow their businesses using a global platform, benefiting from the unique merits of different regions to strengthen their propositions. SparkLabs Cultiv8, had an unanticipated influx of interest from offshore companies in their first cohort. Guy Hudson, the programs Managing Director said We specifically designed our program to benefit from Australias brilliant research institutions, availability of land and strong path into Asian markets, and it clearly resonated with a global pool of leading start-ups. Australia already exports billions of dollars in products to Asia. The total amount is expected to double by 2050, giving agtech start-ups the opportunity to ride on this wave of growth by using Australia as a bridge head into Asian markets. Startups see SparkLabs, a global accelerator network with programs in Korea, China, Taiwan and Australia as the perfect partner to build global agtech businesses from early in their development. As part of their program SparkLabs Cultiv8 takes great advantage of the availability of high quality agricultural land in Australia. As part of the program companies have access to over 13,000 hectares of experimental farm land, spread across 4 climatic zones via a partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and their new Global Ag Tech Ecosystem (GATE). Its not just Australia, many of the cohort are working across multiple markets to grow their businesses. For example Evaptainers, a team based out of Boston have developed an electricity free mobile refrigeration technology to keep food fresher longer in the first mile of the food supply chain for developing markets, using only sun and water. There technology was developed in the U.S., piloted in Morocco and is now scaling globally. Smart Ag, a company started in California is working to combat the catastrophic annual loss of bees with containerised smart hives and an organic compound to combat varroa mite. They will spend the early part of their year in Shenzhen building out their hardware and then test their hives in Australia and the U.S., benefitting from the two summer seasons. Guy Hudson said one of the unintended benefit of the programs location is the ability to test equipment in both Northern and Southern hemispheres summer seasons, dramatically increasing the pace of growth for many young agtech companies Cultiv8s initial cohort of 9 companies, includes some of the worlds most impactful early stage food and agtech companies. For example, Ripe.io the blockchain of food a New York based company who are a designing a radically transparent digital food supply chain, ripe.io harnesses quality food data to create the blockchain of food - an unprecedented food quality network that maps the food journey to answer whats in our food, where it comes from, and what has happened to it. They were recognized by Forbes as one of the most innovative agtech companies in the world in 2017. For example Norway based Aquabyte, who recently raised a $3.5m seed round, from investors like Costanoa Ventures and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), to apply machine learning and computer vision to dramatically optimize fish farming efficiency. The strength of Australias homegrown businesses in the sector also shows in the group. Partner at SparkLabs Jonathon Quigley said We see this cohort as being a driver of the continued growth of the already strong agtech sector in Australia, and supporting our role as a global leader in this space SparkLabs Cultiv8 cohort includes companies like James Tyler, a direct-to-consumer business who have cracked the notoriously difficult path for the export of Australian agricultural produce to China, and Farmbot, a company providing easy-to-use sensors which can be self-installed by farmers in just 10 minutes and used anywhere in the world no matter how remote with no additional infrastructure. Secure Impact, with a team including one of the co-founders of Brick X, is a business that is using ethereum block chain technology to solve the succession problem in Australian farms, with a clear view to similar markets facing the same issue. Alongside the global spread of companies, sustainability is a key theme running throughout all companies in the Cultiv8 program. For example Biocarbon, an Oxford, UK based team, provides regeneration services with the capacity to plant 100,000 trees a day at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods by launching biodegradable seed pods from drones. They are already piloting their technology in a wide group of countries and apply their technology to a range of markets including forestry, mining, and agriculture. Singapore based Hydroleap, who have developed a non-chemical water treatment technology to make waste water treatment cheap, fast and easy in industries like agriculture, food and beverage production, construction and mining. Please visit http://www.sparklabscultiv8.com/2018 About SparkLabs Cultiv8 SparkLabs Cultiv8 is a startup accelerator founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, and launched in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries. The core focus of the program is to assist entrepreneurs to go global and target later stage startup companies from the AgTech, FoodTech, Sustainability and Technology sectors. The program is based in NSW, at the Orange Agricultural Institute in the Global AgTech Ecosystem or GATE and will commence in Q2 2018. Program participants will access industry leading mentors, the NSW Department of Primary Industries Innovation and Technology Research platforms, linkages with relevant corporates such as KPMG Australia and Minter Ellison plus exposure to the SparkLabs Accelerator network and GAN. The mentorship-driven program is seven months in length and provides funding, office space, a tailored program and access to a top-tier network of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and executives. As a part of the program, SparkLabs Cultiv8 Accelerator participants will be able to access up to A$100,000 in direct investment for an agreed stake. For further information, please contact: Guy Hudson Executive Director, SparkLabs Cultiv8 +61 418 987 440 | guy(at)sparklandscultiv8(dot)com LatinoJobsOnline.com donating to Heart of Florida United Way We are grateful for the work that LatinoJobsOnline.com has been doing in our community to raise funds for Puerto Rico and connecting evacuees with jobs. The new job board, LatinoJobsOnline.com, continues growth while connecting Hurricane Maria evacuees to jobs in the United States. Employers like Health First have posted hundreds of local jobs in the Central Florida region and tech giant, Apple, has posted jobs for Florida, expanding into New York and California. Weve seen tremendous support from employers, they understand our goal is to help connect Hurricane Maria evacuees to jobs as quickly as possible and to raise money for relief efforts, says Robert Newland, CEO and founder of LatinoJobsOnline.com. LatinoJobsOnline.com recently made their first donation of $2,000 to Heart of Florida United Way (HFUW) who is working with their sister organizations in the hurricane relief efforts. We are grateful for the work that LatinoJobsOnline.com has been doing in our community to raise funds for Puerto Rico and connecting evacuees with jobs, says Jeff Hayward, HFUW President and CEO, of the contribution. Robert, who moved from Puerto Rico to Florida 14 years ago to expand his business, has seen the impact that has devastated the islands and the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans still recovering from this major hurricane. Evacuees were forced to move because of the hurricane, Floridas social services are stretched thin and with unemployment at an all-time low, we feel its socially-responsible to try to help our community and our newest community members to potential job opportunities. About LatinoJobsOnline.com LatinoJobsOnline.com donates all revenue in excess of operating expenses to organizations supporting evacuee relief efforts. LatinoJobsOnline.com is owned and operated by Newland Associates Group, Inc., a Hispanic-owned talent management organization. Its brands include a recruitment practice Newland Associates Executive Search, which provides talent to many top organizations around the country; they are also the Florida/Caribbean partner for Career Partners International, one of the largest providers of outplacement and leader development services in the world with over 300 locations worldwide; and they are also founders of HRfrenzy.com, the nations first and only online platform for freelance HR consultants and recruiters. More information is available at http://www.LatinoJobsOnline.com or by calling 407-771-4141, ext. 240. Please email smora@newlandcpi.com for comments or inquiries. I am proud to accept Governor Browns invitation to serve on the roundtable, and I look forward to partnering with these visionaries to help shape the future of our great state." - Devorah Lieberman California Gov. Jerry Brown has invited University of La Verne President Devorah Lieberman to serve on the California Education Leaders Roundtable, which brings together the states top college and university leaders to help ensure that Californians will continue to have access to postsecondary education into the 21st century. Joining Lieberman on the roundtable will be Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California; Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges; Tim White, chancellor of the California State University, Glen Price, chief deputy superintendent of public instruction, Karen Stapf Walters, executive director of the California State Board of Education; and Kristen Soares, president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. The group will also include Rebecca Eisen, chair of the Board of Trustees of the California State University; Cecilia Estolano, president of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges; Michael Kirst, president of the California State Board of Education; and Tom Torlakson, superintendent of public instruction. I am proud to accept Governor Browns invitation to serve on the roundtable, and I look forward to partnering with these visionaries to help shape the future of our great state, Lieberman said. The roundtable will assemble the leaders of all of the states higher education segments, which include the UC and Cal State systems, community colleges, and private nonprofit institutions. Lieberman, who serves as chair of the executive committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) as well as president of the University of La Verne, will represent the private nonprofit higher education sector. As president of the University of La Verne and AICCU board chair, Lieberman has worked closely over the past two years with the governors office, lawmakers, and the AICCU staff and membership to stave off cuts to the Cal Grant for students at private nonprofit universities and to improve transfer pathways between community colleges and private schools. In his invitation to Lieberman, Brown said higher education is undergoing rapid transformation, and the pace of the change is accelerating. Now more than ever before, our state needs education leaders who can come together and can shape the postsecondary educational ecosystem of the future, while attending to regional economies and local needs, Brown wrote. The governor is urging the roundtable to discuss topics including future capacity and enrollment; community college transfers, and coordination of general education requirements across segments. The roundtable will begin meeting in February. Lieberman became president of the 126-year-old University of La Verne in 2011. She has nearly four decades of higher educational leadership, and is a passionate advocate for civic engagement and inclusivity. She was named President of the Year in 2015 by the Association of College Unions International. By focusing on both client and talent satisfaction, we enable our clients to secure the talent they need to succeed, while providing candidates and associates with outstanding job opportunities. Diamond Award winners have won the Best of Staffing Award for the last 5 years in a row, consistently earning industry-leading satisfaction scores from clients and job seekers. Insurance Relief, a PrideStaff company, is pleased to announce that they have earned one of Inavero's coveted Best of Staffing Client and Talent Diamond Awards, after winning the Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for the last five consecutive years by providing superior service to their clients and job seekers. This is the third consecutive year Insurance Relief has earned the Diamond distinction for client satisfaction and the second consecutive year they have won for talent satisfaction. Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inaveros Best of Staffing winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and the employees theyve helped find jobs. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.3 times more likely to be completely satisfied and job seekers who work with winning agencies are 1.7 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. "Continuing our track record of customer experience excellence is extremely important to everyone at Insurance Relief," said Kade Houston, Division Manager at Insurance Relief. "By focusing on both client and talent satisfaction, we enable our clients to secure the talent they need to succeed, while providing candidates and associates with outstanding job opportunities." "Winning the Diamond Award year after year renews our commitment to delivering world-class experiences for everyone we serve," continued Houston. "This recognition is especially meaningful, because it aligns with our Mission to 'Consistently provide client experiences on what they value most'." "With a tight labor market and growing economy, finding the right recruiting partners is critical to success, said Inaveros CEO Eric Gregg. Best of Staffing Diamond Award winners provide consistently remarkable service to their clients and job candidates, and I couldnt be more proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com." About Insurance Relief A division of PrideStaff, Insurance Relief specializes in recruiting top candidates for companies within the insurance industry. The parent company was founded in the 1970s as 100 percent company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 80 offices in North America to serve over 5,000 clients. With over 40 years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, all PrideStaff brands offer the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. For more information on PrideStaff, Insurance Relief services or for franchise information, visit http://www.pridestaff.com or http://www.insurance-relief.com. PrideStaff and Insurance Relief's shared Mission: Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most. About Inavero The Inavero team administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world, reporting on more than 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and job seekers each year. Committed to delivering ongoing value to the industry, Inavero is proud to serve as the American Staffing Associations exclusive service quality partner. About Inaveros Best of Staffing Inaveros Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need. APS has been named the Highest-Rated Software Tool in Louisiana by G2 Crowd. APS is the only payroll company recognized on G2 Crowd's list, sharing the spotlight with other top software companies like Slack, MailChimp, GoToMeeting, and Verizon. "We're excited to be the only human capital management company to make this distinguished list," said Christian Valiulis, Chief Revenue Officer at APS. "Our approach to providing innovative, efficient, and easy-to-use HR technology in a single platform resonates with our customers as evidence by this recognition. We look forward to continuing the journey of providing exceptional technology and services to current and future clients." APS received a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars and a satisfaction score of 91. The data relies on G2 Crowd's more than 300,000 B2B software and services reviews. The software companies that have parent companies headquartered in their respective states were ranked by user satisfaction of their top-rated products. For more information, read the entire highest-rated software list on G2 Crowd. Founded in 1996, APS began by providing full-service payroll processing and tax compliance services and has since evolved into a complete human capital management company. APS has been proudly serving its clients for 22 years both locally and nationally. APS's cloud-based proprietary technology is developed in-house with a commitment to progress as the human capital management landscape continues to change. About APS Headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, APS brings innovation and efficiency to modern human capital management while delivering personalized service and support. APS's award-winning technology is built from the ground up, focusing on usability, reliability, and compliance. APS crafts a unified platform of cloud solutions, including core HR, benefits administration, carrier connections, performance reviews, payroll, attendance, scheduling, recruiting, onboarding, self-service, ACA compliance, and reporting. In 2017, G2 Crowd ranked APS as the Best Software for HR and Administrative Teams and Gartner Software Advice recognized APS as a FrontRunner for its HR and Applicant Tracking Software. APS helps organizations in over 475 jurisdictions in all 50 states, including Rainbow Sandals, CC's Coffee House, Cheerwine, and Columbia Southern University. For more information, please visit http://www.apspayroll.com or call 855-945-7921. About G2 Crowd, Inc. G2 Crowd, the world's leading business solution review platform, leverages more than 280,000 user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. Business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts use the site to compare and select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. Every month, nearly one million people visit G2 Crowd's site to gain unique insights. G2 Crowd aims to bring authenticity and transparency to the business marketplace. For more information, go to G2Crowd.com. Winning another Diamond Award motivates us to work even harder in the year ahead. Diamond Award winners have won the Best of Staffing Award for the last 5 years in a row, consistently earning industry-leading satisfaction scores from clients and job seekers. PrideStaff Financial, a PrideStaff company, is pleased to announce that they have earned one of Inavero's coveted Best of Staffing Client and Talent Diamond Awards, after winning the Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for five consecutive years by providing superior service to their clients and job seekers. PrideStaff Financial is the only staffing firm specializing in accounting and financial staffing in the U.S. and Canada to win these awards four years in a row. Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inaveros Best of Staffing winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and the employees theyve helped find jobs. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.3 times more likely to be completely satisfied and job seekers who work with winning agencies are 1.7 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. "Best of Staffing awards are extremely important to us, because they're a direct reflection of the service experiences we deliver to our Clients and Talent," said Ryan Williams, Vice President of PrideStaff Financial. "Being recognized for service excellence eight years in a row validates that we truly do live out our Mission to 'Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most,' every day. "Winning another Diamond Award motivates us to work even harder in the year ahead," continued Williams. "2018 promises to be a great year for PrideStaff Financial, and we look forward to delivering world-class experiences for each client and candidate we serve." "With a tight labor market and growing economy, finding the right recruiting partners is critical to success, said Inaveros CEO Eric Gregg. Best of Staffing Diamond Award winners provide consistently remarkable service to their clients and job candidates, and I couldnt be more proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com." About PrideStaff Financial A division of PrideStaff, PrideStaff Financial specializes in accounting and financial staffing. The parent company was founded in the 1970s as 100 percent company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 80 offices in North America to serve over 5,000 clients. With over 40 years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, all PrideStaff brands offer the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. For more information on PrideStaff, PrideStaff Financial services or for franchise information, visit http://www.pridestaff.com or http://www.pridestafffinancial.com. PrideStaff and PrideStaff Financial's shared Mission: Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most. About Inavero The Inavero team administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world, reporting on more than 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and job seekers each year. Committed to delivering ongoing value to the industry, Inavero is proud to serve as the American Staffing Associations exclusive service quality partner. About Inaveros Best of Staffing Inaveros Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need. Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Attorney Michael C. Hammer has been named a 2018 Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Mr. Hammer is a Member of the firms Management Group and is based in the firms Ann Arbor office. His clients rely on him to provide sound business advice across a broad range of areas, including outside general counsel services, contract negotiations and commercial disputes, financial restructurings, bankruptcy, distressed acquisitions and sales, and wealth-protection solutions. His broad experience ranges from negotiating contracts relating to electric and autonomous vehicle manufacturers and litigating automotive disputes (stop-ship cases, termination claims, and tooling and warranty disputes) to counseling, negotiating and litigating rights and interests for all types of businesses including mining, real estate, oil and gas, telecommunications, gaming and health care. As a member of the firms Management Group, he oversaw the firms lateral partner recruitment for the last decade. Under Mr. Hammers guidance, the firm has hired over 250 lateral partners and has developed a talent for identifying opportunities in new markets and identifying lawyers that will not only complement, but strengthen the firms legal service offerings. Mr. Hammer is an immediate past Board Member of the National Federal Bar Associations Bankruptcy Law Section; a Mediator with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Michigan; and past Co-Chair of the Federal Bar Associations Bankruptcy Section, Eastern District of Michigan. He is recognized as a leader in his field by Michigan Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and DBusiness Top Lawyers. Mr. Hammer received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Each year, Michigan Lawyers Weekly selects 30 lawyers to honor as Leaders in the Law. Leaders in the Law are lawyers who exemplify the noble tradition of the legal profession, are passionate and active on behalf of clients and the community, have a record of success in the legal profession, and have a record of achievements that display a strength of character and ability to be a leader in the Michigan legal community. The 2018 Leaders in the Law will be honored at an annual luncheon and awards ceremony on April 5, 2018 at the Troy Marriott. About Dickinson Wright PLLC Dickinson Wright PLLC is a general practice business law firm with more than 450 attorneys among more than 40 practice areas and 16 industry groups. Headquartered in Detroit and founded in 1878, the firm has 18 offices, including six in Michigan (Detroit, Troy, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw) and 11 other domestic offices in Austin and El Paso, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Nashville and Music Row, Tenn.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C. The firms Canadian office is located in Toronto. Dickinson Wright offers our clients a distinctive combination of superb client service, exceptional quality, value for fees, industry expertise and business acumen. As one of the few law firms with ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, Dickinson Wright has built state-of-the-art, independently-verified risk management controls and security processes for our commercial transactions. Dickinson Wright lawyers are known for delivering commercially-oriented advice on sophisticated transactions and have a remarkable record of wins in high-stakes litigation. Dickinson Wright lawyers are regularly cited for their expertise and experience by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other leading independent law firm evaluating organizations. B2BGateway & Kryo Inc Success Story Allowing B2BGateway to connect with Skubana freed up a lot of my time to focus on my other job duties, eliminating manual processes. We are so happy with the team at B2BGateway and the service they provide, I cant express it enough. Kryo Inc had many challenges, but the biggest challenge was the manual data entry processes prior to using B2BGateway. Sonya Spalding, a business representative from Kryo Inc, stated Allowing B2BGateway to connect with Skubana freed up a lot of my time to focus on my other job duties, eliminating manual processes. We are so happy with the team at B2BGateway and the service they provide, I cant express it enough. B2BGateway connected Kryos Skubana account to each of their trading partners, eliminating the need for anyone in the company to manually enter orders going to and from each of their trading partners. Some of those manual processes included entering all orders, updating the orders with tracking information once the order shipped and in some cases sending the invoices. As a small rapidly growing company, Kryo Inc wanted to fully support their trading partners and B2BGateway enabled them to become rock solid. Kryo Inc will no longer have missed deadlines and best of all, no more fees associated with shipping late orders. B2BGateway was the perfect solution we were looking for. Working with Nathan Bousquet from B2BGateway made the transition painless because his knowledge, expertise and availability was top notch!. All of their electronic data processes are now done effortlessly. B2BGateway is a world leader in the provision of a cloud-based, fully-integrated EDI solutions for Skubana users. B2BGateways Skubana solution is 100% built and maintained by B2BGateway developers. B2BGateways solution is available in the Skubana App marketplace, allowing for hassle free, reliable and seamless exchange of any business documents such as purchase orders, invoices, inventory updates, advanced shipping notices via any communication method (FTP, AS2, HTTP, API) and any file type (X12, EDIFACT, CSV, etc). B2BGateways EDI solutions for Skubana are simple to use, competitively priced, highly effective and can increase profitability by reducing the costs associated with manual data entry errors. B2BGateway has offices in Ireland and Australia enabling them to offer unparalleled support in many time zones with emergency after hours support available as well. For more information on how B2BGateway can help your business become more efficient, contact their dedicated business representative team at Sales(at)B2BGateway(dot)Net or call 401-491-9595, Ext. 5. How we connect talented West Philadelphians to the opportunities afforded by growth will shape the future of our community as much as the buildings rising along our skyline University City District (UCD), the University City Science Center and Drexel University have been awarded a $5 million grant from the Lenfest Foundation. The three-year grant will support a unique partnership that leverages University Citys explosive economic growth to train and place unemployed West Philadelphia residents in family-sustaining jobs today, while equipping the communitys workforce with the skills and certifications needed to connect to the jobs of the future. Through a unique collaboration anchored by UCDs nationally-acclaimed job training program, the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, the partners plan to connect nearly 600 previously unemployed residents to careers over three years, resulting in over $16 million in wages generated in the community. In addition, over 200 adults and high school students in West Philadelphia will attain credentials, certifications, and exposure to STEM careers, setting them on meaningful pathways to employment. Not only does this grant allow each partner to scale its own programs in order to serve more individuals, but it will create a new collaborative infrastructure that strengthens economic opportunity in West Philadelphia. The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative connects local residents to living wage, life-changing jobs with University Citys premier employers; the program has served over 800 jobseekers and generated $15.4 million in wages for previously unemployed local residents. Lenfests support will enable UCD to build new training programs with the Science Center and Drexel University, along with other employers in University City. The Science Center will expand its nationally recognized FirstHand program to guide more local high-school students towards STEM-related careers, while working with the Skills Initiative to train and place local residents into the science and technology companies that are proliferating across University City. Drexel will expand its long-standing commitment to the Skills Initiative to train residents for specific jobs across the University while enhancing its adult education programming and credentialing at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. University City is at a unique moment of economic possibility. How we connect talented West Philadelphians to the opportunities afforded by growth will shape the future of our community as much as the buildings rising along our skyline, said Matt Bergheiser, President of University City District. We are grateful to the Lenfest Foundation for its transformative investment. We look forward to working with long-standing partners through the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to close the opportunity gap in West Philadelphia. At the Lenfest Foundation, we work every day to ensure that Philadelphians can gain the education, knowledge, skills and opportunities that lead to a fulfilling, productive life, and we are proud to support three dynamic entities who have a history of providing those services to the West Philadelphia community, said Keith Leaphart, Chair of the Lenfest Foundation. We know this investment will accelerate their efforts, and make it possible for more talented local residents to serve as the workforce of the future. We are grateful for this funding from The Lenfest Foundation that will enable us to accelerate our mission to inspire and lead an inclusive community of innovation and entrepreneurship, says Curtis M. Hess, Interim President & CEO of the University City Science Center. Not only will we be able to introduce more high school students to the power and potential of STEM career pathways, but well also launch our first workforce development initiative to train and place local residents into good-paying jobs within the science and technology companies at uCity Square and beyond that are growing our economy. The best way forward for University City and all of Philadelphia is to foster economic growth and opportunity that leaves no one behind, said John Fry, President of Drexel University. With incredibly generous support from the Lenfest Foundation, we can take significant steps toward achieving that goal. About University City District UCD promotes a world class, vibrant University City through major investments in public space development, public maintenance and public safety, by connecting entrepreneurs and residents to economic opportunity, and through the creation and management of destination events. UCDs West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, founded in 2010, is a workforce intermediary that connects West Philadelphias employers seeking talent to West Philadelphians seeking opportunity. The Skills Initiative has received national acclaim as the only program of its kind to be embedded within the work of a special services district. Learn more at http://www.universitycity.org. About the University City Science Center Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Centers incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a businesss lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO and beyond. For more information about the Science Center, go to http://www.sciencecenter.org About Drexel University Founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Drexel is a nationally-ranked, comprehensive research university recognized for its focus on experiential learning through cooperative education, its commitment to cutting-edge academic technology and its growing enterprise of use-inspired research. With more than 24,000 students, Drexel is one of the nations largest private universities, one of Philadelphias top five private employers, and a major engine for economic development in the region. Drexels Dana and David Dornsife Center is the cornerstone of the Universitys commitment to the community. The Center provides a physical space where students and faculty get to know and work closely with local residents and neighborhood leaders, partnering on initiatives for the long term. Learn more at drexel.edu. About Lenfest Foundation The Foundation was established by H. F. (Gerry) Lenfest and Marguerite Lenfest in 2000. In 2011, the Foundations mission was revised to focus on disadvantaged youth in the Philadelphia area. After a major investment in early childhood education, the organization now seeks to make an impact by funding out-of-school time programs for middle school students along with workforce development and career pathways programs for older youth. With Telarix, UNIFI will operate on a single consolidated platform, providing scale for future organic initiatives and inorganic acquisitions Telarix Inc. (Telarix), the leading provider of international carrier business solutions, is pleased to announce that UNIFI Communications (UNIFI), a leading US-based international telecommunications carrier, has selected the Telarix iXLink and iXTools software-as-a-service (SaaS) unified platform for its recently acquired WIS Telecom, complementing UNIFI's existing set of Telarix products. By expanding the Telarix platform to its WIS division, UNIFI will enjoy the benefits of a single, unified platform for the management of its international long-distance voice business requirements. The Telarix SaaS platform provides a complete end-to-end solution for governing how traffic routing, billing, swapping, and settlement decisions are made, helping to automate these decisions and ensure profitable carrier network operations. Telarix's Origin-based Rating, Routing and Billing solutions are components of the Telarix Unified Suite, which enables operators to succeed in an increasingly connected world by streamlining and automating the business of global communications. On average, Telarix customers experience reductions in disputes by up to 50% within months of implementing the solution. In addition, a significant increase in won disputes occurs because of the available data the Telarix solution provides, especially disputes caused by origin-based charges. "UNIFI initially selected Telarix's iXLink and iXTools solutions in 2016 to significantly automate UNIFI's business operations and to implement a unified call routing platform," explained Adrian Shatku CEO/Founder of UNIFI. "By expanding the Telarix platform to include our European-based WIS Telecom, UNIFI will operate on a single consolidated platform, providing scale for future organic initiatives and inorganic acquisitions. Furthermore, we will have unparalleled visibility into our business, resulting in improved operating efficiencies and positioning UNIFI as a leader in the industry." "We are extremely proud to be expanding our relationship with UNIFI by becoming their sole strategic supplier for Interconnect Business Optimization Solutions," said Marco Limena, Telarix CEO. "With the Telarix iXTools platform and Origin-based Handling, operators like UNIFI have been able to realize operational efficiencies, improve margins, grow revenue and accommodate future acquisitions." "In the rapidly changing world of technology, Telarix has enabled UNIFI and its companies to be more nimble, efficient, and successful in our operations," said UNIFI CEO, Adrian Shatku. "We are looking forward to expanding the use of the Telarix platform to ensure profitable and competitive network operations while also establishing a firm technology foundation as we execute our strategic objectives in the international telecom arena." In January 2016, Telarix was acquired by Vista Equity Partners, a leading private equity firm with focused investments in software, data and technology-enabled companies. Vista partners closely with management teams and provides multilevel support to help companies reach their full potential. About UNIFI Communications UNIFI Communications, headquartered in New York City, USA, is a leading international voice carrier and platform SaaS provider. Services offerings include highly competitive wholesale voice termination, roaming , data /Satellite and mobility services solutions for enterprise customers (pure IP phone systems, International SIP trunks, etc.), customized mobile solutions (messaging, IOT, etc.), and network infrastructure development services (satellite, terrestrial, undersea, wireless, enterprise, etc.). For more information, visit http://www.unificom.com and http://www.wis.one. About Telarix Telarix is the world's leading provider of business-to-business and OSS/BSS management solutions to improve efficiency and productivity. The company's iXLink B2B information exchange platform enables carriers to optimize operational capabilities across all areas of the business - from analytics, billing and settlement, and contract management to fraud protection, pricing and traffic routing. The platform provides carriers with an unprecedented level of visibility and control over interconnect voice, video, data and SMS services and is used by more than 4,000 communications companies across the globe. For more information, visit Telarix at http://www.telarix.com. About Vista Equity Partners Vista Equity Partners, a U.S.-based investment firm with offices in Austin, San Francisco, Chicago, and Oakland with more than $30 billion in cumulative capital commitments, currently invests in software, data and technology-based organizations led by world-class management teams with long-term perspective. Vista is a value-added investor, contributing professional expertise and multi-level support towards companies realizing their full potential. Vista's investment approach is anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions, and proven management techniques that yield flexibility and opportunity in private equity investing. For more information, please visit http://www.vistaequitypartners.com. UNIFI Media Contact: Fiorenza Andreano +1-212-845-9095 fandreano(at)wis.one Release of VALIDATE Procalcitonin, for Roche cobas users, allows clinical laboratories to complete their required Procalcitonin linearity and calibration verification and maximize the reportable range while minimizing manual dilutions. LGC Maine Standards releases VALIDATE Procalcitonin linearity and calibration verification kit, for Roche cobas analyzers, Order Number 403ro. The kit, in a human-serum matrix, evaluates Procalcitonin (PCT). Each VALIDATE Procalcitonin kit, liquid and ready-to-use, prepared using the CLSI EP06-A equal delta sample preparation, offers five distinct concentrations covering the reportable range. Simply dispense the solution from each dropper bottle, directly into five sample cups, and run in replicates. Release of VALIDATE Procalcitonin, for Roche cobas users, allows clinical laboratories to complete their required Procalcitonin linearity and calibration verification and maximize the reportable range while minimizing manual dilutions. Use of this product, while augmenting daily QC, assists with fulfilling various quality control requirements such as Analytical Measurement Range (AMR) and Clinically Reportable Range (CRR) for linearity and calibration verification under CLIA 88, CAP, COLA, JCAHO, JCI and ISO 15189. The addition of VALIDATE Procalcitonin, for Roche cobas analyzers, to the LGC Maine Standards expanding portfolio of products demonstrates a continued commitment to manufacture high-quality linearity and calibration verification products that meet industry needs. LGC Maine Standards is located in Cumberland Foreside, Maine and manufactures VALIDATE linearity and calibration verification kits for over 115 analytes, including General Chemistries, Urine Chemistries, Enzymes, Lipids, HbA1c, Therapeutic Drugs, Cardiac Markers, Thyroids, Serum Proteins, Vitamin D, Tumor Markers, Anemia, Fertility, Hemostasis and Whole Blood Glucose. LGC Maine Standards MSDRx data reduction software is available at no charge for real-time data analysis or a laboratory can send their data to LGC Maine Standards where a technical specialist will complete the data analysis and return a report within five business days. Peer group comparison is also available upon request. Contact: Maine Standards Company, LLC 221 US Route 1, Cumberland Foreside, ME 04110 1-207-892-1300 x1473 Adriano.Ciccomancini(at)LGCGroup(dot)com http://www.mainestandards.com ### About LGC LGC is an international life sciences measurement and testing company with leading positions in growing markets. LGC provides a range of measurement products and services which underpin the safety, health and security of the public, including reference materials and proficiency testing, calibration verification / linearity testing, genomics reagents and instrumentation, and expert sample analysis and interpretation. LGC serves customers across a number of end markets including Pharmaceuticals, Agricultural Biotechnology, Food, Environment, Government and Academia. LGCs headquarters are in London and the company employs over 2,000 people, operating out of 22 countries worldwide. Its operations are extensively accredited to international quality standards such as ISO/IEC 17025, GMP, GLP, ISO Guide 34, ISO/IEC 17043 and ISO 13485:2003. With a history dating back to 1842, LGC has been home to the UK Government Chemist for more than 100 years and is the UK National Measurement Laboratory and Designated Institute for chemical and bio measurement. LGC was privatized in 1996 and is now owned by funds affiliated with KKR. For more information, please visit http://www.lgcgroup.com. The 2018 edition of International LiDAR Mapping Forum came to a close last Wednesday in Denver, CO having attracted over 1,500 professionals from all 50 U.S. states and 34 countries, representing a wide range of industries including surveying and mapping; utilities; civil infrastructure; construction; mining and aggregates; and precision agriculture. International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) took place with the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Annual Conference for the first time in 2018, giving attendees access to more geospatial solutions, technical education and networking than ever before. The events maintained their unique technical programs, including ILMF product previews and ASPRS workshops, awards, and committee meetings but shared a single combined exhibit hall. Colocation of ASPRS and ILMF brought many old friends and colleagues together in a vibrant and stimulating conference reminiscent of the old days. The exhibit hall was buzzing as commercial, government, and academic sector professionals viewed the latest developments, not only in LiDAR but also in UAS and other areas of remote sensing, Karen Schuckman, Program Manager for ASPRS comments. As one who has attended both ASPRS and ILMF faithfully for more than a decade, I can say that the whole was definitely greater than the sum of the parts. ILMF featured three keynotes, four plenaries, dozens of technical application-specific presentations, numerous networking events and more than 90 exhibitors packing the exhibit hall with best-in-class technical solutions. The event ran from February 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. Keynoters were presented by Jeff Sloan of U.S. Geological Survey, Michael Lefsky of Colorado State University, and Eric Larour of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Plenary panels covered Geiger Mode/Single Photon Scanning and LiDAR Sensors. The first ever colocation of ILMF and ASPRS exceeded all expectations. With a 50% increase in attendance, conference rooms and exhibit halls were buzzing, and all the key players were in attendance, according to Lisa Murray, Group Director for the conference organizing group Diversified Communications. We knew that bringing together the leading minds in LiDAR and photogrammetry was a good idea, we just didnt realize how good, Lisa continued. This is something the remote sensing marketplace has been missing for a number of years and the overwhelmingly positive response was proof that the industry is stronger when it bands together. There is incredible momentum going into 2019 with 70% of space has already reserved, and we are already discussing more exciting features for next year. The combined exhibit hall was filled to capacity with 93 exhibitors including 31 exhibitors new to ILMF. Products and services on display covered the spectrum of the geospatial industry including mapping and surveying equipment and sensors, airborne data acquisition, unmanned aerial systems, mapping software, and more. Included in the exhibit hall was a University Pavilion which invited Universities specializing in drone research to exhibit, and a UAV Pavilion which provided a special area on the exhibit hall for UAV airframe manufacturers to participate to exhibit. Everyone attended ILMF - from industry leaders, government agencies, associations and professionals from all over the world, said James Van Res, Senior Vice President of RIEGL USA. If you need to do geospatial business in any way, you need to be at ILMF next year. In another first for ILMF, organizers were excited to announce the first-ever LIDAR Leader award winners in cooperation with LIDAR Magazine. The inaugural ceremony awarded outstanding achievement in three distinct categories: Outstanding Personal Achievement in LIDAR, Outstanding Team Achievement in LIDAR, and Outstanding Enterprise Achievement in LIDAR; presented to Dr. David Maune, The North Carolina Statewide LIDAR Collection project, and United States Geological Survey respectively. In this effort to formally recognize personal and group achievements in geospatial LIDAR as well as share stories to encourage others in the industry, the Award winners and recipients did just that. Of note, Dr. David Maune delivered a standing ovation acceptance speech, inspiring the crowd and younger-generation geospatial professionals alike. He stated, I wont be satisfied until we have a seamless high-resolution, high-accuracy 3D Nation from the tops of the mountains, to the depths of the seas, to include our inland rivers and lakes. The 2019 edition of ILMF will be held January 28-30, 2019, also at the Hyatt Regency Denver, again co-located with the ASPRS Annual Conference. The event will be organized by Diversified Communications under the leadership of Ms. Murray, whose other products in the technology portfolio include SPAR 3D Expo & Conference,SPAR 3D.com, Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Expo Europe, and Commercial UAV News. About International LiDAR Mapping Forum International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) is a technical conference & exhibition focused on airborne, terrestrial and underwater LiDAR as well as emerging remote-sensing and data collection tools and technology used for applications including Asset Management; Civil Infrastructure; Coastal Zone Mapping; Emergency Services & Disaster Response; Land and Natural Resource Management; and Urban Modeling. ILMF is part of a network of events and media for the global geospatial market organized by Diversified Communications, a leading organizer of conferences, trade shows and online media with 15 years in the geospatial arena, including Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Europe, Commercial UAV News, International LiDAR Mapping Forum, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, SPAR3D.com, AEC Next Technology & Expo and AECST News. For more information, visit http://www.lidarmap.org. About Diversified Communications Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including: food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit: http://www.divcom.com About American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Founded in 1934, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific association serving professional members around the world. Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies. Learn more at http://www.asprs.org. CONTACT: Jason Lavigne, Diversified Communications jlavigne(at)divcom(dot)com | 207-842-5494 Seton Hall University Professor Paul Christiansen, Ph.D. offers new insights into presidential elections in his first book, Orchestrating Public Opinion: How Music Persuades in Television Political Ad "It follows that if people dont understand music, they are more vulnerable to appeals to emotion through music. As we celebrate our democracy this Presidents Day, Seton Hall University Professor Paul Christiansen, Ph.D., of the College of Communication and the Arts, offers new insights into presidential elections in his first book, Orchestrating Public Opinion: How Music Persuades in Television Political Ads for U.S. Presidential Campaigns, 1952-2016, published this year by Amsterdam University Press. The book is a collection of nearly a decade of research and writing by the Westfield, New Jersey native, who is a musicologist specializing in Czech music and music in political advertisements. He has been called upon over the years by NPR and BBC Radio 3 to offer expertise on his electoral research. His research is the first of its kind to delve into the effects the use of music in presidential campaign ads has on viewers. For years, media professionals and social scientists have studied music as only one element of many in campaign ads. However, most media professionals and social scientists do not have the musical sophistication to analytically listen to music and recognize its ability to manipulate the audience. Christiansens research argues that music can be the dominant factor in a campaign ad, due to its ability to set a mood and influence viewers perceptions. In the beginning of the twentieth century, a New York Times music critic could write a review and include actual printed music examples so that readers could follow the argument, said Christiansen. Such widespread musical literacy can no longer be assumed. It follows that if people dont understand music, they are more vulnerable to appeals to emotion through music. Christiansen echoed these sentiments during a 2016 NPR Academic Minute segment. Christiansen said, Understanding how music works in the context of campaign ads is key to arming ourselves against its persuasive power." Americans were introduced to televised presidential ads during the 1952 presidential race between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Governor Adlai Stevenson II. The Walt Disney Company donated their time to produce the upbeat Ike for President ad for the Eisenhower campaign. This ad was a game-changer in presidential campaigning and the music in it was composed to be a catchy tune that would stick with viewers over time. Research on the 1952 election is featured in the chapter The Age of Innocence, which refers to the new frontier that was televised presidential campaign ads. Part of its contagious character can be attributed to the ostinato in the bass, Ike for President. The ostinato is a repetitive tonal motive which occurs fifteen times and another four times with the same words and different melodies. With Ike as the word on the resolution of the tonal and rhythmic tension, the ad situates Eisenhower positively. The general character of the cartoon ad is jauntily militaristic, with parades of citizens following an Uncle Sam drum major. Christiansens research on each election since 1952 is featured in a chapter of his book, except for the 2004 election between George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry. I had to cut the 2004 election into two chapters, explained Christiansen. It just could not fit into one. There was so much music used in interesting ways in the campaign ads of this election. While Christiansen does not favor a specific advertisement, his research of the 2004 presidential election defines the 2004 Wolves ad as a watershed moment. According to surveys, this specific ad was the only one to have high, unaided recall in viewers. It was one of many ads of the 2004 election to traffic in fear. The 30-second ad is set in a dark, eerie forest. Viewers see wolves, meant to represent terrorists or terrorist cells, lurking and presumably searching for their next prey. At the end of the ad, the wolves scatter in different directions. This imagery is intended to evoke fear in viewers following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but the music chosen for the ad magnifies that sense of fear. Bush barely won the 2004 election and you can only help but wonder to what extent the music played a part in that, said Christiansen. It is an interesting question, but one that is unanswerable. Music in Wolves is meant to be felt rather than heard let alone analyzed. Electronically generated sounds distance the music from attempts at analysis, and the overall effect is surreptitious. In the ad proper, the last line is And weakness attracts those who are waiting to do America harm. The climax at the word waiting brings the advertisement together, where the music is loudest and most suspenseful. Waiting is punctuated by a loud, dissonant chord followed by silence that primes the audience for the chilling four-word tagline: to do America harm. As he was finishing his research, the 2016 presidential campaign complicated his writing situation. I was forced to break away from my narrative and my thesis a bit and even had to ask my editor for more time to analyze and write about the election, explained Christiansen. In 2016, music had to be set aside a bit in my narrative in order to address what could not be ignored. The 2016 election had many more nuances affecting the outcome of the election than years prior, chief among which was the controversy surrounding the Democratic primary and the large rift that it created among progressives and liberals. Still, Christiansen was able to identify some standout ads from the 2016 election, including Senator Bernie Sanders America, and President Donald Trumps Outsourcing. President Trumps Outsourcing ad utilized music that sounds like Bollywood film underscoring. People typically associate outsourced jobs with India, and the music, voiceover and design choices in this particular ad bring people to that conclusion even quicker than without it. Of course, it is the music that gives [Outsourcing] its most distinctive Oriental flavor. A motive in a kind of proto-E minor tonality is repetitive, highly ornamented, and centering around one pitch (D, in this case)all traits found in much non-Western music. Although it is difficult to distinguish individual instruments because the music volume is so low, the instruments have a bright timbre with many prominent overtones; this is characteristic of music from Southeast Asia. Music gives the ad its distinctive atmosphere. Republicans as an aggregate have been far more successful with utilizing music in campaign ads than Democrats. According to Christiansen, this is attributable to Democrats beliefs that their ideas can stand on their own without the coercion of music in campaign ads. Christiansens preference would be for music to not be used at all for political gain, but he acknowledges that the use of music in campaign ads will not stop any time soon. Christiansen plans to share his research with Seton Hall students through future course offerings on the 400 South Orange Avenue campus in South Orange, New Jersey. To learn more about Orchestrating Public Opinion: How Music Persuades in Television Political Ads for U.S. Presidential Campaigns, 1952-2016, click here. Christiansen will be at the South Orange Public Library on Thursday, March 29 at 1 p.m. for a reading and discussion of his book. This gift will definitely help ease a lot of financial stress and anxiety, as well as allow me to better focus on taking care of myself, said Hillis. Im so thankful to U.S. Bank and Freedom Alliance for this amazing opportunity. U.S. Bank, in conjunction with Freedom Alliance, is presenting the keys to a newly-renovated, mortgage-free home to medically retired Army Sgt. Aaron Hillis on Friday, March 2 at 10 a.m. Located at 426 Portifino Court, this is the eleventh home donated jointly by U.S. Bank and Freedom Alliance, a charitable organization which provides support to injured service members and military families. This gift will definitely help ease a lot of financial stress and anxiety, as well as allow me to better focus on taking care of myself, said Hillis. Im so thankful to U.S. Bank and Freedom Alliance for this amazing opportunity. Hillis, 28, was born and raised in Inverness, Florida. In 2010, Hillis enlisted in the U.S. Army and attended Basic Training and Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia. He then spent two years stationed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Germany. In June 2012, Hillis deployed to Afghanistan for nine months. While on patrol with his squad, he drove over an improvised explosive device (IED), which went off under his feet. The blast left Hillis unconscious and caused a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This was also the beginning of his battle with post-traumatic stress (PTS), which he still suffers from today. Hillis was awarded a Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained during that incident. He has also received multiple other honors, including five Army Commendation Medals and an Army Achievement Medal. Hillis medically retired from the U.S. Army in February 2017. He is rated 100 percent disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Hillis and his wife of four years, Elizabeth, currently live in Olympia, Washington. They are excited about this mortgage-free home, as it will help ease financial burdens. The couple is hoping to eventually open their own business, a gun range and store. This renovated three-bedroom, two-bath house is donated by U.S. Bank through its Housing Opportunities after Military Engagement (H.O.M.E.) program, in conjunction with Freedom Alliances Heroes to Homeowners program. Chronos Solutions, a real estate services provider, also contributed to the cost of the repairs made to the home. Several U.S. Bank and Freedom Alliance representatives will be present to welcome the Hillis Family to their new home, including John Elmore, Vice Chairman Community Banking and Branch Delivery; Tim Welsh, Vice Chairman Consumer Banking Sales and Support; Mike Ott, president of U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management; and Tom Kilgannon, President of Freedom Alliance. At U.S. Bank, we are committed to supporting military veterans and their families, said Ott, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran. It is a privilege to give back to someone who gave so much to our country. Welcome to your new home, Sgt. Hillis. In addition to partnering with military service organizations such as Freedom Alliance, U.S. Bank supports veterans and military family members through Proud to Serve, an employee-led business resource group. Through Proud to Serve, each new veteran is personally welcomed by leaders who are also veterans. Employees are also encouraged to use internal social networking forums to connect, network and share stories. The bank employs more than 2,000 veterans, including National Guard and Reserve members. Aaron Hillis is a perfect example of a true American hero. He, along with his wife, have sacrificed so much for our country and Aaron is still facing challenges as he continues his rehabilitation. This mortgage-free home will put the Hillis family on a good track toward reaching their goals, said President of Freedom Alliance, Tom Kilgannon. We are grateful for our partnership with U.S. Bank, Kilgannon added, without them, these life-changing donations would not be possible. About U.S. Bank U.S. Bancorp, with 73,000 employees and $462 billion in assets as of December 31, 2017, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest bank in the United States. The Minneapolis-based bank blends its branch and ATM network with mobile and online tools that allow customers to bank how, when and where they prefer. U.S. Bank is committed to serving its millions of retail, business, wealth management, payment, commercial and corporate, and investment services customers across the country and around the world as a trusted financial partner, a commitment recognized by the Ethisphere Institute naming the bank a 2017 Worlds Most Ethical Company. Visit U.S. Bank online or follow on social media to stay up to date with company news. About Freedom Alliance Freedom Alliance is a charitable organization which provides help and support to wounded troops and military families. Freedom Alliance has awarded $13 million in college scholarships to the children of military heroes killed or disabled in military service and spent millions more helping injured veterans and military families with outdoor recreational therapy trips, Heroes Vacations, care packages for deployed troops, mortgage-free homes, all-terrain wheel chairs and much more. You can learn more about Freedom Alliance at FreedomAlliance.org and Facebook.com/FreedomAlliance. # # # Contact Pat Swanson, U.S. Bank Corporate Communications, 651.587.3590, Patrick.Swanson(at)usbank(dot)com Althea Paul, Freedom Alliance, 813.321.3310, AltheaP(at)ConsultVistra(dot)com From left to right: Marcelo Stubrin, Luis Robbio, Alfredo Cornejo, Fernando Gonzalez and Federico Robbio This represents a key milestone in the history of Belatrix, and we have aggressive growth plans to cement our position as the leading provider of innovative software development services for companies in the US and Latin America. Belatrix Software, a leading software development company, held the inauguration of its new office in Bogota, Colombia. Mendozas Governor, Alfredo Cornejo, attended the ceremony along with the Minister of the Economy, Martin Kerchner, the Colombian Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, David Luna, the Ambassador of Argentina, Marcelo Stubrin, and the Executive Director of Invest in Bogota, Juan Gabriel Perez. The office is located in a modern sustainable building in the north of Bogota. Belatrix designed the facilities to provide an environment that fosters motivation, creativity and self-organization. It offers a high-technology workplace than enhances quality and productivity, reflecting the principles and values of Agile software development which has been for many years at the heart of Belatrixs culture and performance. Colombia has become one of the most attractive destinations for outsourcing because it offers excellent infrastructure, a competitive labour force, and a strategic geographical position. Bogota has numerous world-class universities producing highly qualified graduates, familiar with the latest digital technologies. These features comprise an ideal landscape that reinforces Belatrixs capacity to provide services to some of the worlds leading organizations. The founders of Belatrix have relentlessly focused on building an innovative company that helps organizations successfully navigate the new digital landscape. That is why the opening event of the Bogota office represents an important stage in Belatrixs journey. Fernando Gonzalez, VP of Global Marketing and Colombia Country Manager, commented, Were delighted that so many of our customers, employees, and guests were able to join us for the inauguration. This represents a key milestone in the history of Belatrix, and we have aggressive growth plans to cement our position as the leading provider of innovative software development services for companies in the US and Latin America. This success has been possible due to multiple factors, two of the most important being the value proposition that Belatrix brings to the tech community, combined with strong partnerships. About Belatrix Software Belatrix Software helps companies thrive in the digital world. Organizations partner with Belatrix to turn ideas into high quality, innovative software based on highly-tuned Agile development processes. Customers use Belatrixs digital transformation services to create best-in-class software products, lower time to market, and gain competitive edge. Belatrixs dedicated labs, focusing on UX, continuous delivery, mobile, DevOps, and QA automation, help organizations become digital leaders. Belatrix's clients include both established Fortune level and emerging, venture backed firms. Some of the firm's clients include Disney, Adobe, AOL, PwC, Fluor, and Shutterfly. Belatrix is a South American company with offices in Florida, New York, San Francisco, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Bogota and Lima. For more information, visit https://www.belatrixsf.com. The living room at 3150 South Street, Washington, D.C. The offering of this penthouse represented a rare opportunity to acquire a custom designed residence of uncommon proportions, along with some of the most enviable views in the Metropolitan area. The Residences at Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown offer some of the Washington Metropolitan Areas finest accommodations. Located in the heart of Georgetown, the 28-unit boutique condominium offers residents luxury amenities, including: 24-hour Ritz-Carlton concierge service. valet parking, as well as luxury hotel services such as in-home dining and catering. Recently, one of the four duplexes at The Residences at Ritz-Carlton sold for $8,000,000, making it the highest ever condominium resale in Washington, D.C.s history. The property listed and sold as a private exclusive by Christopher Ritzert and Christie-Anne Weiss, Senior Vice Presidents at TTR Sothebys International Realty offers a glimpse into the world of luxury real estate in Washington, D.C.s hot residential market. Featuring over 6,000 square feet of custom-designed space, this extraordinary property includes four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, and nearly 3,000 square feet of terraces and roof decks which overlook the Potomac River, cherished Washington landmarks, and vibrant downtown Georgetown. Reflecting a contemporary style with Gascogne Blue limestone and Brazilian cherry floors, a gas fireplace, and cherry wood finishes in the spacious kitchen and dressing rooms the property is truly extraordinary. The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown offers an unbeatable combination of a great Georgetown location along with the highest level of services available in Washington, says Christopher Ritzert, Senior Vice President at TTR Sothebys International Realty. The offering of this penthouse represented a rare opportunity to acquire a custom designed residence of uncommon proportions, along with some of the most enviable views in the Metropolitan area, together with the highest level of resident services. According to the 2017 Year End Market Report published by TTR Sothebys International Realty, sold volume in the Washington, D.C. market increased nearly 14% compared to year end 2016, with average sold prices increasing over 4% during the same period. About TTR Sothebys International Realty TTR Sothebys International Realty is the exclusive Sothebys International Realty affiliate for the Washington Metropolitan Region. With seven offices located strategically across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, our 350 real estate professionals are ranked among the highest performing in the nation, and are regarded for their integrity, professional service, and community leadership. Through our relationship with the venerable Sothebys auction house, TTR Sothebys International Realty produces extraordinary results for our clients by leveraging proprietary global marketing, cutting edge digital strategies, and unrivaled access to the most affluent and discerning global clientele. To learn more about TTR Sothebys International Realty, visit http://ttrsir.com. About Ritzert Weiss Partners Ritzert Weiss Partners is comprised of Christopher Ritzert and Christie-Anne Weiss, Senior Vice Presidents at TTR Sothebys International Realty and associate brokers with 65 years combined experience in residential real estate. Together, they have represented sellers and buyers of some of the most exclusive and expensive condominiums in the Washington Metropolitan Area, as well as many historic and luxury residences in Washington, D.C., suburban Virginia and Maryland, and in the Virginia Hunt Country. To learn more, visit http://www.RitzertWeiss.com. Capillus to Attend the American Academy of Dermatologys Annual Meeting in San Diego Capillus, LLC will be exhibiting during the American Academy of Dermatologys 2018 AAD Annual Meeting, which is taking place at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California from February 16th 20th, 2018. Capillus will be located in Booth #3729 in the main aisle of the convention centers exhibition hall. Visitors to their booth will be able to see a demonstration of their complete line of laser therapy devices for in-office and at-home treatment that are FDA-cleared and clinically proven to help prevent hair loss and promote hair regrowth. Their full-line of laser therapy devices includes the CapillusRX, which contains more lasers than any low-level laser therapy device in the market for home treatment of hair loss. It has 312 diodes provide maximum simultaneous coverage of the scalp, and it is available only through the Capillus physician network. In addition to the CapillusRX, Capillus offers three other FDA-Cleared laser caps for direct sale via http://www.capillus.com: 1) Capillus82, an economical and convenient device with 82 laser diodes, 2) Capillus202, a powerful yet affordable device containing 202 laser diodes, and the 3) CapillusPro , a professional-grade device with 272 laser diodes. For in-office laser treatments, Capillus also offers the Capillus OfficePro , which is available to physicians and salons only. Capillus laser therapy devices use low-level laser therapy (LLLT), which is a non-invasive and chemical-free medical treatment for hair loss. The Capillus laser therapy caps use a six-minute protocol, which greatly reduces the time it takes to receive treatment. And they can be used in combination with any other hair restoration treatment method including hair transplants. The company will also showcase its recently rebranded Cap+ line of clinical hair care products, which use the best ingredients to gently cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize hair to promote overall scalp health, along with the RXCap+ Extra Strength 5% Minoxidil, which has been shown to regrow hair in men, and its line of Cap+ Keratin Hair Fibers that provide a temporary quick fix for instant coverage in seconds. Physicians interested in learning how low-level laser therapy can help patients suffering from androgenetic alopecia are urged to stop by the Capillus booth and meet with the Capillus team. Physicians visiting the Capillus exhibit (booth #3729) will be able to register for a chance to win a CapillusPro (valued at $3,000). The winner will be announced on Sunday, February 18th, 2018. Leading the Capillus team is Carlos Pina, Chief Executive Officer and Founder. Accompanying Carlos will be Maria Pina, Chief Operating Officer, Frances Brea, Chief Marketing Officer, and the Capillus client relations team composed of: Fernando Bermudez, Director of Business Development, Felix Perez, Account Executive/Physicians Relations, Carly Klein, Account Executive/Physician Relations, Barry Pintar, Account Executive/Physician Relations. Each team member has years of experience in the hair care and restoration field, along with Lisa Weaver, International Distribution Director, who has extensive experience in the beauty industry. About Capillus, LLC Capillus, LLC offers prescription and over-the-counter hair regrowth products and medical devices for both men and women suffering from hair loss. The Capillus premier product lines include low-level laser therapy (LLLT) devices that are FDA-cleared and manufactured in the US under the highest-quality certification standard for the medical device industry (ISO13485). Capillus also offers additional non-prescription clinical hair products for hair and scalp health under the Cap+ and RXCap+ brand. Capillus products are available directly to the public for at-home use and also to their network of physicians for office use. For more information visit https://www.capillus.com. | Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Rupee surges 18 paise to close at 73.50 (provisional) against US dollar. Sensex rallies 476.11 pts to end at new lifetime high of 58,723.20; Nifty rises 139.45 pts to record 17,519.45. Indian Premier League organisers say limited spectators will be allowed into stadiums when tournament resumes on Sunday in UAE. Cabinet approves 4-yr moratorium on payment of statutory dues by telcos; telcos to pay interest on moratorium period: Telecom Minister. Cabinet allows 100 pc FDI in telecom sector with safeguards: Telecom Minister. Telecom Minister says Cabinet approves 9 structural reforms; spectrum user charges rationalised. Telecom Minister says spectrum auction to be held in last quarter of financial year. Sorry for inconvenience! You have been redirected to this page due to the following reasons:-- Your session has expired. You have closed the browser, without logging out. If the problem persists, kindly remove all the temporary files and cookies from your browser. For IE - 1. Click on tools from the task bar of browser. 2. Click on Internet Options. 3. Click on "Delete temporary files." For Mozilla Firefox - 1. Click on tools from the task bar of browser. 2. Click on "Clear recent history." Special counsel Robert Mueller's office announced on Friday that California resident Richard Pinedo pleaded guilty to one count of identity fraud on February 12, according to court documents. The plea deal's release came immediately after Mueller's office announced charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of interfering in the 2016 US election by mounting an elaborate and multi-faceted social media influence operation meant to sow political discord during and after the race. According to the statement of offense, Pinedo ran a company called "Auction Essistance," which offered services meant to get around the security requirements set by online payment companies like eBay, PayPal, and Amazon. Auction Essistance was shut down in December. The company's website says it is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. To help customers circumvent the security protocols set up by online payment websites, Pinedo created bank accounts on the internet using fraudulent identities and then sold those account numbers to Auction Essistance customers, the statement of offense said. It added that although Pinedo was not directly involved in registering the accounts while using fake identities, "he willfully and intentionally avoided learning about the use of stolen identities." He did, however, help users get around the security protocols set up by PayPal, which is referred to in the plea deal as Company 1. PayPal was also named in the indictment Muellers office released earlier on Friday. The indictment says the Russians used PayPal to purchase ads on Facebook which were aimed at stoking political tensions before and after the election. PayPal verifies users bank account information by making trial deposits into the accounts associated with a user and then asking them to relay the amount of the deposits. According to the statement of offense against Pinedo, the 28-year-old unwittingly aided the Russians in their efforts and helped them bypass PayPals security measures by telling them the amounts of the trial deposits made to the fake bank accounts they had registered under. Moreover, Pinedo "frequently" bought the fake account numbers from someone outside the US, and he also knew that many of his customers were based outside the country. In total, the document said, Pinedo made "tens of thousands of dollars, and more than $1,000 during a one-year period, through the sale of these bank account numbers." How much did Pinedo know about his Russian clients? Pinedo, who is the first American to be charged with aiding Russias influence operation, is cooperating with Muellers investigators following his plea deal. "This doesn't mean that there won't be additional charges to come," said former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. "The charge against Pinedo will likely result in a light sentence for him, particularly given his cooperation." But "the question remains: did anyone in the Trump campaign, or anyone else involved in US politics knowingly aid the Russians?" Mariotti said. "In other words, did they know about the Russian operation and help" it succeed? "That is what people dub 'collusion,' which isn't a legal term," he added. PayPal said Friday that it is cooperating with the Department of Justice as it continues investigating Russia's election interference. Her mother who could not control her tears appealed to the government to construct the road to avoid recurrence in the future. She said "I appeal to the government, head of institutions and the road contractors across the country to do their works with due diligence to avoid unnecessary accidents that claim lives on our roads. If the contractor on this road (the spot of the accident) has sped up work, my daughter might not have died." Ebony and three other persons were on board a Jeep with registration AS 497-16, travelling from Sunyani to Kumasi when a head-on collision with a VIP bus heading towards Sunyani from Kumasi occurred. The driver of the vehicle escaped death, however, the other occupants -- a military officer identified as Francis Atsu Vondee and lady identified only as Frankie -- died later at the Bechem Government Hospital after they were rushed to the Hospital, DSP John Adusei, Mankraso District Commander has said. READ ALSO: Unreleased gospel video of Ebony surfaces online The driver of the vehicle Ebony Reigns was travelling has revealed that the accident happened because he had tried to save a Sprinter Bus from crashing. The fisticuff ensued as a result of alleged consistent and loud farting by one of the passengers. Daily Mail reported that two Dutch men lost their temper, leading to the fight after several warnings to the farting passenger proved futile. From a video posted on social media, the fight was so intense that not even the intervention by the flight crew members and other passengers could bring the situation under control. When eventually the plane made an emergency landing, Vienna police entered the plane and whisked away the four men who were directly involved in the fight. Daily Mail reported the Transavia Airlines as saying that the passengers were banned from continuing their journey to Amsterdam on that same flight. The only option left for them was to get another airlines flight to continue their journey. What is far from clear is whether the farting passenger has any medical condition or is on any medication making him unable to control himself. While most people use the channel positively, there are equally some miscreants who equally take advantage of it to perpetrate criminal activities. A Nigerian model, Sybil Nwaka narrated to a Sexual Offenses Court in Lagos on Thursday how some criminally minded men disguised their identities on social media by using female photos and names, and succeeded in drugging and raping her. She said spoke about how she met somebody on social media who claimed to be called Vanessa, a Fashion Designer based in the United Kingdom. They both agreed that when Vanessa returns to Nigeria, she would make the victim showcase some of her designs for her. She told me she just moved to Nigeria from the UK that she was going to start a fashion business in Nigeria and since I have an idea of the fashion industry that I could show her around and give her ideas and I agreed. Subsequently we talked for like seven months and I got real comfortable with her because we talked a lot and I felt she was a girl entrepreneur like me and I supported her. She said her mum didnt support her career and she would like her mum to meet me and I agreed. She said she would send the address and I informed her I would take Uber but she admonished that I save on transporting so I took a bus to the address. When I got to the address, Iand called her but she said she would send her gateman over. The second defendant, Naduzie Okabueze, acted like the gateman. She said she was helping her mum so she couldnt come to pick me. On getting to the house it looked like a proper house from outside but on getting inside I felt something was wrong and called her. She said her father runs a hotel and her mum sometimes stayed there and I naively believed her. The victim and her so-called friend agreed to meet. They asked me to give them my ATM card saying if I didnt give them N2 million they would kill me. They collected my phone password and pin number and asked me to start calling people to send money to me. They said I should call my parents but I lied they were both dead. I called my cousin and he sent money to me. I got there about 11:59 am and was there till 7 pm. They withdrew the money my cousin sent and collected the gold chain I had on me. They took naked pictures of me and the three guys had sex with me and they were blackmailing me with the pictures they took saying if I told anybody what happened that they were going to find me and kill me. The second defendant took me to the bus stop to make sure I didnt talk to anybody. I boarded a bus and went to my cousins house, the victim said. The controversial young musician lost her life in a terrible accident together with her childhood friend and PA, Franky Kuri and one air force official, Francis Atsu Vondee on the Sunyani- Kumasi road when they were returning from Sunyani. According to Ghpage.com, Adwoa Nyamekye told Kumasi-based Nhyira FM that she had seen the ghosts of the three deceased hovering around the accident scene, and Ebony's alleged ghost said she had been waiting to find somebody through whom she could send a message to Ghanaians. The woman is reported to have claimed in the radio interview that Ebony said she died a sudden death and as a result, her spirit is restless. She allegedly added that the days ahead would be bedeviled with many mysterious deaths, hence the need for Ghanaians to focus their attention on getting closer to God for grace, instead of talking about her death, which is a spilled milk. He explained that even though the ECG is responsible for the collection of street light levies, it is not the entity that decides what the money is used for. The law mandates us to collect those [street] levies but after collection, the law doesnt mandate us to use the levies collected for the maintenance of street lights; our only role is the collection, he said on Accra-based Adom FM. His comments come after many Ghanaians complained of the poor lighting on the streets in the country. The PRO said such anger at the ECG is misdirected since they do not have anything to do with the situation. According to him, part of the monies collected is used to pay for the cost of functional street lights with the rest given to the government for maintenance works. In the Auditor Generals report it stated that most street lights are not working, meanwhile, the utility service provider paid over GH23 million to 13 non-existent contractors on December 31, 2015 However, the Director of Finance at ECG, Frank Anokwafo, said he was shocked at this development since neither the Auditor General Daniel Domelevo himself nor his staff came to them for any documents before putting together the report. Unity Hall, popularly called Continental or Conti, has been an all-mall hall since its establishment in 1968. However, the University authorities at the beginning of 2018 disclosed they intend to convert Conti and University hall (Katanga) into mixed sex halls starting from the 2018-19 academic year. The pronouncement was rejected by students from both halls, and both groups got the backing of all other halls on campus to fight against the proposed status quo change. George Tetteh Wayoe, the lead petitioner and a former President of the hall told the press the motive behind the petition. In summary, what we are petitioning the Ministry is that the intention to convert the hall into a mixed-sex hall is not welcomed by the old boys of the hall. The hall stands for a certain monumental legacy. The hall was named Continental Unity Hall. That reminds us of the continental struggle and the emancipation of our continent. So it doesnt stand there just like that but it stands as a hall with certain historical significance, he argued. The submission of the petition brought together four former hall presidents namely George Tetteh Wayoe, Patrick Baah Dadzie (Major P.), Prince Charles and Thomas Freeman N. Yeboah, two Odikros, Chief Brown and Chief Onashy, Nana Boakye, a powerful Continental, who is the deputy Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat, amongst other enthusiastic old Continental, who even skipped busy working hours to fight for their beloved hall. Meanwhile, the Kumasi chapter of the Old Continentals Association will lead the student body to present the petition to the Vice Chancellor on Friday morning. Below is the full petition submitted. Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM, the Public Relations Officer for the Health Ministry, Robert Cudjoe, said a new director will take over next week. It was at a meeting that this came out. Dr Dordorye was with us at the meeting and we all agreed that he should give way for another person to act on his behalfAs time goes on, another person will take over from him. The staff of Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital accused Dr Dordoye of being inconsiderate and with little or no management ideas. They have threatened since last year to withdraw their services if the director is not sacked until Thursday morning when they carried out their intentions. According to the Mr Cudjoe, the leadership of the Nurses failed to show up for the meeting. The staff had earlier said that they will not attend the meeting because it being held in Accra. They gave the Minister and his officials a condition to hold the meeting at Ankaful before they will honour it. Delivering a speech at the 2018 Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law Conference in Accra on Thursday, February 15, Mrs. Akuffo said the online process will improve justice delivery and eliminate human face interactions. She explained that the Judiciary has often been faced with challenges when it comes to keeping in time with the filing of cases and adjudicating them. However, she believes the enrollment of the online filing system would ensure that the Judiciary is more productive and dynamic in the pursuit for justice. This, the Chief Justice said, can be done by ensuring that we effectively eliminate the amount of face-to-face interventions other than inside the court. So mechanisms have already been put in place and are being extended to ensure that as much as possible dealings between litigants and officials of the courts particularly at the registry and at the clerical level is limited to only what is necessary. READ ALSO: Illicit Drugs: So, from the beginning of next month we will be rolling out the online filing system, she added. Mrs. Akuffo charged the Judiciary Service to do their utmost best to expedite cases that are brought before them. In her view, the longer it takes for the verdict of a court case to be out, the more the citizenry loses its confidence in the Judiciary. This was disclosed when the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu delivered the business statement for next week on the floor of Parliament. He indicated that the House will take a decision on the Mr Amidus nomination next week. The appointments committee may submit their report, the report on the presidents nomination of Mr Martin Alamisi Benz Kaiser Amidu as Special Prosecutor. Mr Speaker, the report may be adopted by the House on the same day or perhaps the ensuing day, he said. Parliaments Appointment Committee vetted Martin Amidu was vetted last Tuesday, February 15, 2018. His vetting lasted for over 7 hours. After the vetting, members of the general public commended him for his outstanding performance before the committee. The Appointments Committee also unanimously recommended his confirmation moments after its gruelling exercise. The Special Prosecutor nominee answered over 180 questions from the present members of the committee. Most of the questions came from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority and its leader, Haruna Iddrisu. Most of the questions focused on past statements and articles Martin Amidu had written. "There's absolutely no reason to think the opposite and to stop us," he said. Germany has been a notable supporter of Bulgaria joining the zone in stages. Bulgaria and neighbouring Romania have been EU members since 2007 and have fulfilled the technical criteria to join the borderless Schengen zone, but some other member states such as the Netherlands oppose their inclusion, saying widespread corruption could compromise border security. "I believe our friends in the Netherlands should say yes to Bulgaria and Romania for air and sea. And leave the green [land] border for the end when we have a really shrinking migration problem so Europe is no longer concerned about it," Borisov said. But he nevertheless defended Sofia's record on border security, pointing to the "hundreds of kilometres of fences" Bulgaria has erected on its border with Turkey, topped with barbed wire and monitored by security forces. Ontario Liberal cabinet minister 'sexually assaulted' woman: LawyerPostmedia NewsMore from Postmedia NewsPublished:February 15, 2018Updated:February 15, 2018 10:22 PM ESTJohn Nunziata is pictured while speaking at City Hall in October, 2013. (Toronto Sun files)Premier Kathleen Wynne was told three weeks ago that a Liberal cabinet minister sexually assaulted and abused a woman, former Liberal MP and lawyer John Nunziata tweeted Thursday night.That was right around the time sexual misconduct allegations emerged against former Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown.Its a difficult and brave thing to do to come forward in the way these young women have done tonight, Wynne tweeted shortly after CTV aired a story alleging Brown made unwanted sexual advances toward two young women, allegations he firmly denies and now calls lies.My government and I have been clear on the issue of sexual harassment and assault. In fact, our policy and our ad were called Its Never Ok, Wynne tweeted.Nunziatas tweet contained no details about the allegation.I was retained today by a woman who was sexually assaulted and abused by a Liberal cabinet minister, he tweeted. The premier was informed three weeks ago.Premiers office spokesman Jennifer Beaudry countered that Wynne has not been informed about any sexual assault allegations against members of her cabinet.We dont know what Mr. Nunziata is referring to in his tweet, she said in an e-mailed statement. However, we can confirm that since becoming premier in 2013, Premier Wynne has not been informed of any complaints of this nature against any member of her cabinet.In saying that, we take these types of matters very seriously, she added. When our office receives information related to sexual misconduct, we engage the services of outside counsel and, where appropriate, retain the services of those with expertise in workplace investigations.Nunziata could not be reached for comment about his tweet. The White House on Thursday blamed the Russian government for the "NotPetya" cyberattack that crippled businesses and critical infrastructure last June. The Russian military "launched the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "The attack, dubbed 'NotPetya,' quickly spread worldwide, causing billions of dollars in damage across Europe, Asia, and the Americas," the statement continued. "It was part of the Kremlin's ongoing effort to destabilize Ukraine and demonstrates ever more clearly Russia's involvement in the ongoing conflict. This was also a reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attack that will be met with international consequences." The attack used a ransomware worm whose targets included Ukrainian banks and airports, the Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft, the British advertising company WPP, the US pharmaceutical giant Merck, and the shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk, which said every branch of its business was affected. NotPetya used a zero-day exploit developed by the National Security Agency known as EternalBlue to spread. Zero-day exploits are tools that take advantage of software vulnerabilities hackers can use to get into computer programs and data. EternalBlue exploits a loophole in Microsoft Windows and was part of a slew of NSA cyberweapons posted online last April by the Kremlin-allied hacker group Shadow Brokers. The US's condemnation of Russia for the attack came shortly after the United Kingdom issued a similar statement, saying the Russian military was "almost certainly" responsible for the assault. British officials said the government's decision to publicly blame Russia for NotPetya was meant to solidify the UK's and its allies' position "that malicious cyber activity will not be tolerated." Though Russian businesses were affected, Ukraine was by far the hardest hit by the attack, which came one day before the country's Constitution Day. Russia and Ukraine's relations have seen a steep decline since Russia annexed the territory of Crimea in 2014 and steadily pursued greater military aggression toward its neighbor. "The first thing that raises a red flag to me is that, right now, Ukraine's main antagonist is Russia," Alex McGeorge, the head of threat intelligence at Immunity, Inc., said in an interview last year. McGeorge said the methodology of the attack also "gives a really good and stable foothold on networks that would matter to somebody who was interested in attacking Ukraine." "If I'm interested in disrupting Ukraine, this is great for me," he said. In 2015, amassive cyberattackleveled against the country's power grid cut electricity to almost 250,000 Ukrainians. Cybersecurity experts linked the attack to IP addresses associated with Russia. Since then,Wired magazine's Andy Greenberg reportedlast year, Ukraine has seen a growing crisis in which an increasing number of Ukrainian corporations and government agencies have been hit by cyberattacks in a "rapid, remorseless succession." Ukraine is now host to what may turn into a full-blown cyberwar, Greenberg reported. Two separate attacks on the country's power grid were part of what Greenberg called a "digital blitzkrieg" waged against it for the past four years, which multiple analysts have connected to Russian interests. The students who protested against the school management'srefusal to allow students who are yet to pay their fees to partake in the examination reportedly barricaded the entrance gates to the institution as early as 6a.m. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, some of the students who carried placards with various inscriptions said the state-owned institutions decision was not justifiable, since the state government is also owing their parents salary arrears and allowances. ALSO READ: Some of the placards had inscriptions like: What will our parents use for payment of school fees, when salaries of over a year are not paid? The students reportedly locked the two major gates leading to the school premises, chanting solidarity songs. Examination postponed The beautiful actress made this shocking revelation on her Facebook page on Wednesday February 14, 2018, where she obviously couldn't hide her ordeal anymore. "Whats on my mind hmmmmmmmm. Happy to be alive. Healthy....... getting better...brighter....standing up for myself......regardless of d demon in human form that I have to deal with............... legion lawyer........... If not for God........psychotic beast with his Never ending drama....... he wouldnt even grant her a divorce............ and d poor bitch living with him........May God give her sense........... shes so dumb ...................miserable pair.....," she wrote. It didn't end there, the Nollywood star went to reveal to her fans on her page that her husband assaulted again and for the first time she called the cops on him. ALSO READ:5 celebrity breakups of 2017 "D bondage is sickening and all his legal antics. They saw the law is fair but not when he manipulates it like he does. He has a live in lover and still wont divorce me! He assaulted me yesterday and for the first time, I called the cops on him," she also revealed. Victoria Inyama is the latest celebrity to call out her husband for assault. We can all recall how the social media and virtually all the tabloids were filled with assault allegations from celebrities like Mercy Aigbe who alleged that she experienced domestic violence in the hands of her estranged husband, Lanre Gentry. 1. Eclipse - 'You go know' "You No Go Know" which was produced by "Eclipse Nkasi", recorded and mixed by "Spane 5" is bass heavy hip-hop song in which he vulnerably narrates the challenges of a rapper and his triumph through the years. Aided by a catchy hook, flawless story telling and use of imagery, this song will touch your heart and bring you close to tears.Download. 2. Eclipse - 'I need you' "I Need You" is a groovy fusion of dance-hall, hip-hop and trap. Produced by "Eclipse Nkasi", recorded and mixed by "Exo Magege". The song is a sequel to "You No Go Know".Download. 3. Maka - 'I just got a cheque' ft Muna Maka hopes to inspire millennials with her life lessons, learning on her journey that consistency, hard work and a strong belief in self could save the youth from creative strife and poverty.Download. 4. Idyl - 'Better love' Better Love is a mid-tempo song that features traditional Yoruba percussion sounds. It is a love song that sees Idyl use his appealing voice to gain the love of a woman.Download. 5. KJ Sunmon - Fun Talented Nigerian artiste KJ Sunmon (protege of International producer Sarz), releases his self-produced debut single titled "Fun". It's a fusion of old school funk & modern day pop music. He's definitely one to look out for this year.Download. 6. Dwin, The Stoic - 'Are you the one' In this acoustic song, Dwin is curious about the way of things - his brittle heart, the brevity of life, the silence of God. All these and more plague him as he tells his story.Download. 7. Omotayo - 'Milky way' Vol. 1 Omotayo lives through every note and his falsetto will give Maxwell a run for his money, as he has done in a cover of This Womans Work. At the wake of 2018, he takes us on a journey far into the Galaxy that holds our Solar System Milky Way Volume 1 which is what he titles 'his... this' EP.Download. 8. Chukky Chan - 'I like it' Here's new music by Chukky Chan. It's designed to get you off your feet.Download. 9. Phrance - 'Where you go' After the release of "This Love" late last year, Phrance is starting this year 2018 with a letter to God expressing the eternal love of the father. His presence is where we are meant to be and we can only remain in his love for us. Where you go, where you dey, is where we want to be.Download. Foy who has been arraigned in court reportedly inserted a knife into the stomach of Laurent Volpe, 49, who was on a visit to his family. The incident which occurred in Eltham, South East, London. "Do you want some?," the accused had told pedestrians who saw him randomly target the deceased. Susanne Alavi, the prosecutor on the case told the court that Foy could not control his anger after consuming dangerous drug substances. He reportedly blamed his action on the amount of intoxicating intakes prior to the murder. Laurent Volpe was on his way to see his family and happened to walk past Foy who indiscriminately selected him as his victim. During his trial, Foy blamed his behaviour on the sheer amount of drink and drugs he had consumed. "However, he conceded that when he combined these substances, he could not control his violent and aggressive temper. Yet he chose to take this dangerous cocktail before stabbing Mr. Volpe to death. This was a callous and, in the event, unsuccessful way of seeking to absolve himself of responsibility. I would like to thank the many witnesses, including Mr. Volpes family, who came forward and gave evidence in court. I hope this sentence provides some comfort for them and Mr. Volpes friends. Our thoughts are with them," Prosecutor Alavi expressed while addressing the court. ALSO READ: Man stopped from killing son who tried to murder him in dream According to reports, Foy took "five pints of lager, a litre of Jack Daniels whiskey and rum, and taken up to four-and-a-half grams of cocaine before leaving the house at 6.45pm." Uncertainty hangs in the air for Toyosi, a resident of Austin, Texas in the US, as thick as a brick as the news flashes on the TV screen: DACA has been repealed. This piece of information has her mind reeling and her heart racing. The world she knew that was concrete as steel is now shaky as a house built on sand. The place she calls home might no longer be home for her. Toyosi is a beneficiary of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals which was established by Barack Obama in 2012. The immigration policy gave a temporary grant to minors who entered the US illegally. It protected them from deportation and allowed them to obtain a drivers license and work legally. This temporary grant lasted them for two years which would have to be renewed at the end of this duration. Now that DACA is gone, Toyosi no longer has that protection. Interviewed in November 2017 by KUT, the website of the NPR station in Austin, Texas, Toyosi speaks about how the repeal of DACA has affected her life. My parents didnt really tell me that I was undocumented and so when I was filling all of these forms out to apply for DACA thats when I realized like, Oh, this is different, she says. When she was 3 years old, her family moved to America. Her father was studying IT and worked in Houston. When the American economy was hit by a recession in 2008, his employer stopped sponsoring his visa. While her parents havent received their green cards they applied for since 2001, their two other kids (Toyosis siblings) have social security numbers because they were born in America. On September 19, 2018, Toyosis DACA status will expire. She hasnt been to Nigeria since she was a kid, America is the place she considers home, the country she grew up in. Toyosi isnt the only Nigerian affected by the shutdown of DACA. Just being a black woman in America already is challenging. Being a black person in America is challenging. Adding undocumented on top of that is a double whammy says Tobore Oweh, one of the Nigerian beneficiaries of DACA. In September 2017 she spoke to The Root, a black-centric website in America, about the effect of the DACA repeal on her personal life. For Oweh, living in America feels like living in some sort of police state. Everywhere I go, I have to be suspicious of everything, she said. Its draining because you really cant just live freely. Toyosi, Oweh are among the Nigerian recipients of DACA, 2,095 in number according to Inequality. With the repeal of the immigration policy, their status in the country isnt quite clear. DACA is an extension of the DREAM Act, a legislation that is meant to give children of illegal immigrants citizenship. The wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow as they say, and the DREAM Act is still stuck in Congress. In 2012, Obama launched DACA to extend the DREAM Act and help the DREAMers (the name given to children of illegal immigrants). With the Donald Trump taking over the Oval Office in 2017, and the Republicans having the majority in the Congress, it wasnt surprising that DACA was one of the first policies that took a hit. When DACA was repealed by the Trump administration, it put the lives of approximately 800,000 people in the balance. Since 2012, DACA has helped 800,000 people to settle and live in America. With Trumps anti-immigration policy aimed mainly at Latinos, theres no guessing why he put a spanner in the works of this popular Obama policy. When will the U.S. stop sending $'s to our enemies, i.e. Mexico and others tweeted Donald Trump on July 10, 2014. In office, he has continued his anti-Latino rhetoric. While majority of DACA recipients are Latinos (according to Pew Research, more than 9 in 10 are born in Latin America), black immigrants also have benefited from it. The countries with the largest number of black DACA recipients are Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nigeria, wrote the Washington Post on September 7, 2017. This statistic was provided by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. Remember, Donald Trump, called Nigeria as a shit hole country. The last American Community Survey held in 2016 estimates that 380,785 people of Nigerian ancestry live in the United States. These Nigerians have found homes in places like Texas, Maryland, New York, California, Georgia, Illinois and New Jersey. I was just with my cousin from my moms side yesterday and she briefly mentioned illegal immigrants are getting deported, says Seyi Tayo. He isnt sure if these immigrants were Nigerians though. Seyi is my cousin who has been living in America for over a decade and he isnt bothered about DACA. I didnt get any handouts, he says referring to the Obama policy. He, however, does admit that the end of DACA is not a good move by the Trump administration. It is sad that is ending because America is what it is because of immigrants and us young immigrants are the people that will make this nation great again, Seyi says. Seyi is not the only one who thinks DACA is not that big a problem to Nigerians living in America. Nigerian Hip-Hop legend eLDee the Don who is now based in Atlanta with his family feels the same way too. I wouldnt consider DACA to be of major concern in the Nigerian-American community, and by Nigerian-Americans I mean immigrants of Nigerian descent. Theres a total of about 3.4 million black immigrants in the US and only about 3% of the black immigrants would have been eligible for DACA as at September 2017 when Trump cancelled it says eLDee during a brief interview. He further breaks it down. Nigerian Americans make up only 9% of black immigrants in the US so the Nigerians affected by DACA are less than 10k, many of whom already have alternative paths to residency/citizenship. Most of the black immigrants that are really affected are from the south-Americas, or from countries like Jamaica, Haiti etc he states. A reality is that most Nigerians who come to America come with a plan to better themselves. Most Nigerians who migrate to the US do so with a clear purpose and plan of becoming legal residents and there are many other paths to residency/citizenship, says eLDee. Nigerian American immigrants are also more likely than all other immigrants to have some college education or even a masters degree or be highly skilled, so employment is much easier, making the path to legal residence and eventual citizenship less painful he further says. Nigerians are known to adapt to any situation. Pulse spoke to Mariam (not real name), a 24-year-old Nigerian who has spent most of the last decade in America. According to her, some Nigerians have gone religious on the DACA issue. You know Nigerians though...they are praying about it, she says. Mariam later adds but I think people are obviously panicking a little...but they are trying to find ways around it I guess. Some of the ways Nigerians are using to beat the new anti-immigration system is to get jobs that file work permits and h1b visas. Other jobs still file green cards after six years of working I believe Mariam explains. If the job route doesnt pan out, education is another avenue. Getting a Masters degree could buy you time, says Mariam. Jokingly, she also says marriage to an American citizen can help Nigerians beat DACA. There is a bit of light at the end of tunnel for those affected. On January 10, 2018, Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California ordered the US government to partially resurrect the DACA program. The effect is temporary. There are still many questions unanswered about DACA. This ruling wont hold for long. For many Nigerians who consider themselves American, they live each day as it comes. America is the only place I know, and I love this country and it just hurts 'cause this country hates me and I dont know why, says Toyosi. Her plan is to look for a job that will sponsor her visa. This is a strategy many Nigerians have adopted to stay in the home of the brave and land of the free ruled by Donald Trump. On the second track of his 1975 Expensive Shit album, Water no get enemy, Fela tells us how water is the universal element. The story goes that civilisation truly began when man discovered fire and built the wheel, but no-one would be surprised that this is not a sentiment he would share about fire. For the over 1000 people who died in a gas explosion in the town of Jesse, Delta State, fire was the ultimate enemy. On October 18, 1998, life began in the sleepy town of Jesse, a town in Ethiope West Local Government Area of oil-rich Delta state, like it would have on any other day. The town is surrounded by farmland, as are two neighbouring villages, Mossogar and Oghara. Like many villages in the area, a major oil pipeline passes, on land, through Jesse. It carries petroleum products from the oil refinery in the city of Warri, 200 miles southeast of the commercial capital of Lagos to the northern city of Kaduna, nearly 400 miles away. Late that afternoon, an open spot on the pipeline erupted in a large gas explosion that would over the course of a week or more, left 1098 people dead. A hell of our own making Pipeline vandalism is a common practice in Nigerias Niger Delta, as it has been for decades. The oil-rich area is home to many multinationals who pump billions in dollars in crude every year. Yet, a culture of corruption and government misrule have left the area underdeveloped and many impoverished. With their land destroyed by the effects of environmental pollution, young and old are left with few opportunities and often turn to vandalising pipelines to syphon oil and hold the government to ransom. Accounts differ on how the fire started. Officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation claimed that tools used by the oil vandals had caused a spark, setting the pipeline alight and setting the pipeline alight. Some residents claimed that the government had left the pipeline without maintenance for a long period and a cigarette butt had ignited the fire. Either way, witnesses say that they heard a loud roar and the fire crawled quickly around the area. Oil spills are common in the area, as are black puddles where crude seeps through the soil. Coupled with a burst pipeline, the fire spread quickly across the town. There were no official reports but after the first day, journalists on the scene reported that the inferno had killed at least 250 people, destroyed villages and charred surrounding cropland. Many of the dead were villagers who had been going around the daily lives or sleeping when the fire spread to meet them. Pipeline vandals also died in the inferno, bodies had been found clutching small basins, cups and buckets ostensibly used to collect oil from pipelines. We started a fire we could not fight The country was, at the time, in a period of military rule with General Abdulsalam Abubakar at the helm of the Armed Forces Ruling Council. After local resources failed to make an impact, the federal government sent in helicopters and firefighting equipment to douse the fire. By the morning of the second day, October 19, it had spread to Mossogar and Oghara. By this time, the death toll had risen considerably; there were 230 bodies in one pile at the scene, journalists said. Residents said at least a dozen more bodies had already been taken away by relatives. Some of the persons taken to hospitals for medical attention had already passed. The government, overwhelmed, directed its efforts towards damage control. It encouraged people in neighbouring villages to leave. Most of the bodies recovered from the scene were charred beyond recognition so Navy Commander Walter Feghabo, military governor of Delta State, ordered a mass burial. I feel terrible, Emmanuel Akhihiero, a government petroleum official, told the AFP on October 19. I cannot believe what I have seen. Corpses, corpses. On the night of the 19th, the military governor said that firefighters were struggling to contain the fire in neighbouring villages. This period in Nigerian history will not be remembered for the abundance of infrastructure or the strength of our institutions and bodies. After it had raged for 5 days, an American fire-fighting team was able to quell the fire with a nitrogen-rich foam. It should have ended there but too much damage had been done for the chapter to be so easily closed. Did we learn anything? Weeks after the explosion, the death toll continued to rise. Bodies were recovered. Many of those with injuries died while in hospitals. Some of these people had fled the clinics in fear of getting arrested by the Nigerian government on suspicions that they had ignited the blaze. Together with those buried in mass graves, over 300 of them and bodies recovered by friends and family, the death toll would come to 1,098 people. Over time, our culture has never encouraged the turning of historys pages, more so in contemporary times. Looking back on the past is subtly discouraged, even in our educational system, evidently mostly by the absence of the subject from secondary school syllabus. Still, even this cannot be blamed for the sad reality that the risk factors that led to this under-reported tragedy are still common. Pipeline vandalism is still a culture in the Niger-Delta. Over-land pipelines have been discouraged in high-density areaswith oil companies and governments looking new methods of conveying oil and petroleum products. During a visit on October 19, Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar promised to provide the necessary support to give aid, in addition, to develop solutions to prevent these types of tragedies from occurring again. According to World Atlas Nigeria ranks sixth amongst the world's most war-torn countries. Overall, the world became more peaceful in 2017 compared to 2016. ALSO READ: The essential travel guide to Nigeria In the past year, 93 countries became more peaceful, while 68 countries became less peaceful, according to the index. 1. Syria Syria is ranked last on the Global Peace Index, making it the most violent country in the world due to the war. Currently, the gravity of the civil war situation in Syria is drawing attention from across the globe. The war started with the spread of the wave of Arab Spring protests in Syria in the early spring of 2011. The war has displaced more than 11 million Syrians from their homelands and claimed the lives of at least 250,000 people. Although peace initiatives have been attempted, fighting continues on as of the end of 2017. 2. Iraq The Second KurdishIraqi War (19741975), the IranIraq War (19801988), and the Gulf War (19901991) are some of the major wars fought by Iraq in the past century. In 2014, the Iraqi insurgency achieved the status of a Civil War when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) conquered major areas in northern Iraq. The ISIS militants, not limiting their actions to only Iraq, have also terrorized much of the world with their acts of extreme violence. This has forced countries like the U.S., Iran, Syria, and other countries to aid the Iraqi Government to resist the growth and spread of ISIS militants. A shocking study reveals that around half a million Iraqis, including those killed directly or indirectly, lost their lives to warfare between 2003 and 2011. 3. Afghanistan ALSO READ: 5 extraordinary landscapes around the world Beginning in 2001, U.S. forces raided Afghanistan to first topple the Taliban and then gradually ensure the complete eradication of the Taliban from Afghan territory while rebuilding core institutions in the country. However, despite all of the measures undertaken, insurgency clashes and Taliban attacks continue to persist in the country. The current war situation in Afghanistan continues to claim civilian lives through bombings, crossfires, assassinations, and improvised explosive devices. 4. Mexico Although the country is not currently engaged in any formal war or civil war, the Mexican Drug War remains one of the deadliest conflicts of the current age. The war has officially been ongoing since 2006, and it is estimated that as many as 120,000 people have lost their lives while an additional number of people, estimated to be around 27,000, have been declared missing as a result of it. 5. Somalia Its not much news anymore that Vice President Yemi Osinbajos daughter, Damilolais engaged to Seun Bakare, son of Hajia Bola Shagaya. Much of the reaction since the engagement was announced by the VP has been centred on the different religious beliefs of the couple. Damilola is a Christian, Seun is widely believed to be a muslim, though there has also been reports that hes actually be a Christian However this has not stopped the reaction mill from producing some interesting views. Popular OAP and religious commentator, Daddy Freeze, has had his say on the mismatch and so have other Nigerians on Social media. You can read all the reactions here. These different opinions have again drawn attention to the role and amount of importance attached to religious belief when making relationships and marriage decisions. The burning question in all of this is; Should religion matter when choosing a life partner? Shouldnt it? undefinedWeve reached out to seven young Nigerians to tell us what their opinions are on the matter. 1. DeeOne, 27 Religion does not matter to me. My father is a Christian and married my mum, a muslim. They have been happily married for about 30 years now. I think there are important things to worry about than religion. 2. Omotola, 23 Religion surely plays on my mind even when deciding who to go out with now, let alone marry later in life. I would rather be with someone who has no religion than someone whose religious views contradicts mine. 3. Bamidele, 29 Religion matters for me when choosing a life partner as a matter of principle. For me, its a no no, except she is willing to change to my religion. 4. Ekanem, 27 It does matter as far as I am concerned. Why? I date with the long term in view and I always ask myself; even if I settled with someone who practices a different religion, whose religious views would our kids practice when the time comes? Id rather not have these problems later so I just stick with people with whom my religious views align. 5. Dinma, 22 Religion? No. For me it does not matter. So far I and my man can have a thorough conversation and prior understanding of the situation before getting seriously committed to each other, I dont think Id let that stand in my way. I think understanding, communication and compromise can make this thing work. 6. Chinaza, 28 Yes. Religion counts for me. I think one needs a partner who is on the same page of everything with her values, religion and all that. 7. David, 28 For me, religion counts. And it is a matter of socialization. Since I was little, even before I knew what marriage was about, it has been drummed in my ears that I could not have a wife who did not share my religious views. And I just kind of grew with that mentality till I could make my own decisions and I think its unchangeable now actually. So, yeah, for me, its a big deal to marry a person of my faith. Here is an article illustrating just how messed up the LIE-beral version of justice has become. With some comments of my own in brackets):How Alberta justice system is tackling 'complete breakdown' that led to shackling, jailing of sex assault victimEdmonton Journal: By Paige Parsons & Juris Graney & Jonny WakefieldAn independent report into the treatment of an incarcerated, shackled sexual assault victim released by Alberta Justice in February called the Indigenous womans experience a complete breakdown of legal protections. It called for 18 changes to Albertas justice system. Postmedia reporters looked deeper into three of those recommendations.Organizations that work with victims of crime in Edmonton say they are open to change in how services are delivered, in the wake of a report that was highly critical of how Alberta treats victims.An independent review into the case of a sexual assault survivor who was jailed to ensure she testified against her attacker recommended a complete overhaul of Albertas victim services system, including centralizing victims services and taking the work out of the hands of police.(And there is the rotten heart of the LIE-beral justice system! A homeless woman with a history of drug abuse made a complaint of sexual assault against a man. That man was investigated and charged with the assault- so far so good. The PROBLEM IS that the woman making the allegations is A FLAKE- drug addled and homeless- with NO guarantee that she would show up at a trial to testify! So the woman was jailed to ensure cops could produce her at the trial instead of simply releasing her and letting her wander off to a crack house or alley way!)(LIE-berals who criticise cops for treating the woman like a criminal IGNORE the reality- that SHE IS a criminal! Using hard core drugs IS a crime! PERJURY ALSO is a crime! You cannot simply wander into a cop station and make an allegation of sexual assault and walk away! Assault is a serious crime- even for hug a thug LIE-beral judges! The accused has the right to a trial- honest-fair and logical! But how can there be a trial if there is NO witness for the prosecution? How can a man be convicted if there is no accuser? How can an innocent person clear their name if there is no trial? What do cops do with the guy if there is no trial? Should cops simply release the guy? LIE-berals insist they are feminists and assault is a serious crime and they would be unhappy if an accused rapist was simply released- free to go his merry way- maybe to molest other women? Clearly for the sake of justice and the safety of the community THERE MUST be a trial! So the victim was jailed to ensure she would testify!)(And why shackle her? How about: SHE IS A DRUG ADDICT! Shall we ask if she did not like being in jail and was looking for a chance to run away and score some crack? And if she does run away then we are back to that question of how can there be a trial?)(On a related note- in summer 2017- LIE-beral hug a thug judges RELEASED SEVEN ACCUSED KILLERS simply because they could not guarantee a trial for each in a reasonable time! So how can LIE-berals not treat an accused rapist in similar fashion- give a trial or drop the charges? And there can be NO trial without the witness- so she was held! Only a LIE-beral stupidly pandering to feminiazi radical voters would see a problem with this victim being held in jail!)Police and the Bissell Centre are the two primary groups in Edmonton with workers who help victims navigate the court system, connect them with resources and serve as advocates in the aftermath of a crime.It is clear the intent of the recommendations is to enhance and strengthen the level of support provided to victims of crime, EPS Victim Services Unit Insp. Trent Forsberg said in an email.A provincially centralized model would seem to indicate increased equity and consistency of services to all communities across the province. Any strategy that is designed to improve the level of service provided to victims is clearly supported by the EPS.Roberta Campbell, the criminal defence lawyer hired to review how the provinces justice system failed the woman in 2015, wrote in her Feb. 23 report that the provinces victim services system shares much of the blame.The authors are of the opinion that the current model of victim services in Alberta is wholly inadequate to address the needs of victims, Campbell wrote.More so than any other factor the lack of appropriate victim services led to the incarceration of (the woman).(:Appropriate victim services? What service is needed? Other than to guarantee she would show for and testify at the sex assault trial that SHE TRIGGERED!)The Indigenous woman, whose name is covered by a publication ban, was homeless and living on the streets of Edmonton when she was sexually assaulted by Lance Blanchard on June 16, 2014. She was 27 at the time.During Blanchards court-ordered preliminary inquiry, the woman was taken into custody because the Crown prosecutor and judge believed she was a flight risk.She was not referred to the police services victim services unit and had no contact with any victim support worker in the year between her assault and the preliminary inquiry, Campbell wrote.(And shall we ask if she had refused to cooperate with victim services? Perhaps like so many drug addicted and homeless women she was working in the sex trade and simply refused to talk to social workers? LIE-berals excel at cherry picking through facts to present us with a pretty picture that too often has NO relationship to reality!)For such a serious criminal charge, and for such a vulnerable victim, it is difficult to imagine how this could be the case, Campbell wrote.She also was shackled while giving testimony and was twice transported between the Edmonton Remand Centre and the courthouse in the same van as Blanchard. Court of Queens Bench Justice Eric Macklin later made scathing remarks about her treatment in his written decision convicting Blanchard.The woman died in an unrelated shooting on Dec. 12, 2015.(Oh? She died in an unrelated shooting? Would that be related to a drug deal gone bad or sex trade business gone sour? LIE-berals do NOT think we are entitled to know the full truth! The woman is a person entitled to some respect- but only a LIE-beral would try to handle this woman as if she was a middle class, sober, serious minded soccer Mom just doing some slumming! The victim lived a life of chaos and confusion- that is how you get to be homeless and drug addicted- but only a LIE-beral would call the woman entirely blameless! And only a LIE-beral would blame cops for handling the matter in a logical and efficient way that is fair to ALL parties!)In Edmonton, most victim services workers are volunteers with the police services Victim Services Unit (VSU).Campbell was critical of the system, writing that the support provided by VSU generally consists of a single phone call, to refer victims to other community and counselling programs in Edmonton. That system is essentially the same as Edmontons 211 hotline which connects callers with mental health services, she wrote.(In other words the woman DID get offered victim services but apparently CHOSE NOT to use them! Hard core addicts want more drugs- NOT counseling!)Campbell noted the VSU had just 112 volunteers and nine staffers for a city of over 900,000 people. The unit recently centralized its services to a single office, which led a number of longtime volunteers to leave. Police say there are now 66 volunteers, a decrease of around 40 per cent.The Bissell Centre, a service agency in Edmontons core, employs two victim service workers catering to marginalized populations.Albertas Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General said it is taking steps to implement two of Campbells recommendations, including creating a class of court workers to help victims navigate the justice system, and hiring Indigenous victim services and court workers specifically trained to address the needs of Indigenous victims and witnesses.(That` nice- and its a typical LIE-beral solution- throw money at the problem till it chokes and dies! But it DOES NOT ADDRESS the central issue: how to ensure a drug addled hooker shows up for the trial? Unless she is JAILED?)Campbell also recommended Alberta follow Manitobas lead and centralize victim services under the justice ministry, with government funding for victim service workers in communities across the province.And she suggested separating victims services from Edmonton police and the RCMP because vulnerable victims often have a distrust or aversion to police.The government is studying both proposals.(Uh-huh- I am sure LIE-berals ARE studying the proposals in detail! Trying to figure out how to win more native votes- WITHOUT- at the same time pissing off ordinary Cdns already enraged by LIE-beral hug a thug judges antics!)Rob Sipes, a victim support worker with the Bissell Centre who spent 18 years with the VSU, said he by and large supports the recommended changes, but felt Campbells report belittled the work of victim services volunteers and their training.(And just HOW would victim services support workers have ensured that the woman showed up for a trial? Would they have assigned a team of workers- from their already short staffed group- to FOLLOW this woman everywhere till the trial date and then called the cops to come pick her up? You cannot simply put this woman up in the nearest hotel because she is going to wander off on a drug and alcohol fueled binge! Or maybe get thrown out for conducting sex trade business that disturbs the other tenants? Jail resolves the chaotic life- till the trial! )The way it was written, it sounds like people just (do) it as a casual hobby, he said.(The way it was written suggests to me that victim services are staffed by airheads! And their supporters are something WORSE!) As part of the ongoing Operation Deep Punch II by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, soldiers recently dislodged Boko Haram terrorists from one of their highly fortified hideouts around S-Shape part of Sambisa during a fierce offensive that was supported by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday, February 12, 2018. On Friday, February 16, the official Twitter account of the Presidential Villa @ revealed that the army has constructed a borehole in Sabil Huda for the use of troops and adjoining communities. It posted, "As part of its ongoing Operation DEEP PUNCH II, HQNigerianArmy is consolidating its hold on Sambisa Forest, by building roads and other facilities. It has just constructed a borehole in Sabil Huda in the Forest, for the use of troops and adjoining communities." Army rescues 46 hostages During the clear out on Monday, troops rescued 19 women and 27 children who were being held hostage by terrorists. Soldiers captured major armaments including two Spartan Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), one Canter truck and one laptop computer belonging to the insurgents. They also destroyed 8 gun trucks, several makeshift accommodation and tents. Boko Haram menace Since the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under Shekau's leadership, has been responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.5 million scattered across Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps across the country and its neighbours. It is exactly a year today to the 2019 General Elections scheduled for Feb. 16, 2019,the commission has developed a strategic plan and programme of actions (2017-2021), in full consultation with stakeholders. In order to implement the plan, the commission then developed detailed activities and assigned specific responsibilities and time lines for the 2019 general elections under the Election Project Plan (EPP). There is no time to waste; the 2019 General Elections are already around the corner. These are the last activities before the conduct of the general elections. He said we have finalised and validated the election project plan, thereafter, finalise work on the elections budget for 2019, this will be ready next week. Part of the successful implementation of the election plan is funding and the commission is not unaware that Nigerians are anxious to know the cost of the 2019 General Elections.The commission believes in optimal utilisation of resources which is dependent on proper planning. With the validation of EPP workshop, having concluded and validated the strategic plan and plan of actions, work on 2019 elections budget will be concluded next week Immediately after the validation, the budget will be presented to the appropriate authority for consideration and funding, the chairman said.He said that the commission would continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) were given necessary support to implement EPP. Mahmood urged RECs to mobilise all members of staff of the commission to enable them prepare to play their respective roles to ensure the hitch-free general elections. According to him, activities ranging from the assessment of the current election infrastructure, acquisition and deployment of sensitive and non-sensitive materials would take place as specified. Mahmood stated that the objectives of the 197 activities of EPP include: harmonising the activities and needs of all departments and directorates of the commission into an implementable plan for the 2019 elections. Others he said include Organising the 2019 general elections in line with the highest global professional standards to deliver cost effective but high quality general elections in 2019. Ensure that all stakeholders are carried along and create a level playing field for all candidates and political parties in administering the 2019 general elections Also to ensure accountability and responsibility of all INEC staff in the conduct of 2019 general elections. Mahmood said that each of the 197 activities of EPP responded to specific actions and tasks to be carried out within a specified time line. He called for diligent and meticulous monitoring, close supervision and sustained of the EPP for understanding and adherence to time line. On the concern in certain quarters about the possible prevalence of ineligible registrants on voter register, Mahmood said the commission was equally concerned and worried. The INEC boss also said that the recent reports of violation by underage person, following the Kano Local Government Election were deeply disturbing. We wish to assure Nigerians that the matter will be fully investigated and we will share the findings of the investigation with the public. I wish to assure Nigerians that voter register, nationwide, will be purged of any possible ineligible registrants, he said. According to him, the investigation becomes necessary because the credibility of an election is drawn from the credibility of voter register. He noted that eligibility for registrations include citizenship, residence and mandatory attainment of age of 18 years.Mathmood said between July and December, 2017, 3, 978,682 were registered afresh nationwide. He also disclosed that 135, 127 unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards were collected and 166,073 requests made for transfer of PVCs while the commission received 334,086 requests for replacement of PVCs. In terms of distribution by state, the INEC boss said that Rivers recorded the highest number of voters, followed by Delta and Lagos while Kwara, Gombe and Ondo recorded the lowest. On the ongoing voter registration, Mahmood assured that only legally eligible citizens would be screen and registered, saying INEC has 1446 registration centres nationwide. He said that the commission had deployed additionally Direct Data Capturing machines, staff and resources nationwide to address the challenges people faced in exercise. Presenting the 2019 EPP report, Prof. Bolade Eyinla said that the reports harmonised the activities and needs of all departments, units and directorate of INEC into implementing the plan for the general elections. Eyinla is the Technical Adviser to INEC Chairman. He further said his committee was inaugurated in May 2017 and was informed by success of the EPP in 2015, which centralised planning for the election.It is important that all hands are on deck to deliver more credible elections in 2019.The plan is to ensure that the 2019 elections will be conducted in line with the highest global standard and to deliver cost efficient but high quality elections. Eyinla said that all state offices, led by RECs, designed and established their Election Monitoring Support Centres, structured to monitor and support the implementations of EPP. Mr Shalva Kipshidze, Country Director, IFES said the EPP was developed by INEC with the support of IFES to enhance electoral integrity and good governance. National Electoral Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners, Administrative Secretaries, directors, Heads of Departments among other senior staff of the commission attended the workshop. He said that the new prisons would boost the welfare of inmates by providing them with humane environment and facilities. The new prisons are in line with the United Nations minimum standard of prisons which was obtained from collaborative efforts of federal and state governments, the minister said. Dambazau lauded the efforts of Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, for providing the land where the ultra-modern prison would be erected. Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of Prisons, Malam Jaafaru Ahmed, commended the Buhari administration for improving the staff welfare. He explained that the present administration had conducted multiple infrastructural development of Nigerian prisons. Ahmed also commended the state government for its endless support for the Nigeria Prison Service. Ganduje, in his address, pledged continuous support for the prison service and other federal government agencies in the state. The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Yardada, said that his administration would accord priority to the welfare of its citizens. Ortom said this while speaking to a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) South South Zone, led by Archbishop God-Dowell Oyibo Avwomakpa. The Governor also thanked the people of the South-South for rallying around Benue people in their time of need. I will keep crying Governor Ortom also said that he will not stop weeping until his people get justice for the killings carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen. He said that the incident would have been averted, if the government acted promptlyon his security report. Ortom also said that herdsmen attacks had become an enormous national problem which patriots across the country must rise up to tackle decisively. Fayose sympathises with Ortom On Thursday, February 8, 2018, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state visited Governor Ortom to commiserate with the people of Benue states. His Rivers state counterpart, Nyesom Wike was also in Benue to offer his sympathies on the death of over 100 people killed by Fulani hersmen. The crack in the APC has reached an obvious height following the infighting within the ruling party. Fights, attacks and counter-attacks between members of the APC are now an open secret. Here are some members Asiwaju has been saddled with the responsibility of reconciling before the 2019 general elections. 1. Kwankwaso vs Ganduje Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso and his governor, Abdullahi Ganduje are not the best of friends at the moment. Ganduje who was Kwankwasos deputy during the latter's days as Governor of Kano state fell out with the Senator not long after his election as governor. The governor recently -- through the Police -- 'stopped' Kwankwaso from holding a mega rally in the state capital. 2. Yahaya Bello vs Dino Melaye, James Faleke People voted for Abubakar Audu but God voted for Yahaya Bello,Senator Dino Melaye declared when the Bello was announced winner of the Kogi state governorship poll following the death of Prince Abubakar Audu on Sunday, November 22, 2015. Fast-forward to Friday, November 6, 2017, the crooner called Governor Bello an on Twitter. Senator Melaye had accused Governor Bello of sponsoring his recall from the red chamber. The governor however denied the allegation. Senator Melaye had accused the governor of transforming Kogi workers into internally displaced persons (IDPs) while begging his colleagues to donate relief materials to civil servants and retirees who were allegedly being owed over twelve-month salaries. Asiwaju will also see to the reconciliation of Governor Bello and James Faleke. Faleke had asked that Audus votes be transferred to him as he was Late Abubakar Audus running mate during the 2015 Kogi election. Faleke headed to court but lost. The party gave the votes to Bello who came second during the APC primaries. Reconciling the trio could be compared to the biblical analogy of a Carmel easily passing through the eye of a needle. 3 El-Rufai vs Shehu Sani Governor Nasir El-Rufai said Senator ShehuSani is angry with him because he (EL-Rufai) failed to appoint his friends as commissioners. Shehu Sanis first anger was that the list of commissioners came out and none from his list. In a state where there are about 10,000 PhDs that I have in my data base; I am not going to take a diploma holder and make him a commissioner just because he is Shehu Sanis man. I dont operate like that, El-Rufai said according to Dailypost. He contested the APC primary and defeated the candidate that I supported (General Sani Saleh), and after the primaries. I dont owe Shehu Sani anything. I asked all of them including Shehu Sani, to give me names of people that I will appoint to positions. They gave me, and I looked at them, and none of the people from Shehus list is good enough to be a commissioner in my cabinet. Because of the things he has been doing, criticizing the president, saying all sorts of things about me, the party disciplinary process was initiated against him, but he blames it on me. He thinks I engineered it. But, frankly, I dont care about Shehu Sani. Shehu Sanis history is that he is an activist, of some type and it is up to you to determine the adjective. I think the problem is that because Shehu Sanis mind is that of an activist, he thinks that the way to position himselfhe thinks politics is being in the media all the time. Activism is different from politics. Sometimes in politics, you dont want your name in the media, but activists oxygen is the media, and he thinks that the way to remain visible and prepare him for running for governor of Kaduna State in 2019 is to criticise everything I do. I dont think he is a threat to me politically or in any way. In 2018, when the whistle is blown we will see who has support on the ground in Kaduna, El-Rufai announced. Senator Sani who has been vocal against the actions and inactions of the federal government recently blasted governor El-Rufai and others who endorsed President Buharis reelection. Governors that supposed to be chief executives of their states leave their duty posts on a daily and weekly basis to the villa to endorse and re-endorse the President. Too much and over-endorsement. We should tell ourselves the truth, Senator Sani said at plenary on Tuesday, January 16, 2018. Suspended by the APC in Kaduna, Senator Sani also accused El-Rufai of sending mobs to attack himduring a press briefing in the state. Senator Sani and some aggrieved APC members in Kaduna state formed a splinter group APC Akida (a Hausa word which means Our interest) on Thursday, June 2, 2016. Senator Sani recently hinted on running for the post of governor of Kaduna state in 2019. 4 Yari and Marafa The relationship between Senator Kabiru Marafa and Governor Abdullaziz Yari of Zamfara state has not been exactly the best. Marafa had accused Yari of failing to protect residents adding that the Zamfara state was under the control of militias. His words: Zamfara state is now under the control of the militia and the saddest thing is that the governor knows these people, the deputy governor and the commissioner of police know these people. I want to say it again and again that the governor knows the perpetrators of this crime. They move around freely with their arms. I said it yesterday I was home during the fuel crisis. In my own town, they are the ones that judge between people. The people no longer go to the local authorities like the emirs and chiefs; they dont go to police. iI there is a problem they go to the bush and tell these people that I have a problem with somebody. They settle these issues right inside the bush, Marafa declared. Senator Marafa also said Governor Yari is not an indigene of Zamfara state as claimed. Governor Yari was alleged to have said that he would end Marafas political career. 5 Speaker Dogara vs Governor Mohammed Abubakar Governor Mohammed Abubakarfell out with Yakubu Dogara when he failed to support the latter's speakership bid in 2015. The APC had chosen Femi Gbajabiamila as its consensus candidate. Dogara, however, contested and won against the wish of the APC. The governor had stopped Dogara from carrying out projects in his constituency. 6 Saraki vs Tinubu, AGF Tinubu also has before him a case involving himself, Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. Like Dogara, Saraki became Senate President against the wish of the APC. A source had told that Tinubu had chosen Benue lawmaker, Banabas Gemade to become the Senate President but President Buhari insisted on . The APC then settled for Lawan but Saraki did all he could and became the Senate President. That was the beginning of his (Saraki) problem, the source added. The AGF, on behalf of the federal government, dragged Saraki to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on grounds of false asset declaration. The AGF has also acquired court orders preventing the Senate from continuing investigation into the reinstatement of pension fugitive, Abdulrasheed Maina. The Senate sees Malami's move as an affront on the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari government. 7 Aisha Buhari and the Cabal Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari is also an aggrieved APC member. Aisha, in an interview with BBC, accused a certain cabal of taking over her husbands government. The First Lady also said she wont go on campaigns with her husbands if things do not change for the better. Have things changed for the better? Well, Aisha recently shared videosof Senators Isa Misau and Ben Murray-Bruce criticizing her husband on the floor of the Senate. 8 Ajimobi vs Shittu Trouble started between the duo when the minister of communication, Adebayo Shittu started nursing the ambition to become the next governor of Oyo state. Shittu had petitioned the APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun; and Tinubu, over what he described as the unbecoming conduct of Governor Abiola Ajimobi. "It is an open secret that the fortunes of APC has nosedived in the state due to Governor Ajimobis undue arrogance, grandstanding, nepotism, caustic and unguarded utterances and creating unnecessary divisions among party leaders and members thereby balkanising the party along group lines. Worse still, the traditional media and the social media are awash with various commentaries of the negative impact of Governor Ajimobis degeneration behavior in the fortunes of our party. It is on the basis of these facts and some decisions of the Ajimobis government as it affects the generality of our people that I have had cause in the past to criticise him and insist that the overall interest of APC as a political party in power should be paramount, rather than the egoistic feelings of the governor and his co-travellers," Shittu's petition read. 9 Aregbesola vs Lasun Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun and his governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola are also not best of friends at the moment. Like Shiitu, Lasun is also eyeing the governorship position of Osun state. 10 Rotimi Amaechi vs Magnus Abe Transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi has vowed not to support the governorship ambition of Magnus Abe. Amechi accused Abe of insulting him all day, everyday. There is no fight in the APC. I am not in any way stopping Abe from running for the governorship, but what I know is that I will not support him. Abe is daring me, an Ikwerre son. He is abusing me every day. I will ensure I use Ikwerre vote against him, Amaechi declared. The APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and former Edo shate governor, Adams Oshiomhole also do not agree. Asiwaju sure has a lot on his plate. Can he put the houses in order given the short time? A chieftain of the APC, Timi Frank, believes "it is already late" for Tinubu to unite all aggrieved blocs in the ruling party. Frank blamed Oyegun for "failing to unite" members of the party. He said except Tinubu is a magician, he may not be able to deliver on the job the President just handed him. "There is no doubt that Jagaban is the right person to do this job of reconciliation," Frank declared. "But unfortunately, the former Lagos state governor can not do magic because it's already late and nothing will come out of it. Although some people might not like this truth, but I will continue to say it. "It is a glaring thing that all what Tinubu is expected to repair now were caused by the national chairman Chief John Oyegun's indecision, which I loudly spoke about. When I demanded for his resignation, some people felt I was being sponsored. "If they had listened to me much earlier, when I was the only voice in the wilderness and appoint someone like this same Tinubu a year ago, may be the likes of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar wouldn't have left the ruling party. "But thank God that today, I have been vindicated because all eyes can see clearly what Chief Oyegun's style of leadership has done to the ruling party. At this level, if care is not taken, APC might soon become history," he announced. Tinubus failure to get the house together may spell doom for the APC at the 2019 polls. Will he reconcile these groups and many other aggrieved APC members who have expressed displeasure over President Buharis first outing before the 2019 elections? Those suspended by the new faction include: Political Adviser, Mallam Uba Sani; Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Abdu Kwari and the acting state secretary of the party, Yahaya Pate. Speaking to Vanguard, while unveiling its new secretariat, Alhaji Shuaibu Wada said he is the new leader of the group. Wada was sidelined after the state APC chairman, Bala Bantex was nominated to be the Governors running mate in 2018. The faction, also known as Restoration Group, gave the Governor 48 hours to respond to the query. El-Rufai responds Governor El-Rufai, in his response, dismissed the query, describing the new group as political traders. He also said that he will remain committed to providing good governance to people of Kaduna. El-Rufai said that he will not pay heed to the attention-seeking gambits of desperate politicians, who have steadily been demystified. Adding that he is ready to send political traders into retirement and will not be swayed by their drowning antics. 3 APC factions in Kaduna The emergence of the restoration group, brings to three, the factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state. There has been public outcry against the commission after pictures and videos emerged online showing apparently underage children voting during the election. While speaking at the Election Project Plan Implementation Workshop in Lagos on Friday, February 16, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, promised that the commission has put plans in place to conduct a comprehensive investigation. He said, "We wish to assure Nigerians that the matter will be fully investigated. A National Commissioner will lead a team including technical staff drawn from Voter Registry, ICT and Electoral Operations Depts for an immediate and comprehensive investigation. We will share the findings with Nigerians." Officials can't prevent underage voting - INEC While addressing the controversy on the African Independent Television (AIT) on Wednesday, February 14, INEC's Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, explained that the reason officials cannot prevent underage registration and voting in the region is that they are threatened by some members of the community. He said when officials face apparent danger, they can decide to cave in to the pressure and report the issue when they are in a safe zone. He said, "I agree that it is the responsibility of the registration officer to do that (refuse to register underage persons), but there are times that circumstances are such that where there is present and clear danger that he risks being assaulted or being killed, I think it will be unreasonable to expect him not to succumb to the pressure. But we encourage them to report immediately they get out of that dangerous zone." Osaze-Uzzi further revealed that the agency has mechanisms in place to invalidate registrations that are made under undue pressure such as threat to life of officials. They were caught fleeing as the self-declared "caliphate" they once served collapsed in the face of ferocious military onslaughts in both Syria and Iraq. Nawaf, 22, says he left his home in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain and travelled via Qatar and Turkey to join IS in the summer of 2015 to "defend Muslims being bombed". He fought in Iraq but refuses to dwell on what he did there before moving to Raqa, which was the group's Syrian capital. "It was a normal life," separated from the brutal beheadings and violence for which IS became infamous around the world, he told AFP. "We only saw them in the media or in propaganda videos." Nawaf claims he was a "simple employee" under Bahraini Turki al-Binali -- chief religious advisor who was killed in an air strike in 2017. He married a woman from Kuwait and had a daughter. "It is good," he says of the group's severe interpretation of Islam that requires women to cover up. "Like that they don't attract people sexually." Sitting nearby Hassan, 49, claims he is a civilian who is still having problems after several back operations. He says he came to Raqa in 2015 where his Uzbek wife was a doctor and worked only as a "car park attendant" who was in the dark about what IS was doing. "I did not fight. I knew nothing," says the bald man with blue eyes and a short beard. 'Nobody dared challenge it' While the two men lived under the rule of IS the group carried out a string of bloody attacks across Europe. "I don't approve of them," says Nawaf. "But that is the philosophy of IS and nobody dared to challenge it." Although both men are adamant they were low-level functionaries who do not have blood on their hands, their stories raise serious doubts. Hassan reveals that he passed through camps for fighters in both Turkey and Syria and at one time lived with "the Uzbeks" in the tribal region of Pakistan. Uzbeks living in that region are known as jihadists with brutal reputations who were linked to Al-Qaeda before pledging allegiance to IS. Meanwhile Nawaf's patron Binali was not only a senior religious official, but also a key recruiter of Gulf nationals who threatened attacks abroad according to the US. Eventually both Nawaf and Hassan were pushed out of Raqa in summer 2017 by the advance of the US-backed fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces. Smuggled out by IS ahead of the assault, they went to Mayadeen in eastern Syria where the jihadists were busy settling their bloody scores. The fear of becoming victims of the group that they once moved abroad to be a part of then spurred them even further, they claim. In autumn Hassan says he fled north on a motorbike with his wife but they were stopped at a Kurdish checkpoint and detained separately. Nawaf gave some $4,000 (3,200 euros) to a people smuggler who ended up handing him over to the Kurdish forces as he sought to cross the border with Turkey. Now the two men have no idea what will happen to them. Countries that saw citizens leave for the so-called "caliphate" are now reluctant to take detained jihadists back. As for Hassan and Nawaf, they insist they have turned their backs on IS for good. "They are just traitors, torturers. There is nothing Muslim about them," says Hassan. He said he would soon be meeting with justice minister Tudorel Toader, who is under pressure from the left to fire Kovesi. "I do not see any reason at this time to remove the head of the DNA of her duties and it would surprise me that Mr. Toader has arguments to convince me otherwise," he said. Toader, who was recalled urgently to Bucharest by the country's new prime minister Viorica Dancila to decide on Kovesi's fate, has postponed any decision until next week. Under the law, it is up to the justice minister to ask for the dismissal of heads of the prosecution but it is the head of state who has the final say. Several leaders of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) have in recent weeks called for Kovesi's resignation, accusing the DNA of "manufacturing evidence" and open "targeted" investigations against its members. PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, sentenced to two years in prison suspended for electoral fraud, is charged in two other cases, including one on the misappropriation of European funds. The rights defender listed "major deficiencies" at police stations, reception and detention centres. Immigrants can spend 72 hours "in cells which rarely have natural light hardly ever running water," he said. Fundamental rights could not be sacrificed on grounds of urgency or efficiency, Marugan said, citing the case of the Archidona prison near Malaga which was used a holding centre for several weeks at the end of 2017. Algerian migrant Mohamed Bouderbala killed himself there after being kept in solitary confinement for 16 hours, sparking public uproar. At the time Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said the 36-year-old was among 12 people who stirred up a "mutiny". The national police, which was in charge of the centre, "is not trained to look after people who have been deprived of their freedom for 60 days", the ombudsman added. Some 28,350 people entered Spain illegally in 2017 -- 22,000 of them by sea, according to official statistics. The previous year saw 14,000 illegal entries. No life should be lost in my name and also the ANC should never be divided in my name. I have therefore come to the decision to resign as President of the Republic with immediate effect, Zuma announced on Valentines Day; bringing his nine year reign as President of South Africa to an ignominious end. Zumas resignation speech arrived after the ANC commenced moves to impeach him over allegations of corruption. Had he not resigned, the South African parliament and the ANC would still have shoved Zuma aside anyway. His time was essentially up and he knew it. Africa rising Interestingly, as Zuma was delivering his resignation speech, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, was preparing his. On Thursday, February 15, 2018, Desalegn threw in the towel amid lingering political crisis and unrest in the Horn of Africa country. Desalegn didnt think he was the man to see Ethiopia through a wave of violence that has led to the deaths of hundreds since 2015. "Unrest and a political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many", Desalegn said in a televised speech last Thursday. "I see my resignation as vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy," he added. The resignations of Zuma and Desalegn arrive on the heels of the forced resignation of Zimbabwes Robert Mugabe whose 37-year iron fisted reign was brought to an end by soldiers on November 21, 2017. On January 21, 2017 Yahya Jammehs 22-year dictatorship in Gambia was brought to an inglorious end after he hadlost the popular vote to Adama Barrow. Jammeh wouldnt accept defeat until the rest of Africa warned him against playing with fire. Before fleeing The Gambia, his tail between his legs, Jammeh had once boasted that he was going to rule his country for a billion years. "I will deliver to the Gambian people and if I have to rule this country for one billion years, I will, if Allah says so. "I will not bow down before anybody, except the almighty Allah and if they don't like that they can go to hell," Jammeh cussed. Across the African continent, autocrats and bad leaders are being handed the middle finger by the people. They are being told when their time is up. New crop of enlightened voters Africa still has the Paul Biyas (Cameroon President for 36 years), Paul Kagames (Rwanda President for 18 years) and the Gnassingbe dynasty in Togo, however. But for a continent once famed for the longevity of its rulers and derided for its Ghaddafis, a new democratic era of younger populations demanding better from the ruling class, is fast taking root. In Africa, the corrupt and rudderless are being frowned at and despised, the arrogant are shoved out of power, there are visible chinks in the armoury of leaders who consider themselves invincible and social media is blurring the divides among once insular countries on the continent. The average African is a lot more enlightened and understands better what good governance feels and looks like. Africas story is being retold by an increasingly vocal, opinionated, technologically savvy, sophisticated and critical mass. As the Zumas and Jammehs make way, the rest of the continent takes note, birthing something resembling a domino effect. The contradictions were multiplying. The daily news briefing was filled with caveats. I can only give you the best information that I have. I cant say definitively, but Im not aware of any communication. I cant say with 100 percent certainty, but not that Im aware of. This is the information that was given to me by those individuals. The rule of thumb for crisis communications in any White House is to get a complete and accurate account of events out quickly, if for no other reason than to keep a negative story from lasting longer than it otherwise might. But President Donald Trumps White House has thrown out the rule book in so many ways. The continuing questions about Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned after being accused of abusing two former wives, have provided a case study in how shifting stories can make matters worse. Its very clear that in this situation, one of the reasons theyre struggling here is theres not one complete set of information on what happened, why it happened and what to do to move forward, said Doug Heye, a former congressional aide and communications director for the Republican National Committee. This should have been a two- or three-day story. Instead, That this has gone on this long really speaks to the series of mistakes here. Critics say the conflicting accounts stem from the top, from a president who has made so many false statements or given so many contradictory versions of the truth in so many instances that even his own advisers cannot trust him. He originally said that he pushed out Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser, because he lied to Vice President Mike Pence. But after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, the president said that the deception with investigators also prompted the dismissal. Trump likewise justified his firing of James Comey, the FBI director, on the handling of the Hillary Clinton email case at first, only to then tell NBC News that he was really thinking about the investigation into his campaigns contacts with Russia. During the campaign, he acknowledged that the Access Hollywood tape that recorded him making crude remarks about women was authentic but last year told associates that he thinks it was fake. The Porter case is not the only example in recent days of Trumps team struggling to fully clarify controversial actions. The presidents associates have been slow to offer an explanation of a $130,000 payment made shortly before the 2016 election to a pornographic movie star who once claimed to have had a fling with Trump. It took a full month after The Wall Street Journal reported that a private lawyer for Trump arranged the payment for the lawyer to tell The New York Times that the money came from his own pocket, not the presidents. Even then, he did not explain whether the president knew about the payment. This is not the first White House where that has happened, of course, but lessons from past experience suggest why it can be corrosive. Frustrated that he was not being fully informed during the early days of the scandal resulting from President Bill Clintons sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, Michael McCurry, then the White House press secretary, famously referred to his strategy as telling the truth slowly. Indeed, much like McCurry, current White House officials are frustrated that they have not gotten a full accounting of the episode involving Porter either, with many of them angry at John Kelly, the chief of staff, and Don McGahn, the White House counsel. In individual conversations with reporters, some White House officials warn that the information they have just provided may not be true and that they themselves do not know. Still, some Republicans said the shifting stories were not the main reason it has been hard for the White House to move on. Ari Fleischer, a White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, said a bigger factor was that the presidents team accepted Porters denials until photographs were published showing one of his ex-wives with a black eye. And then, Fleischer noted, the presidents only public comments at first seemed sympathetic to Porter and included no concern for the accusers or an acknowledgment of the seriousness of domestic abuse. Only on Wednesday, a week after the story broke, did Trump personally condemn violence against women, and then sounded aggrieved that anyone would make an issue of the fact that he had not said anything about it until then. It wouldnt have made this story go away, Fleischer said of the White House failure to produce a clean and consistent explanation. This story was launched because the president didnt address the issue of domestic violence and the White House believed Rob Porter. If they had done everything else perfectly since then, it still would have been a similar controversy. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has pressed for months for a look at the process for White House security clearances. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. and the committee chairman, said on Wednesday that the panel would investigate the White House handling of Porters case. This is an administration that has consistently not been truthful with the American people and so when you start going down that road where your leader goes, that is President Trump, then you are constantly trying to get your story straight, said Cummings. Every time they go down one road, either a story comes out in the newspapers or something happens that causes them to say, Oh, weve got to change course. The White House has suggested that it did not know much about the allegations against Porter, which came up during an FBI investigation for a security clearance, and that the investigation had not been completed. But Christopher Wray, the FBI director, has made clear that the bureau had given information to the White House about Porter three times in 2017 and had finished its work. In a letter sent Wednesday to Wray, Gowdy noted that the FBI directors account of the security clearance investigation into Porter may contradict a statement by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary. Sanders was left this week to offer the equivocal statements from the White House lectern about giving the best information she had even if she was not 100 percent certain it was correct. Look, as I said, we do the very best job we can every single day, she said at one point Tuesday. Were giving you the best information that were going to have. Obviously, the press team is not going to be as read-in, maybe, as some other elements at a given moment on a variety of topics. But we relay the best and most accurate information that we have, she said, which comes from those individuals. As the questions persisted, Sanders daily briefing Wednesday was postponed and then postponed again, before finally being canceled, citing the horrific school shooting in Florida. No briefing was held Thursday either, nor as of Thursday night had one been scheduled for Friday. It is nearly impossible to figure out what on earth is going on inside of this White House right now, said Jen Psaki, who was White House communications director under President Barack Obama. Normally, she said, White House officials would gather in the same room to put together a definitive timetable of what happened to avoid the conflicting drip, drip, drip that the Trump team has found themselves in. Why hasnt that happened? Psaki asked. It is hard to know. But the more we learn, the worse it looks and that is definitely not the place you want to be. The New York Times Dr Khalwale, who was responding to the question on whether NASA would stay put until 2022, bluntly said that the coalition, was already split adding that his party (Ford Kenya), was in fact open for talks with other political parties outside Nasa. We (Ford-Kenya) are opening ourselves to fresh negotiations with political parties within Nasa and, where an opportunity presents itself, outside it, Dr Khalwale, the former Kakamega senator, said. While he failed to substantively confirm earlier rumours that Moses Wetangula's Ford Kenya party could be exiting NASA, Dr Khalwale hinted at a major scheme to rebrand the party as it mulls on talks for new alliance formations. He inferred that the ultimate swearing-in of both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga marked the end of the 2017 elections. Now, without saying it, the leaders of the parties are realising that Uhuru and Raila have been sworn in, and that that marks the end of the 2017 electoral cycle, he said. ODM factor Meanwhile, Jubilee Party in the recent past launched a charm offensive to populate an idea that ODM took all key party leadership positions in both houses, a move which is splitting further the coalition. Meanwhile, ODM leader Raila Odinga is said to have convened an urgent National Governing Council meeting which will be preceded by the National Executive Committee Friday next week to make major changes in the party. The meeting which aims at de-whipping several of the defiant lawmakers in the party will equally serve to replace 11 former officials, including former General Secretary Ababu Namwamba, who decamped to Jubilee Party. ALSO READ: Raila to make changes in ODM The Star on Thursday reported of a plan by the party that the meeting was convened due to increasingly strenuous relationship between the affiliate parties, amid fears that the coalition is headed for an acrimonious split over unreasonable demands on its senior partner. ODM party is branded as the largest party in the Nasa coalition with 98 MPs in both the Senate and the National Assembly. Kalonzos Wiper Party has 26 lawmakers, Mudavadis Amani National Congress has 7 lawmakers and Ford Kenya led by Moses Wetangula has 13 members. Wetangula out The Odinga-led party is said to be threatening to use its popularity muscle in the houses to make changes in the leadership. Ford Kenya leader and Minority leader in the Senate Mr Moses Wetangula and Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa (deputy Minority Whip, National Assembly) have been targeted in the new onslaught. Other causalities targeted are Wiper Partys Mutula Kilonzo (Minority Whip, Senate), Jessica Mbalu (Speakers Panel) and Kathiani MP Robert Mbui (deputy Minority Leader, National Assembly). The leftist Venezuelan president vowed to get to the summit venue in Lima "by air, land or sea!" Peru's Prime Minister Mercedes Araoz hit back at Maduro's comments. "A head of state cannot come to a country without an invitation, so he cannot get to step on Peruvian soil without an invitation," she told a press conference. Describing Maduro's attitude as "aggressive" she said: "neither the Peruvian soil, nor the Peruvian sea, nor the Peruvian air can be invaded by a foreign force." Peru had said on Tuesday that Maduro's "presence will no longer be welcome" after a decision to hold early presidential elections in his crisis-torn country without reaching an agreement with the opposition. Peru's statement followed hot on the heels of a meeting of the 14-nation Lima Group urging Venezuela to reconsider holding elections on April 22 on the grounds that conditions for a free and fair vote, as demanded by the opposition, did not currently exist. Maduro told reporters that despite Lima's rejection he had received a letter from Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski the day after inviting him to the summit, scheduled for 13-14 April. He also insisted the presidential vote -- which analysts say he is certain to win -- would go ahead as planned. 'Most unpopular governments' "In Venezuela, Venezuelans are in charge, not the Lima Group, not Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, not (Colombian president) Juan Manuel Santos," Maduro said. He said some of the governments in the Lima Group were "the most unpopular governments on the planet," referring in particular to those of Colombia and Peru. "For me it is an honor that the oligarchy of the region does what it does against us," he said. Venezuela won support earlier Thursday from key ally Cuba, which lashed out at Peru for disinviting Maduro, and strongly condemned the Lima Group for "unacceptable meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela." Maduro, 55, is seeking re-election to a second six-year term. With the opposition coalition barred from fielding a candidate and several top Maduro critics banned, opponents of the deeply unpopular leader accuse him of rigging the April vote. Presidential elections were not due until December, but the Constituent Assembly, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, moved the date forward. The Inter-American Human Rights Commission said Venezuela's democratic institutions and human rights situation have undergone "marked deterioration" over the past two years. The regional rights body said there were "serious obstacles" to political participation, increased repression and censorship, rising crime and insecurity and intensifying poverty. The 1520 Group, which includes 38 Russian companies active in railway design and construction projects, has obtained regulatory approval for the purchase of a 50% stake in bridge contractor FSK Mostootryad-47 for an undisclosed price. Defendant in Crimea sabotage plot case gets 6.5 years in prison RIA Novosti, Vitaly Ankov 12:46 16/02/2018 MOSCOW, February 16 (RAPSI) The Supreme Court of Crimea has sentenced Andrey Zakhtey charged with sabotage plot in the republic to 6.5 years in prison, the courts press office has told RAPSI. Additionally, the defendant has been fined 220,000 rubles (about $4,000). Zakhteys alleged accomplice, Yevgeny Panov is currently continuing reading the case materials, according to his lawyer Sergey Legostov. In August 2016, Russias Federal Security Service reported prevention of terror attacks in Crimea prepared by the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys General Directorate of Intelligence against critical infrastructure components of the peninsula. According to a republics law enforcement source, seven suspects were arrested. Panov, an officer of the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys Intelligence Directorate, is believed to be one of the organizers of the crime. Russia to continue cooperation with ECHR Justice Ministry RIA Novosti, Oleg Yefrosinin 14:50 16/02/2018 MOSCOW, February 16 (RAPSI) Russia will continue cooperation with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, the countrys Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov said on Friday during the meeting of the board discussing the ministrys work results in 2017. According to Konovalov, in most cases judicial practice of the ECHR improves Russian legal system and protects interests of Russian citizens. The Minister noted that of 47 member-states of the Council of Europe Russia is in the middle of the ranking on number of appeals submitted to the ECHR per capita. Also, Russia no longer holds the first place in terms of the number of appeals filed. However, Konovalov expressed concern over the rising number of rulings in cases against Russia as well as the number of appeals communicated to the government. 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'A banker must have taken a decision when the economic condition was different, and you cannot question him on the basis of the present situation in hindsight.' 'Naturally, this has affected the morale of bankers.' Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com. Last month the Centre announced that it would infuse over Rs 88,000 crore (Rs 880 billion) as capital in public sector banks, of which Rs 80,000 crore (Rs 800 billion) would be through recapitalisation bonds and Rs 8,139 crore (Rs 81.39 billion) in the form of budgetary support. It was reported that IDBI Bank Ltd and Bank of India, which have been placed under prompt corrective action (PCA) by the Reserve Bank of India, will receive the highest capital infusion from the government at Rs 10,610 crore (Rs 106.10 billion) and Rs 9,232 crore (Rs 92.32 billion), respectively. State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank, which are not under the PCA framework, will get Rs 8,800 crore (Rs 88 billion) and Rs 5,473 crore (Rs 54.73 billion), respectively. Will this infusion of funds help public sector banks come out of the crisis? "Recapitalisation is one of the most important aspects of revival and it is the role of the government, and they have done their duty," Kalyanaraman P R, below, director-south, Centrum Capital Ltd, tells Rediff.com/Shobha Warrier. "What is needed to be done next is the resolution of stressed assets where additional capital is essential," adds Kalyanaraman who retired from the Bank of India as general manager after which he served as executive director at the Federal Bank. Will recapitalisation help the banking sector overcome the huge non-performing assets problem? It will definitely help the banking sector. Based on the age of the NPA, the provisioning requirement keeps growing, and provisioning leads to the profit of the bank. NPA means erosion of capital. Losses can be made good only from the capital or reserve, or even profit. Improvement of profitability can also be made by way of reserve or by fresh infusion of capital. Otherwise, you have to dip into the working capital fund which is the deposits, etc. Will the recapitalisation amount be added to the capital or be used to reduce the NPAs? It will go into the capital, and a part of the losses will be set off from the capital so that the capital is still adequate for them to carry on business operations. If you look at the risk-based capital requirement as enforced by the Basel norms 1, 2 and 3, you will see that the capital requirement of banks are increased mainly to strengthen them against the possibilities of losses so that what happened in 2008 globally will not happen again. The Indian banking system is robust because we have been strengthening the system gradually. After liberalisation, capital was infused in banks and later on during the Manmohan Singh period also, additional capital was pumped in. So, recapitalisation is nothing new to the banking industry. Is it a common practice by governments to bail out PSU banks? Not just PSU banks, governments bail out all banks because it affects millions of people. If you remember, in 2008, the US government bailed out all the major American banks. You should also remember that situations like these are not permanent; these are temporary phases. As long as the government can support banks to come out of the difficult phase and if all the parameters mentioned in the Basel norms, like properly strengthening the management, following the regulatory norms etc, are followed diligently, it should not be a problem for the banks to come out of the difficult phase. When I say this is a temporary phenomenon, it does not mean that all the assets owned by the borrowers are completely gone. Yes, the assets are also undergoing a tumultuous period, but they may still be productive, but not productive enough to service the requirements. The government also played a role in many instances for creating the stress. For example, in the case of wind farms, national highway infrastructure etc. Non-payment by government distribution outlets/NHAI was the reason why they ran into trouble. The loss they suffered was not due to their own making alone. Similarly, thermal power stations, gas-based power projects, cotton spinning units etc suffered due to sudden policy changes by the government. What I want to say is, the mistake may not be because of the borrower alone. So, it is necessary that we give a chance to all these people to recoup and come back. However, wilful defaulters should be brought to book and made to pay so that the genuine borrowers are encouraged. Yes, there are many instances of borrowers diverting money. We have to understand that there could be many reasons behind an account going into difficulties and creation of NPAs in banks. What someone borrows from the bank is public money, so if a unit is otherwise viable, and if he is supported during the difficult period, he will bounce back. This way, we are safeguarding public money. With so much money pumped into public sector banks, do you expect the lending cycle to start again and with that, economic growth too? It will happen because a bank is expected to keep only minimum capital, which is the core capital or the tier 1 capital. This is the strength of the bank and is made of equity and reserve. Then comes the tier 2 capital consisting of bond etc which can only be a certain percentage of the tier 1 capital. So, a bank has to have enough tier 1 capital to lend to people. Basel has described quite well how much capital should be allocated to each type of risk which is called risk-based capital requirement. So, a bank has to lend based on the guidelines given by Basel. If the capital goes down, the bank will not be able to lend. Now with the infusion of capital, the bank can once again start lending. So, infusion of capital is aimed at encouraging banks to lend to create performing assets. Is that why Moody's said this move would make weaker lenders credit positive? Yes. How does a bank earn? The main earning has to come from interest. Other services are secondary. Only bigger banks are active in treasury while smaller banks have lesser capacity to exploit the treasury. Two years ago, when public sector banks were asked to declare their NPAs by the RBI, all the banks were in the red, and there was widespread panic saying the Indian banking sector was in a crisis. With recapitalisation, will they come out of the crisis? When a bank's capital got depleted, banks are wary of lending. With this, their earning capacity also came down. With additional capital, as I indicated earlier, banks can lend afresh, creating more performing assets and improve their situation. If you wanted to revive a unit, you needed additional funds and banks did not have the capacity to lend further. With capital infusion, banks will be in a position to evaluate the sick units again as to whether a unit is viable and can be revived. If such units are revived, we will see an improvement. When a unit turns around in a couple of years, the banks will start earning interest. In other words, banks can create wealth out of the same NPA. An account may be negative today, but it can start making profits and become a positive account for the bank tomorrow. Is recapitalisation the only solution to help the banking sector suffering under the burden of huge NPAs? Recapitalisation is one of the most important aspects of revival and it is the role of the government, and they have done their duty. This will have a positive impact on the banking sector. But this is not the only solution. What is needed to be done next is the resolution of stressed assets where additional capital is essential. The average NPA level in some banks had crossed 13% and when the capacity to lend improves, the NPA percentage also will come down. Then the earning capacity of the banks improves, they can also look at lending to new industries. The government spoke of the need to lend to the MSME sector and the maximum capital infusion is given to IDBI. Will that happen? Yes. Till now, banks have been quite stringent in lending to the MSME sector. When banks start lending to the small and medium units, it will have a huge impact on job creation. Banks like IDBI and ICICI were initially called development banks and they were created to look at big industries and lend for their capital investment. The commercial banks were there only to lend the working capital. Then, these development banks were allowed to become commercial banks and start commercial lending. Though the commercial banks were not created to lend to new projects, especially long-term infra projects as they didn't have the expertise, they were also allowed to lend to big projects as they had surplus of money. In hindsight, we can say that both were not adequately prepared. Now, everybody is expected to lend to the MSME sector to spread the risk. For the government, this sector is very important as the maximum job creation -- about 60% -- is from this sector and not from the large industries. When the performance of the banks improves, they can raise additional capital from the market. Till now, they were not able to go to the public for raising additional capital because their performance was bad. Banks can expect a double digit growth in credit as early as possible because single digit growth for a bank is very nominal. If the economy has to grow, rate of growth in credit should also improve. When that happens, banks will need more capital. The government cannot be infusing huge capital all the time. That is when banks will have to go to the market for raising additional equity. That can happen only if they improve their performance. So, the whole purpose of recapitalisation is to kickstart the entire process and hence a very positive and important move by the government. How much time will it take for the economic cycle to start again? The government plans to infuse capital by March. Because of this, banks can also present a better balance sheet in March. Then, they can start lending from April onwards. For the last 2, 3 years, banks were concentrating only on recovery and the culture of lending has gone down. All the banks that were in the recovery mode have to move to the lending mode. Today, if you go to a bank for borrowing money, they will not look at the proposal unless you have 100% collateral. Because of the previous bad experience, they are cautious. So, banks have to come out of this mindset and adapt the culture of lending once again. The mindset has to change from the top to the bottom. At the same time, skill sets needed to lend that are lacking in the middle and lower level, have to be built. I see fear of accountability in bankers. Politicians, bureaucrats and the media looked at bankers as the villain in the story, and they were unnecessarily haunted. Today bankers do not want to take risks as the good decisions taken by them were not protected. There is risk involved in all the decisions, like businessmen taking risks in their businesses. Also, a banker must have taken a decision when the economic condition was different, and you cannot question him on the basis of the present situation in hindsight. Naturally, this has affected the morale of the bankers, the lenders. It means recapitalisation alone is not enough for the economic cycle to kick-start. In my opinion, it will take at least a year for the whole process to settle down to show positive results. IMAGE: The Punjab National Bank branch where fraudulent transcations worth USD 1.77 bn were detected, in Mumbai. . Photograph: Shirish Shete/PTI Photo. Despite the rating agency CARE withdrawing the ratings assigned to the bank facilities of FIPL with immediate effect, Modis company received uninterrupted letters of undertaking from PNB, which were honoured by other banks until a few weeks ago. Banks led by Punjab National Bank ignored crucial warnings by CARE Ratings in February 2016 that Nirav Modis flagship company, Firestar International Private International, had a high leverage, large off-balance sheet exposure and limited customer and geographical spread. But, in a curious turn of events, on June 7, 2016, the rating agency said it had withdrawn the ratings assigned to the bank facilities of FIPL with immediate effect following the receipt of a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the banks. Modi is the prime accused in an alleged bank fraud of Rs 113.6 billion, revealed by PNB on Wednesday. Why these banks issued the NOC to withdraw ratings at a time when the company was going downhill needs to be investigated, an executive with the rating firm said, requesting not to be named. Despite this early warning, Modis company received uninterrupted letters of undertaking (LoUs) from PNB, which were honoured by other banks until a few weeks ago. According to data submitted by FIPL to the regulators, the company posted an operating income of Rs 41 billion and profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 990 million in the financial year ended March 2015. And for the first half of 2015-16, Modis company reported Rs 14.58 billion as income from operations and Rs 260 million PAT. It stopped issuing financial details thereafter. In a statement on February 1, 2016, CARE warned that FIPL had been operating on a stretched operating cycle till March 2015, which had led to working capital bank facilities being fully utilised at a time its operational performance was on a decline. The agency then downgraded the companys debt instruments worth Rs 24.6 billion. CARE also warned about Firestar Diamonds Ltd, a subsidiary based in Hong Kong, saying the company might not be able to repay its loans unless its parent company stepped in as a guarantor. It also issued a similar statement on Firestar Diamond International Pvt Ltd (FDIPL), another company set up by Modi in India. Interestingly, Modi and other Firestar group companies were guarantors to the facilities of each other and had assured banks that they would make good any shortfall in the debt servicing obligation of FIPL on demand. FIPL had extended similar corporate guarantees to the bankers of FDIPL for timely servicing of bank facilities, resulting in a cross-guarantee structure. In 2006, Modi set up FDIPL to focus on the groups jewellery exports business operations and establish manufacturing units in Surats special economic zone and in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Mumbai. In 2014, it also set up two retail outlets in Mumbai and Delhi to sell jewellery brands like Auctions and Nirav Modi Jewellery. According to the available data, FDIPL posted sales of Rs 15.61 billion with a PAT margin of just 3.91 per cent in 2014-15. In the first half of 2015-16, FDIPL posted revenues of Rs 7.40 billion. Jewellery industry sources said there were clear signs that the company was in financial distress and Modi was raising funds from every source possible. The company even toyed with the idea of raising funds via an initial public offer (IPO) in the middle of 2017 but the plan failed as its financial metrics deteriorated. Modis flagship firm, Firestone International Pvt Ltd, was incorporated in 1997 and was renamed FIPL on September 28, 2011. FIPL had two verticals: Studded jewellery, which formed 80 per cent of its revenues in 2014-15, and cut and polished diamonds. Dev Chatterjee People, not processes, responsible, say bankers The alleged fraud at Punjab National Bank has raised questions over the processes and systems in public sector banks, but bankers say there are a number of reasons why its always the PSBs that seem to be affected, whereas private and foreign banks seem to be the most efficient. To start with, the sheer size of the market the PSBs control makes them vulnerable to determined frauds. About 70 per cent of the banking system is controlled by PSBs, and by extension of that, most of the frauds get optically tilted towards these banks, say bankers. These banks are also present in every nook and corner of the country, and the people manning them may not be that sophisticated. Many works are still done manually in these banks and vulnerabilities creep in, they say. Besides, the quality of employees that PSBs attract these days is not always top grade, and the compensation paid to them is pittance. For example, a clerk in a PSB gets stuck at a monthly payment of Rs 20,000, whereas a probationary officer starts at Rs 30,000. Top quality people, therefore, are reluctant to choose banking as a career. Most of these people move to private sector banks, if at all, where the chances of rapid growth, albeit in a high pressure environment, are more. Earlier, banking was the only decent choice, now it is one of the last. The calibre of the staff we observe now is quite low, said a senior bank official of a public sector bank. PSBs are also severely understaffed, and this hinders proper training. The priorities of branches are very different than the priorities of the head office. It is a rule that we need to send everyone for a two-year training. But if I send one of my people manning the teller, my operation gets hampered severely for many days. Thus, effective training never happens, said the official. However, even if the training happens, it is not very serious and doesnt add much value. I was sent on a weeks training at a foreign location. It was more like a picnic, said the official. And then, there are issues around the quality of business that the banks seek in foreign offices. Since the Indian banks are not the dominant bank there, and the branch manager is in immense pressure, the bank does business with poor quality clients, often rejected by other established local banks. There is always a chance of a fraud or bad debt in such cases. Bankers also say it is the nature of the business of public sector banks that makes them susceptible to fraud. For example, private banks are retail focused, whereas public sector banks are corporate focused. The biggest banks in the country, such as State Bank of India, PNB, Bank of Baroda, and Bank of India, can afford to issue loans of hundreds of millions, but smaller private banks cannot take exposure in those assets because of limitations of their balance sheet size. Therefore, when there is a fraud or bad debt happening in these accounts, it is always large in size. There are also issues of underwriting practices, which varies from bank to bank. It is not right to paint all banks with the same brush. State Bank of India will never give the kind of loans that other banks in the system will be ready to give, said Pratip Chaudhury, former chairman of SBI. Banks vary in their culture as well. SBI has developed its culture, has better training facility, and better accountability, which many other banks lack, Chaudhury said, adding private banks also face frauds, and in cases such as PNB, if guarantee, which is a non-fund based exposure, is issued without even the system of the bank knowing it, it is quite difficult to prevent such a fraud. And therefore, more often than not, it is the people and not process that drives a bank and prevents malfeasance. But too much of tightening of the process would also hamper the smooth functioning of a bank. If the government has to enforce stricter controls saying that only certain people will have access to data would only make the process more cumbersome, said Deepak Bhawani, CEO, Alea Consulting, a fraud prevention consultancy firm. Anup Roy and Nikhat Hetavkar The company has been a part of the start-up ecosystem in a big way from early stages right up to when the companies start achieving full scale. Global technology giant Microsoft announced the launch of a $500 million programme that delivers access to technology, go-to-market and community benefits to help start-ups grow their customer and revenue base. We are committing $500 million over the next two years to offer joint sales engagements with start-ups, along with access to our technology, and new community spaces that promote collaboration across local and global ecosystems, the firm said. While the company did not give out any specific numbers for investments in India, Microsoft India managing director Anant Maheshwari told Business Standard that the company has been a part of the start-up ecosystem in a big way from early stages right up to when the companies start achieving full scale. We see start-ups and unicorns as customers. Its a focus area for us to do a lot of work with these companies in India as many of them are now reaching scales where they are looking for tech solutions beyond pure play infrastructure, said Maheshwari. He added that Microsofts accelerator in Bengaluru is amongst the most successful start-up accelerators across the country and it works with many different companies in the early stage of their development. Microsoft is deeply engaged with the developer community to provide capabilities and toolkits to create their offerings and products, he said. The Microsoft for Startups programme will provide startups with up to $120,000 in free Azure credits, enterprise grade technical support and development tools like supporting the languages of their choice, such as Node.js, Java and .NET. In addition, qualified startups will also get access to productivity and business applications, including Office 365 and Microsoft Dynamics 365. The programme will connect qualified startups with new customers and channel partners through over 40,000 Microsoft sales representatives and hundreds of thousands of partners, build on a cloud platform to connect them to existing and new Microsoft initiatives. The overall startup ecosystem in India is maturing. We are definitely serving them as they reach scale like a Flipkart, Ola or Paisabazaar. "But there is a very strong approach to serving them in the early stages, said Maheshwari. They are looking for AI enabled intelligent cloud and modern ways to collaborate with their workforce, he added. Among the most successful incubates of Microsofts accelerator programme in India is health and fitness startup HealthifyMe which recently secured $12 million Series B funding. Microsoft became the exclusive public cloud computing partner for Indian ecommerce giant Flipkart a year ago. Within months of this partnership Microsoft Corporation joined the likes of Tencent and eBay in investing around $1.4 billion in Flipkart which is the largest funding wins in recent times. In November, cab aggregator Ola announced their partnership with Microsoft Azure as the preferred cloud service provider for Olas connected car platform. Earlier in the week, financial advisory platform Paisabazaar announced a similar partnership with Microsoft to move their entire infrastructure to Microsoft Azure cloud services. The prestigious accelerator programme has so far incubated about 130 startups in India and over 750 startups globally. Microsoft also recently announced their partnership with Accenture Ventures to assist growth stage start-ups in the country. Microsoft is also part of NASSCOMs 10000 Startups toolkit alongside other tech companies like Amazon, IBM and Google in offering exclusive technology support. Photograph: Rickey Rogers/Reuters Considering that the Supreme Court has now included two, rather three, new variables to the Cauvery tribunals findings, it could imply that whenever the current order comes in for review, the two states could raise specific issues flowing from them, says N Sathiya Moorthy. Independent of what the Supreme Court has indicated is the last and final verdict, apportioning the disputed Cauvery waters, especially between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in quantum numbers, distress-sharing could still be a workable option, should the apex court consider reopening the case at a later date. In doing so, the court could also consider the carefully worked out final award of the Cauvery Water Tribunal, instituted by the Centre under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, which could form the basis for drawing up a ratio among the riparian states, including Kerala and Puducherry. If anything, the tribunal had used distress-sharing as the basis for its award, but presented its findings in quantum, and not in proportions, which alone could make sense if one were to provide for poor rainfall years, a reality in the case of the Cauvery waters. In reducing Tamil Nadus share by 14.5 tmc ft, from 192 to 177.25 tmc ft, on Friday, the Supreme Court Bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, however, upheld the legality of the two British Raj agreements (1892 and 1924) between the then Madras Presidency and the princely State of Mysore. By doing so, the apex court has reiterated the legitimacy of Tamil Nadus right to claim a share in the Cauvery waters. In doing so, the court has also ruled that Karnataka could not build new reservoirs on the Cauvery without clearance from the three lower riparian states, especially Tamil Nadu. Therein also is the veritable possibility for future disputes and even more prolonged court cases. This is because the Supreme Court has now fixed the life of the current order at 15 years. Considering that the Supreme Court has now included two, rather three, new variables to the tribunals findings, it could imply that whenever the current order comes in for review, the two states could raise specific issues flowing from these variables, though not acknowledged as such by the Supreme Court. Karnataka can thus claim years down the line, one review after another, through decades and centuries, that its requirements under the two new variable heads have changed and the states share could go up. At every turn, the state could contest the allocation for ground-water recharge, which the SC has now fixed at 10 tmcft, and for meeting Bengaluru citys drinking water requirements (4.75 tmc ft). In this case, the SC has upturned the tribunal findings that 70 per cent of urban Bengaluru fell outside of the Cauvery delta in those parts -- and thus diversion of the rivers waters for non-delta residents drinking water requirements was not on. From the Tamil Nadu side, the availability of 10 tmcft ground-water in the Cauvery delta areas, which the three-judge bench has included into the calculations of the final award of the tribunal, could become a variable. Tamil Nadu could then argue that there was little or no availability of ground-water at a distant time. Karnataka could then contest Tamil Nadus position, and it could well be a merry-go-round, all over again, later though not necessarily now, what with the apex court declaring that Fridays order was final as far as the current dispute is concerned. Just now, when political parties and farmer organisations in Tamil Nadu, including the state leadership of the ruling BJP at the Centre, are united in demanding more after the SC verdict, layman arguments also include how ground water re-charge requirements have been included in Karnatakas case while their state has been asked to extract the very same quantum for irrigation purposes. Citing the Supreme Courts observation that drinking water requirements should take priority, they also argue for similar requirements of both urban and rural centres along the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu, too, where again populations and their needs would only go up, not come down. There is then the possibility of green concerns pertaining to additional ground-water extraction. Experts, including local farm leaders, have for long argued how over-extraction of Cauvery waters along the delta in the state has already caused irreparable damage to the river eco-system. Court orders should have helped reverse the trend, if only to ensure that future generations do not suffer more than the present generation, it is said. It is another matter, farm leaders point out, that given that much of the delta in Tamil Nadu are clay-laden, re-charge even during heavy rains and cyclonic storms, leave aside the infrequent and inadequate flows released by Karnataka, would not seep down to re-charge the Cauvery aquifer in the state. At a time when the Madras high court has been coming down heavily on unscientific, illegal sand-mining across the state in a very big way, the SC order encouraging legalised extraction of additional ground-water where none may exist could set a bad precedent and arrest the mood and method of the judiciary as well -- or, so goes the argument. While the bench has ruled that there could be no more court cases on the matter, there is no knowing how it expected either the Centre to proceed in the matter if any or if all of the four riparian states refused to join the Cauvery Monitoring Authority (CMA), as upheld on Friday. Likewise, the verdict does not seem to have any prescription if Karnataka, as the upper-most riparian, declined to honour the days verdict (even if acceptable to Tamil Nadu, for arguments sake), especially in poor rainfall years. Then again the question arises, however technical, what recourse does Tamil Nadu have if either the Centre and more so Karnataka were not to honour the verdict, especially when the bench has already ruled that no more cases would be entertained. According to some experts, it could well boil down to Karnataka voluntarily releasing a higher quantum in high rainfall months/years and much less than the awarded quantities in poor rainfall years. The tribunal-fixed monthly water-quotas were aimed not only at protecting Tamil Nadus quantum but also guarantee that Karnataka did not release excess waters when the other did not have any need or storage space, and denied when the lower riparian too very badly needed it. If at the end of the day, the current dispute that originated 1974, at the end of the 50-year-long 1924 agreement, took so many decades to reach a purported state of judicial finality, how much time would a next review take to arrive at a conclusion, when one became needed just 15 years from now. In political terms from the Tamil Nadu side, the Supreme Court has acknowledged and criticised the BJP Centres innovative argument that Parliament, and not the judiciary, had the powers to set up the CMA. Considering that the assembly polls in Karnataka are due this year, there was a lot of heartburn in Tamil Nadu, when the Centre took the line before the SC in October 2016. The Centres sudden U-turn on this score was also among the issues that hurt the Tamil sentiments alongside the Supreme Court orders on Jallikattu ban and the consequent protests that shook the state and the nation without actually doing so, in January 2017. Coming as it does on the first day of his second year in office, the Supreme Court order has unsettled Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami of the AIADMK. For now, DMK Leader of the Opposition, M K Stalin, has urged him to call an all-party meeting, to which he has also urged the state government to invite farmer representatives. A fortnight back, when EPS requested a meeting with Karnatakas Congress counterpart, K Siddaramaiah, Stalin volunteered to join him. But Siddaramaiah would not meet EPS, claiming, of all things, that he had a tight schedule, owing to the ongoing legislature session. It may sound far-fetched, but no one should be surprised if an embattled EPS, still fencing off rebel T T V Dinakaran on the one hand, and disqualification cases and verdicts pending before the high court, decided to resign en masse and recommend the dissolution of the state assembly, if only to consolidate his hold over the party more than just now. In turn, this could well upset certain political calculations, including those of the BJP ruling the Centre, and star politicians, Rajinikanth and Kamalahassan, who still seem to be feeling the pulse of the cadres and voters alike before formally launching their separate political parties. In particular, Rajinikanth, a Maharashtrian from Karnataka with family and interests in that state, would now be hard-pressed to comment on the Supreme Court verdict. Likewise, the BJP may face some embarrassment ahead of the assembly polls in Karnataka, if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from the Congress decided to quit in protest -- even though in his initial reaction, he has welcomed Fridays verdict, under pressure from other parties and his own ministerial colleagues and party units. These are real and realistic issues, but then the judiciary cannot be expected to provide for them in their verdicts, whatever the political and law and order consequences they could trigger on the ground. Photograph: PTI Photo. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Director, Observer Research Foundation (Chennai Chapter). 'Our equations with China require engagement and not confrontation; its interfaces with Pakistan and with some other South Asian neighbours also add to the complexities,' says Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd). IMAGE: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a brief interaction with Chinese soldiers during her maiden visit to the Nathu La border post in Sikkim, October 9, 2017. Several recent developments have further highlighted the need for India to develop a holistic national security strategy. The first was the emergence of a new 'Quadrilateral' in this part of the world (referred to as the Indo-Pacific), comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia. Navies of these four countries had joined together in a two-day exercise at sea in 2007, after which the then UPA government decided to discontinue participation, mindful of Chinese sensitivities. A decade later came a meeting of officials of the four countries in Manila and even if the agenda was nothing dramatic, this grouping has now become formalised. There are also several other bi-laterals and tri-laterals in which India has a place, each of varying purpose and productivity. However, this piece is about a larger dimension in which India is, or may soon, be placed. Every US president puts out his vision of global security in a national security strategy and President Donald J Trump has articulated his own. This clearly identifies Russia and China as 'revisionist' and 'disruptive nations' which can harm American interests. This articulation has now been followed by its defence strategy, in which the US sees itself in competition with China and Russia in the Indo-Pacific. India is not mentioned specifically, but is clearly seen as one of the 'key countries in the region' with which America must work in synergy. The Trump NSS puts India in some quandary by describing India as an 'emerging global power' and, by implication, in partnership with it. While this may bring good cheer to most of our countrymen, we must analyse what this means for us. First, assigning this status to India makes it a power which, at least presently, it is not. Second, with Russia and China clearly identified as being hostile to US interests, the NSS formulation presumes that India is similarly affected. This is simply not true. Leaving aside economic parameters (our GDP is just one-fifth of China's and one-tenth that of the US), the trade relationship between India and the US is a pittance compared to what it is between that country and China. To expect that those two can enter into any serious military confrontation is simplistic. On the other hand, China is India's immediate neighbour, occupying large tracts of our territory, and the possibility of military conflict between the two, even if unlikely, cannot be ruled out. At another level, Russia, which is seen as adversarial in the US strategy, is India's friend of long standing and has been its main supplier of military hardware in which the lease of nuclear submarines and assistance in their indigenous production stand out. India also has strategic interests in Iran which, though considered a 'rogue' by Mr Trump, has energy resources and also offers access to Central Asia. In short, it is difficult to see how we fit in the US scheme as outlined in its latest NSS. Add to this our problems with terrorism. Thus, while the quadrilateral is of four countries with the unstated common goal of 'containing' China, the other scenarios are full of inconsistencies. For the US, China is clearly the challenger to its global supremacy and for India, the primary threat. This creates some kind of synergy, albeit a little far-fetched, as the Chinese do not constitute any territorial threat to the Americans. India cannot also match the economic importance of China to the US. So, elevation of India to global player status is largely semantic. It is possibly driven by President Trump's interest in India's defence purchases; with $15 billion of American military hardware already done, the figure could well reach $25 billion in the next five to six years. Wooing this market with platitudes is, therefore, logical. India is the largest and most militarily capable Indian Ocean power, so describing it as a partner also makes sense. Looked at from the US point of view, upgrading India is therefore understandable. The issues for India are different. While a healthy defence relationship with the US helps us in getting sophisticated military capabilities and this is a benefit of no small consequence, our equations with China require engagement and not confrontation; its interfaces with Pakistan and with some other South Asian neighbours also add to the complexities. The relationship with Russia, which the US sees in negative terms, is even more critical for reasons already highlighted; in recent years, this interface seems to have suffered somewhat even though the military relationship continues. To this should be added a somewhat disconcerting closeness in the Sino-Russian relationship in recent years. In the South China Sea, despite the recent gathering of ASEAN leaders in Delhi and their deliberations on maritime security, not all of those countries are as amenable to our positions in that region as they are to those of China, which is also their largest trading partner. To sum up, there are many uncertainties in the emerging world order which affect India's security, and in which management of our interests needs careful calibration. Are these scenarios essentially contrarian is a question that might well be asked. One is ostensibly structured to contain China in the Indo Pacific, which has its own logic, while the other has China as a major player, with which most global powers, especially the 'emerging' ones, must engage. For India, in particular, the Trump NSS poses questions which have not been faced so far. Integrating our long-proven relations with one friend with those being developed with a new one when those two themselves are at odds with each other is one dilemma; interacting with a potential adversary is another. There are other important countries, especially those in our immediate and near neighbourhoods, which impact our security concerns. How to play this chessboard and to respond with suitable capabilities is a challenge that the policy-makers face. Most major powers articulate strategies crafted to suit their needs but, until now, India has shied away from doing so. This may have prevented us from generating capabilities that would adequately safeguard our interests. It is time this inadequacy is rectified. Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd) is a former Director General Defence Planning Staff. He has also served in the National Security Advisory Board. 'Elections, my friends, are a boon for the Indian people.' 'That is the only time our high and mighty leaders are accessible to the masses.' 'So don't ruin that by agreeing to once-in-5-years elections,' argues A Ganesh Nadar. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com In a welfare State the government runs at a loss and the citizens are happy. Take the richest nation in the world. The United States of America has the largest debt in the world, but its citizens are happy. This was also the case in India, but in the last couple of years, for some strange reason, the government is determined to make a profit as citizens cringe in fear about what Prime Minister Narendra D Modi will come up with next, especially after that night of November 8, 2016. Just as then PM P V Narasimha Rao and his FM Manmohan Singh were credited as the architects of India's liberalisation when the truth is that we had no option but to do what the World Bank wanted, I am sure this idea of running a government for profit must also the brainwave of some Indian-American economist in the US of A. The only time the government abandons such thinking is when there are elections coming up. At election time, fuel prices are cut, we get continuous power, new roads and new trains. So imagine the horror if elections are held for all states and the Centre at one go, every five years, as this government is pushing for. That means politicians don't have to worry about what the public wants for five years. They can increase tax on fuel with impunity. Heck, they can increase the price of everything, tax us to death for four-and-a-half years and offer us some sops only in the last six months. Don't be fooled by the line that simultaneous elections are good. They are not good, not for the people at least. In fact, they are the citizen's death knell. I should know. I live in Tamil Nadu, where for every election -- to Parliament, to the assembly, to the panchayat -- we citizens get money to vote and also free fans, TVs, wet grinders, fans, mixies, slippers, spectacles, bags, books, free lunches in schools, 20 kilos of free rice, you name it. If something is not on this list, be sure we will get it at the next election. Given the bonanza constantly coming our way, do you we want to miss out on all this? If you want new roads, new trains, water, electricity, anything and everything, be no under no illusion, the government thinks of providing these things only when elections are due. Imagine what would happen if the elections were clubbed together, and happened only once in five years. There goes your free motorcycle, free cell phone, LCD TV... I am convinced that this retrograde step of simultaneous elections has been floated to make us vulnerable 90% of the time, to deny us our rightful due. We, India's citizens, must resist this move with all our power, and ensure that politicians, instead of enriching themselves and the government, make us happy. And for that we need elections regularly. We have the Lok Sabha election once in five years, which is fine. In the intervening 60 months, the 29 states and 7 Union territories can hold their assembly elections. And if you factor in panchayat elections in these provinces, then no month will be free from elections somewhere in the country. That will ensure that politicians are on their toes constantly, plying the people with what citizens need. You don't think politicians think of the people only at election time? If you watched Arun Jaitley present the Budget on February 1 you would have hear the finance minister mention women 30 times, farmers 15 times, jobs six times. Why? Because this year has a slew of elections and next year will be the mother of all elections. Women constitute half the population, farming is the biggest employer in India and jobless youth need to be assuaged ahead of the polls. Elections, my friends, are a boon for the Indian people. That is the only time our high and mighty leaders are accessible to the masses. So don't ruin that by agreeing to once-in-5-years elections. The Battle of Pratapgad can be termed the turning point in Indian history as it interrupted the continuous chain of Muslim successes on the battlefield. Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) remembers the Great Maratha Warrior King on his birth anniversary. We have a family tradition of hailing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj every time we step out on a journey. This is our small tribute to the legend to whom, Indian civilisation owes a debt of gratitude. Faced with a determined onslaught by the Mughal-Rajput combine in 17th century, India could well have met the fate of Persia. Like the Parsees, Indians would have been forced to flee the land of their ancestors to preserve their culture and civilisation. Between possible Islamisation of India and destruction of our civilisation stood Chhatrapati Shivaji and his valiant Marathas. Militarily speaking, the difficult terrain of Maharashtra was a major contributing factor (the advantage not available to Sikhs or Jats who also showed equal valour). But it needed the military genius of Shivaji to exploit this advantage and halt the Mughal empire's march to Peninsular India. On February 19, as we celebrate his birth anniversary, we will do well to remember his greatest battle -- the victory at Pratapgad. The classic example of Shivaji's approach to war and his doctrine of total war is the battle of Pratapgad. In this single decisive engagement, Shivaji destroyed the military foundations of the sultan of Bijapur. The subsequent survival of the sultanate of Bijapur owes more to the Maratha need to keep the Mughals engaged rather than any residual power of the Bijapur regime. In June-July 1659, Afzal Khan with a huge army numbering over 20,000, with 75 large and 300 to 400 small cannons, entered Shivaji's domain from the south. For four months Afzal Khan went on a rampage in the Maratha territory. He had come with the clear intention of taking Shivaji, dead or alive, to Bijapur. All this while, Shivaji continued to stay in Pratapgad which is located on the edge of a steep and jungle-clad river valley. Afzal Khan knew the area well and tried very hard to lure Shivaji into the plains. Contrary to the usually tolerant policy of Bijapur, Afjal Khan deliberately destroyed temples including the famous Durga shrine at Tuljapur (Shivaji's family deity). Afzal Khan had an unsavoury reputation of using deceit against his adversaries. After long negotiations, Shivaji convinced Afzal Khan that he was 'hiding' in Pratapgad as he was too scared to face the Bijapur army. Afzal Khan fell prey to the ruse and walked into Shivaji's trap. As the route to Pratapgad was through a narrow defile, most of Afzal Khan's heavy baggage and guns were left at Wai in the plains. But the army that continued with him was still formidable enough. However, it was further divided as there was inadequate camping space. On Shivaji's instructions, the villagers of the area had cleared small areas near the river Koyna to serve as ready camping sites. The camp sites were so located that they were out of sight of one another due to intervening spurs (see sketch below). Thus, by the time Khan reached Pratapgad, his huge army was already divided into four parts and he was looking forward to the prospect of an easy victory. Shivaji had no illusions about the fate that awaited him should he surrender and had planned beforehand to destroy the Bijapur army. To this end, days before the scheduled meeting of November 10, 1659, three divisions of his army, each numbering over 3,000, two-thirds of which was cavalry, led by Netaji Palkar, Kanhoji Jedhe and Baji Pasalkar, had hidden themselves in the jungles surrounding the invading army. As the Bijapur army advanced deep into the jungles, the Marathas blocked all escape routes by felling trees. On the night of November 9, Shivaji sent a generous supply of food and liquor for the enemy soldiers. Many of his soldiers in the disguise of entertainers had penetrated Khan's camp. During the night of November 9, the Bijapur army was busy celebrating their impending victory over Shivaji, prematurely as it turned out. In a meeting that took place in the afternoon, halfway up the hill to the fort, Shivaji -- a diminutive man -- risked personal combat with the tall and powerful Afzal Khan and killed him with his bare hands as per the plan. At the signal of a gunshot from the fort, the Maratha army swooped down on the Bijapur army. The Bijapur soldiers were taken totally by surprise and there was virtually no resistance. Only on reaching Wai, did Fazal Khan, Afzal's younger brother, realise the disaster that had befallen his army. Shivaji is said to have sent Afzal's severed head to his mother 40 km away in Rajgarh. This was his way to deal with a treacherous enemy who had imprisoned and humiliated his father. Afzal Khan's headless body lies buried near Pratapgad and Shivaji himself built a respectable tomb in honour of the fallen general. By severing Afzal Khan's head, Shivaji not merely killed an enemy general, but forever destroyed the myth of Muslim superiority in the battlefield. As time passed, the Marathas gave a taste of their fighting prowess to the mighty Mughal army. There arose a new myth, the seeming invincibility of the Marathas. The fear of the Marathas was later enhanced by the exploits of Maratha Generals Dhanaji Jadhav and Santaji Ghorpade against Aurangzeb when Maratha horsemen became legends. The decisive Battle of Pratapgad can be termed the turning point in Indian history as it interrupted the continuous chain of Muslim successes on the battlefield. Immediately after the Battle of Pratapgad, Shivaji launched a hot pursuit of the routed army and taking advantage of the disarray in the enemy camp, recovered the entire territory earlier captured by Afzal Khan. His strategy of exploitation of victory and relentless offensive action mark a major change from the earlier Indian approach to war that entailed priority for celebrations of victory over immediate pursuit of the enemy. Shivaji believed in the doctrine of 'total war' and never shirked away from achieving annihilation of the enemy. If he had to make compromises and truce, it was clearly due to the exigencies of the situation and not as matter of choice.,In this respect, Shivaji was a true revolutionary. Over a long period of peace, Indians had virtually accepted that wars were mainly 'limited' in aim. It is this notion that ensured a misplaced chivalry and lack of pursuit of victory made them lose every single war when faced with an enemy who was intent on 'total war'. As India faces multiple security challenges today, it is worthwhile to remember the valour of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian. Photograph: Kind courtesy Amit20081980/Wikimedia Commons 'If the volume of ceaseless chatter causes surprise, so does the boorishness of many mobile users.' 'The richer an Indian, the more s/he rates phones over politeness. It screams status,' notes Sunanda K Datta-Ray. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The terrible tragedy of a bus in North Bengal plunging into a canal, killing the driver and conductor (two brothers) as well as at least 40 passengers, makes one wonder whether man has become the slave of gadgets that were invented to serve him. Survivors blame the deaths on 'the driver continuously speaking over the mobile phone'. He held it 'in his right hand and the steering wheel in the left'. Time was when mobile penetration was the measure of a developing society's development. I recall reading China led the world in the number of mobiles per hundred persons. Not to be outdone, a Kerala writer boasted that toddy-tappers in his state were instructed by phone when they were up among the palm fronds on how many coconuts to pick. Since toddy-tappers are traditionally bare-bodied and use their arms and legs to grip the trunk, I wondered how they manage a mobile too. It must be as perilous for them as it was for the ill-fated people in that country bus in Bengal. Martin Kampchen, a German scholar who has spent more than 40 years among us, wrote a brilliant, incisive and erudite article in The Telegraph seven or eight months ago in which he said, 'After the introduction of television no other innovation in social life has changed the Indian behavioural pattern as drastically as the mobile and, lately, the smartphone.' The latter's photographic function is almost as great a nuisance as its connectivity. Selfies take priority as the crowds at Kolkata's Durga Puja or Delhi's Ram Lila click away with no flicker of devotional interest. Kampchen wittily traced Indias descent from 'The country is on the move' to 'The country is on the movie' to 'The country is on the mobile'. The wonder is that people have so much to say. Kampchen linked loquacity with joint families, the urge to be constantly in touch with the world and the determination 'never to be alone'. My half-Japanese, half-Parsee editor, N J Nanporia, who lived by himself in a gloomy colonial flat, used to say people couldn't understand that being alone wasn't necessarily being lonely. Not many even in this legendary land of hermits supposedly lost in contemplation of the hereafter have the internal reserves to dispense with company. A visit to the Kumbh Mela shows that godmen (surely a contradiction in terms?) are among the most gregarious of creatures. Sadhus thrive in companionable akharas where mobiles have modernised communication. If the volume of ceaseless chatter causes surprise, so does the boorishness of many mobile users. The cell phone didn't impose crudeness on my Chinese Singaporean colleagues. Never once did any of them answer his ringing phone while in company without a polite 'May I take this call please?' The richer an Indian, the more s/he rates phones over politeness. It screams status. A neighbour rang my bell the other day and when I opened the door stood there jabbering away on her mobile taking not the least notice of me holding the door open until her chatting was finished. No apology even then. Indians living abroad are no better. In London recently, my wife and I invited the highly-placed young son of a Kolkata friend to lunch as a courtesy to his parents. The young man spent the entire afternoon in the restaurant tapping his smartphone, only occasionally looking up to respond indifferently to any comment we made. Listing the drawbacks of unrestricted mobile use, Kampchen emphasised such social dissonances. That's because Europeans don't realise rudeness is not even recognised as an offence in the hierarchical India of godmen and quick fixes provided you aren't rude to someone who matters. Courtesy is reserved for superiors. But there are other perils. Scientists have warned of cell phones emitting radio-frequency energy that human tissues absorb. The bus carnage showed that criminal carelessness presents a greater danger. So many motorists and cyclists either clamp a mobile to one ear or jam it between cheek and shoulder that it's a wonder there aren't more road deaths. Cars with hands-free phones cause even more accidents in the West by lulling drivers into complacency. When Singapore banned mobiles while driving, it also rewarded members of the public for photographing violators. Kolkata is moving tentatively in that direction, but rules here only mean loopholes and more scope for bribery. Which is neither here nor there for the mother crying disconsolately: 'Why did you have to talk on your phone while driving?' The driver and conductor were her sons. 'The India-Canada relationship has suffered benign neglect. Its full potential has not yet been realised,' says Rup Narayan Das. IMAGE: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Baisakhi celebrations at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Photograph: Chris Wattie/Reuters Prime Minister D Narendra Modi will host his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in New Delhi on Saturday, February 17. Trudeau, Canada's second youngest prime minister, is the son of Pierre Trudeau, the distinguished late Canadian PM. Modi has already prepared ground for a productive outcome for Trudeau's visit. He visited Canada -- covering Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver -- in April 2015. This was the first standalone visit by an Indian prime minister to Canada in 42 years. Though then PM Dr Manmohan Singh visited Canada, it was to participate in the G-20 Summit in 2010. During his visit to Canada, Modi engaged and interacted with leaders across the political spectrum -- including Trudeau, then leader of the Liberal Party. India and Canada agreed to enhance bilateral relations into a strategic partnership. Following Trudeau's victory in October 2015, Modi spoke to him and sent a congratulatory letter. He invited him to visit India. Modi reiterated his invitation to Trudeau when he met him on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos last month. Although both Canada and India are two of the world's largest and oldest democracies that share values of liberalism, federalism and multiculturalism, the relationship between the two countries in past years has suffered benign neglect. Its full potential has not yet been realised. The presence of a sizeable Indian Diaspora and representation of Persons of Indian origin in Canadian legislatures -- both at the federal and union levels -- are like icing on the cake for the India-Canada relationship. The dynamic change in India's foreign policy after the end of the Cold War and assumption of power by the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre offers immense opportunities to both Canada and India to leverage their relationship for mutual benefit. It is worth recalling that in the first decades after Indian Independence, India and Canada were mutually supportive and effective collaborators, both bilaterally and globally. Although Canada is a liberal democracy and India opted for a socialistic pattern of society in the nascent years of Independence, the welfare model which the two countries have followed have much in common. In fact, there was a perceptible seamlessness between India's formulation of non-alignment and Canada's commitment to neutrality in international relations in spite of its membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. According to Arthur Rubinoff, an acknowledged authority on India-Canada relations, in the early years after Indian Independence, there was a fundamental convergence in the approach of New Delhi and Ottawa on issues such as membership of the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the situation in Asia. The two countries shared a convergence of perceptions on the need to enhance relations between Asia and the West, to promote multilateral organisations and to foster Third World development. Canada and India, as representatives of middle powers, have the potential to influence world affairs in a constructive manner. India is one of the most promising new emerging markets, identified by Canada as being of strategic importance. This decision by Canada was a consequence of the wide-ranging and sustained economic reform process initiated after the end of the cold war in 1991. Canadian companies enjoy increasing success in India in traditional areas of Canadian expertise such as power, communications and transportation and new areas like environmental technology and agro-processed items. The further opening up of the Indian economy and improvement in the ease of doing business will certainly facilitate two-way trade and investments. There is scope for bilateral partnership in urban transportation and smart city development which would leverage Canadian expertise in a number of relevant fields, including public-private partnership, intelligent transportation system, civil engineering and urban planning, water and wastewater management. Initiatives such as Make in India also offer good opportunities for Canadian companies to invest in India. Cooperation in the energy sector, particularly in nuclear energy, is yet very important aspect of the bilateral relations between the two countries. Although Canada was critical of India's nuclear tests, it supported the Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver to India. It is in this context that the two countries have signed the agreement between India's Department of Atomic Energy and Canada's Cameco for the long-term supply of uranium to India to meet its energy needs. In the larger context of global diplomacy, particularly in the Commonwealth, cooperation between Canada and India will not only benefit the two countries, but also help restore the esteem of the two countries in the eyes of the developing countries of the world. Modi and Trudeau are likely to meet again at the Commonwealth Summit in London in April. India should revive its leading role in the Commonwealth in tandem with Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other Afro-Asian countries. At a time when the Non-Aligned Movement has lost much of its sheen, the Commonwealth offers an opportunity to re-energise India's global footprint in terms of a developmental paradigm. Rup Narayan Das was a former senior fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The views expressed are personal. 'I don't believe in jumlebaazi.' 'Kahan hua hai sabka saath, sabka vikas?' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi addresses a rally in Agartala, February 15, 2018. Photograph: PTI Photo On a day when Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit A Shah held a Yuva Hunkar (youth power) rally in Haryana, the BJP MP from Kurukshetra raised a banner of revolt against the Manohar Lal Khattar-led state government. Raj Kumar Saini lashed out at his party-led government in Haryana for "bowing" before Jat leaders. Saini tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore that he is all set to form his own political party. Amit Shah's got a huge response. Why didn't you attend the rally? I saw many leaders present on the dais. But I am not sure how many people were in front of them. The ruling party always ensures that rallies of party bigwigs get a huge response. For this they spend unlimited resources. I did not attend the rally because the BJP has surrendered to Jat blackmail in Haryana. By hobnobbing with the people who are responsible for burning Haryana, our leaders have sidelined and demoralised many genuine leaders in the state. These protesters, who burnt public and government properties in the state, have terrorised them (pointing towards the loss of life and property during the Jat agitation in Haryana in 2016) and today these people (the Jat leaders) after becoming chief ministers for five times have still not resolved the problems of their community. Are you going to form your own party by quitting the BJP? Zaroor banayenge (most definitely). Are you planning to resign as the BJP's MP from Kurukshetra? Haan, haan, zaroor. Jab party float karoonga toh isteefa doonga (Yes, yes, I will resign from the party once I float my own party). Do you expect disciplinary action against you for this open rebellion? I have no objection if they were to take any action against me. It is the right of every political party to take such action. Let them take it. Why are you opposed to the reservation for Jats? I am not against reservations for anybody. What I am saying is there are so many flashpoint across India over the demand for reservation. At some places there are Jats, at others there are Patidars, Kapus, Gujjars, Marathas, etc. I am opposed to this kind of reservation. Sabko aarakshit kar do (Give reservations to everybody). Let nobody get a chance to partake of reservation meant for somebody else. I also want a system where one family should have only two children. One family, one employment, and making Parliament unicameral by abolishing the Rajya Sabha. IMAGE: BJP President Amit A Shah rides pillion with Haryana BJP President Subhash Barala during the party's Yuva Hunkar rally in Jind, February 15, 2018. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatter can also be seen riding a motorcycle. Barala's son Vikas is charged with alleged stalking and attempt to abduct Varnika Kundu. Photograph: PTI Photo Have you ever met Shah or Prime Minister Modi to seek redressal of your grievances? Only the weak complain. Hum kuch kar ke dikhayenge (I will show the BJP what I am made up of). What exactly do you plan to do? If the people of the state repose their faith in me and if I ever get an opportunity (to become Haryana's chief minister) then I will bring in 100 per cent reservations. I will bring ek parivar, ek rozgar (one family, one employment). Only one person from one family will get employment. Hum do, hamara do karoonga (Iwill ensure population control by implementing every family raises only two children). I will implement a policy for the benefit of labourers and farmers, double payment for farm labourers and give fair prices to farmers for their produce. Aren't these empty promises which most politicians dish out? These are not empty promises. These kinds of policies are what the nation needs today. This is not political bombast. We have been listening to such political promises from the Congress for 70 years. Now is the time to do something material for the people of Haryana. I don't believe in jumlebaazi (false promises). Kahan hua hai sabka saath, sabka vikas? (Where is this sabka saath, sabka vikas?) Give 100 per cent reservation, so there is no feeling of discrimination among India's Jats, Gujjars, Marathas, Patidars, Dalits, Hindus, Muslims or Christians. Are you not happy with the four years of the Modi government? I am happy with the thinking of people like Narendra D Modi. But you openly criticise his sabka saath, sabka vikas. I am opposing the people behind this thought that denied reservation for backward classes in the Supreme Court; of people who under pressure from certain sections of Haryana gave them a commitment of reservation and the result was the entire state was on fire. The bill for reservation for the Jats was passed in the Haryana assembly in opposition to Supreme Court and high court orders that such reservation is not Constitutional. Why is the (Haryana) government giving false commitments? Why were the people responsible for looting and arson during the Jat reservation agitation released without facing any charges? Why were the people who burnt Haryana allowed to go scot-free? Why wasn't the rule of law, and order, not followed? The teenager, Nikolas Cruz, accused of using a semi-automatic rifle to kill 17 people at a Florida high school did not appear to be a peaceful man on social media. He made quite clear his desire to perpetrate the exact type of violence of which he now stands accused. Charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, heres what we know about him so far. 1) White nationalist IMAGE: Nikolas Cruz appears in a police booking photo after being charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder following a Parkland school shooting, at Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photograph: Broward County Sheriff/Reuters The 19-year-old teenager, who allegedly committed one of the worst mass shootings in US history at a Parkland, Florida, high school on Wednesday, is part of a with a white nationalist group. The leader of a white nationalist militia called the Republic of Florida said Cruz was a member of his group and participated in exercises in Tallahassee. Jordan Jereb was quoted telling the Associated Press that he did not know Cruz personally and that he acted on his own behalf and is solely responsible for what he just did. The group wants Florida to become its own white ethno-state. Jereb said his organisation holds spontaneous random demonstrations and tries not to participate in the modern world. He also said Cruz had trouble with a girl and that he believed the timing of the attack, on Valentines Day, was not a coincidence. 2) Gun lover on social media IMAGE: Cruz's Instagrm page was littered with pictures of knives and gun. He was reported twice to the authorities for his disturbing social media posts where he also said that he wanted to kill law enforcement one day. The 19-year-olds social media is said to be littered with pictures of knives and guns. A number of images purportedly posted on his Instagram -- now suspended -- show a man holding a variety of weapons. The face was often hidden by a hat or balaclava. Cruzs disturbing behaviour also included several threatening comments under videos on YouTube and other sites. They include: I whana shoot people with my AR-15 I wanna die Fighting killing s**t ton of people I am going to kill law enforcement one day they go after the good people. In September, a YouTube user going by Nikolas Cruz posted a comment to a vloggers YouTube page, saying, Im going to be a professional school shooter. 3) How did he plan the attack? IMAGE: Ron Weinberg hugs his daughters, Alexis Weinberg and Emily Weinberg as they attend a candlelight memorial service for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Photograph: Joe Readle/Getty Images Cruz, who was expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for disciplinary reasons, had bought the semi-automatic rifle he used in the massacre legally. Cruz said that he shot students in the hallways and on the grounds of the school. Cruz said he brought more loaded magazines to the school and kept them in the backpack until he got on campus. IMAGE: The American flag above the White House is lowered to half staff following the shooting on Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images The gunman fired into five classrooms -- four on the first floor of the school and one on the second floor, Sheriff Scott Israel said. The shooting lasted for three minutes. When he was done firing, he went to the third floor and dropped his AR-15 rifle and the backpack containing the ammunition. He then ran out of the building and attempted to blend in with fleeing students. After the rampage, the suspect headed to a Wal-Mart and bought a drink at a Subway restaurant before walking to a McDonalds. He was taken into custody about 40 minutes after leaving the McDonalds, the sheriff said. A politically-connected business dynasty that moved to South Africa from India, the Gupta family finds itself at the centre of many of the scandals that have dogged now former president Jacob Zumas administration. A day after the ruling African National Congress ordered Zuma out of office, the Guptas prominent role in his presidency has drawn widespread attention. So who are the Guptas and how close are their links to Zuma? IMAGE: Police close off roads around the home of the Gupta family in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photograph: James Oatway/Reuters From Saharanpur to Johannesburg Back in 1993, brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh (also known as Tony) Gupta moved to South Africa from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. It is said their father Shiv Kumar Gupta had told them that Africa would become the next America of the world. Twenty years later, Africa might not have become the next America, but the Guptas built a sprawling empire -- Sahara Computers -- involved in computers, mining, media, technology and engineering. Ties to the Zuma family IMAGE: Jacob Zuma stepped down as South Africa's president on Wednesday after his party, the African National Congress, demanded his ouster. Zuma and the Gupta family have close ties, going back 10 years. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters Atul says they met South African President Jacob Zuma more than 10 years ago when he was a guest in one of Saharas annual functions. In fact, Zumas third wife Bongi Ngema and one of his daughters have also been in the employ of the Guptas. Zumas son Duduzane was a director of the Gupta-owned Sahara Computers, but stepped down in 2016 owing to public pressure. So close are the two families said to be that the South African media has quickly nicknamed the Indian expats as the 'Zuptas'. In March 2016, the perception that the Gupta family was wielding untold power over the government became widespread after Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas said -- on sworn affidavit -- that a member of the family had offered to promote him to the ministers post in 2015. Similarly, ANC MP Vytjie Mentor alleged that she was offered the key post of public enterprise minister during a meeting at their Saxonworld mansion in 2010. She said that Zuma was at the mansion when the offer was made, while the president says he has no memory of her at all. Interestingly, the Guptas are accused of not only influencing the hiring of ministers, but also firing those who have come in the way of their business interests. Tied up in knots IMAGE: The Sahara Computers headquarters, owned by the Gupta family, in Midrand, Johannesburg. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters Business under a shadow The Guptas were first mired in controversy in 2013 after it emerged that a family plane carrying wedding guests had landed at the Waterkloof Air Base near Pretoria -- a military base normally reserved for visiting heads of state and diplomatic delegations. The governing African National Congress concurred with the opposition Democratic Alliance that this was a blatant abuse of power. Atul Gupta, while insistent that the family had done nothing wrong, issued an apology. He added that his family was simply trying to give [our] daughter... a memorable wedding on South African soil. According to reports, Zuma, who was the guest of honour at the nuptials, had tacitly approved the decision. The Gupta business empire has been repeatedly accused of securing deals with South Africas giant state-owned companies on wildly favourable terms. In 2016, South Africas ethics watchdog published a report stating that the state-owned electricity monopoly had awarded a massive coal order to a then-Gupta linked business at well above market prices. And now comes the news that in the US, the FBI is looking at their business dealings in the country, while the Serious Frauds Office is doing the same in the UK. Will the band of brothers be able to ride this storm as well? Lori Alhadeff, who lost her 14-year-old daughter, asked how a gunman is allowed to enter schools and questioned what security was in place to stop it. IMAGE: Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attend a memorial following the shooting on Wednesday. Photograph: Thom Baur/Reuters President Trump, please do something! Do something. Action! We need it now! These kids need safety now! This is how a grieving mother, who lost her daughter in Wednesdays school shooting incident in Parkland, Florida reacted after the latest mass shooting in the United States that killed 17 people, mostly students. In his address to the nation, US President Donald Trump made no mention of the scourge of gun violence plaguing America and instead blamed the frequent such incidents on mental health issues. Trump did not mention the word gun or firearm even once. With tears rolling down her face, Lori Alhadeff screamed into a microphone and begged the US President to address the nations deadly gun epidemic that has taken the life of her daughter. Alhadeffs 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was one of 17 people killed during Wednesdays school shooting. IMAGE: Former Douglas student, Rachelle Borges sits near a candlelit cross during a vigil for victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images Alhadeffs grief was coupled with anger and a demand for answers. How do we allow a gunman to come into our childrens school? How do they get through security? What security is there? she yelled. The gunman -- a crazy person -- just walks right into the school, knocks down the window of my childs door and starts shooting. Shooting her! And killing her! She also spoke about the nightmare of burying a child. I just spent the last two hours putting [together] the burial arrangements for my daughters funeral, whos 14! The debate over gun control in America has been polarising and politicised, CNN reported. IMAGE: The shooting, which claimed the lives of 17 people, has once again sparked the debate on gun laws in the United States. Wednesday's shooting was reportedly the 18th shooting in the US since 2018. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Alhadeff challenged Trump to put a stop to the terror and heartbreak. President Trump, you say what can you do? You can stop the guns from getting into these childrens hands, she said. What can you do? You can do a lot! This is not fair to our families and our children [to] go to school and have to get killed! Nikolas Cruz, 19, an expelled former student armed with a powerful AR-15 assault rifle opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. IMAGE: A woman sheds tears as she attends a candlelight memorial service for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images In his address, Trump said that a school filled with innocent children and caring teachers became the scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil. No child, no teacher should ever be in danger in an American school. No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them good-bye in the morning, he said. Seeking to comfort Americas children, especially those who feel lost, alone, confused or even scared, Trump said he wants them to know that they are never alone. You have people who care about you, who love you and who will do anything at all to protect you. If you need help, turn to a teacher, a family member, a local police officer or a faith leader. Answer hate with love, answer cruelty with kindness, Trump, who has previously backed the powerful National Rifle Association, said. IMAGE: Several lawmakers have also called for a change in gun laws in the United States, but Trump insists that the problem isnt a guns situation and that the shooting signified a mental health problem at the highest level. Photograph: Carlos Garcia/Reuters He said that his administration is working closely with local authorities to investigate the shooting and learn everything they can. We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health, he said. Trump said he will be meeting with the governors and attorney generals of the country and discuss the issue. Making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority. It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference. We must actually make that difference, he added. IMAGE: A handwritten note to a lost friend is surrounded by candles and flowers at a candlelight vigil the day after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Photograph: Jonathan Drake/Reuters Early in his presidency, Trump, a Republican, approved the removal of an Obama-era regulation intended to prevent people with mental disabilities from buying guns. But as he has done in the recent past, on Trump answered cries for tighter restrictions on guns by emphasising the need for Americans to report the behaviour of mentally disturbed people to the authorities, The New York Times reported. So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behaviour, Trump said in a tweet before his address. Neighbours and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again! He delivered similar remarks in November, after a gunman with a military-style rifle mowed down more than two dozen worshippers in a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Trump said that the problem isnt a guns situation and that the shooting signified a mental health problem at the highest level. In October, after a gunman in Las Vegas killed 58 people and wounded hundreds in the deadliest mass shooting in US history, Trump called the assailant a very sick man and a demented person, the NYT recalled. The high-decibel campaign on Friday ended in Tripura where the Bharatiya Janata Party, an 'also-ran' till now in the north-eastern state, is making a determined bid to demolish the red bastion of 25 years, with stalwarts like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah leading the charge. Image: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar campaigns in his home turf ahead of Tripura assembly elections in Dhanpur. Photograph: PTI Photo The BJP has never been a major player in Tripura which hitherto saw a battle between Left Front and the Congress. But the Congress campaign has not been aggressive this time with party chief Rahul Gandhi addressing poll rallies only on the last day. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who is seeking fifth term from his home constituency of Dhanpur, even stated that the main contest is between the CPI-M and the BJP in the February 18 assembly polls for 60 seats. The BJP had bagged just 5.70 per cent votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 1.5 per cent votes in the 2013 assembly polls. Seeking to expand its imprint in the North-East, it has forged alliance with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura and hopes to benefit in 20 tribal seats. The BJP has already formed governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Modi sounded the party's poll bugle in Tripura with two rallies on February 8. He had asked the voters to throw away manik (the Manik Sarkar government) and go for HIRA (H for highways, I for Internet way, R for roadways and A for airways). He returned to campaign again in Tripura on Thursday, a day before the campaign ended at 4 pm on Friday. Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley had released vision document for Tripura. BJP President Amit Shah addressed many public rallies and organized roadshows. Firebrand Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath also sought votes for the party nominees. Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala. Photograph: PTI Photo After loss of its stronghold West Bengal, it would be interesting to see if red could protect its fort in Tripura. During teh campaign rally on January 31 in Agartala, CPI-M party General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri had said the victory horse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be stopped in Tripura. He had also claimed Tripura would be Waterloo for Modi. Though Brinda Karrat, former party secretary Prakash Karat, MP Muhammad Selim and West Bengal Left Front Convener Biman Bose chipped in but, Manik Sarkar was the star campaigner. Sarkar addressed at least 35 rallies for party candidates across the state. He also devoted considerable time on his own seat Dhanpur where he addressed 15 rallies. The Congress, a principal rival of Left Front all these years, is witnessing a serious challenge from BJP this time. Congress President Rahul Gandhi visited Tripura on the last day of the campaign with a rally at Kailashahar. The Congress president appealed to the people of Tripura to vote for the Congress, saying that unlike the BJP, his party does not make false promises. Gandhi said neither the CPI-M nor the BJP pay attention to development and the Congress is the only party which can deliver good governance. Image: Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses a gathering on the last day of campaigning at Ram Krishna college ground in Kailashahar, in Tripura. Photograph: PTI Photo The Congress had secured 36.53 per cent votes in the 2013 assembly polls and had 10 MLAs. But now it has only two. Six of them had switched over first to the Trinamool Congress and later to the BJP. One more MLA of the party joined the BJP recently while another one lost his seat to CPI-M in a bypoll. In the previous 2013 state poll, 50 seats were won by the Left Front led by the CPI-M. With campaigning ending on Friday evening, all eyes are now riveted on the voting on Sunday. A total 25,734,13 voters, male 13,05,375,female 12,68,027 and 11 of Third gender are eligible cast vote on February 18. There are 47,803 new voters in 2018 poll. There are a total of 307 candidates whose fate would be sealed in EVMs on February 18. State Election office said that there are 47 all women managed polling stations out of total 3214. Image: BJP president Amit Shah during his roadshow in Tripura. Photograph: PTI Photo In 2013, the CPI-M had polled 48.11 per cent of total votes. The BJP was a marginal player than getting only 1.54 per cent of the total votes. Out of a total of 60 seats in Tripura, 30 constituencies are general, 20 (Reserved ST) and 10 ( Reserved SC). The term of the 60-member assembly ends on March 14. There are 3,214 polling stations, which is a 5.6 per cent increase from the last Assembly elections held in 2013. Dhanpur constituency in Sipahijala district from where CM Manik Sarkar is in the fray is attracting special attention. The constituency, bordering Bangladesh, is the home turf of Sarkar. He is looking forward to his fifth straight victory from the seat in the February 18 polls. He is challenged by Congress' Laxmi Nag. The BJP has fielded its state general secretary Pratima Bhowmick from the seat. This is the second time Bhowmick is pitted against Sarkar. She had fought and lost the elections from this seat way back in 1998. Every Indian child is a "born politician" and knows how to get what he or she wants, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday as he advised students who are facing exams to focus on learning without fearing the result, compete with oneself and not others, and adopt a 'never give-up' attitude. Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during 'Pariksha Par Charcha' an interactive session with school and college students, at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo Citing his own experience, Modi said for him election outcomes were just a "by-product" as his main drive was to use all his time and energy for welfare of citizens. The remarks came during his interaction with students at the vent "Pareeksha pe charcha", ahead of the Class 10 and 12 board examinations, at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. The Prime Minister's Office had received thousands of questions from students across the country, ranging from stress and parental pressure to yoga and how to deal with competition. To a query on parents' expectation and pressure on children to perform well in the examinations, Modi, in a lighter vein, asked if he should pull up their parents. "You (students) want that today I should take a class of your parents?" he said. Modi said there were a number of parents who have also sent their queries regarding bringing about changes in their child's mentality to make him or her do well in life. "First thing is that we should not doubt the intention of our parents and try to understand them by giving them due respect. They spend their whole life for us," he said, while mentioning the various "sacrifices" the parents make for their children. "You should accept that the dream of parents is to see their children become something. And therefore, you (students) should not doubt their loyalty. And if you get to understand that they are doing this for your good, then the door of understanding opens," he said. Modi said problems arise when parents, whose dreams remained unfulfilled, "transplant" those wishes in their children. Advocating that students should be more open about communicating with parents, he said, "(students should) talk (specially) when parents are in good mood. "This is something the Indian children are not required to be taught. Every Indian child is a born politician," he said. In a joint family, Modi said, the children know how to get certain things, which their father won't approve. They get it done by taking the help of grandmother, elder brother, mother or sister. Drawing a parallel between board exams and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a student from Delhi asked whether Modi was fully prepared or nervous about the general elections next year. "I always believe that you keep on studying, keep learning and direct your whole focus towards learning... Sharpen your inner strengths as much as possible. One should move ahead keeping this as the dharma (religion) of the life. Results and marks should be the by product...I follow this theory in politics also," he said. The prime minister said he wanted to use all his "time", "energy" and "wisdom" for the welfare of all Indians. "Elections will come and go, they are just by-products," he added. "You have exams once in a year but we have them 24 hours. If we lose a municipality election in some corner of the country, then the breaking news is 'blow to Modi'," he said. Image: Every Indian child is a born politician, PM Modi tells students during 'Pariksha Par Charcha'. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo Referring to Jan Sangh, the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the precursor to the BJP, Modi said it was an example of the 'never-give up attitude' to excel in life. "When I was not in politics, there used to be party called Jan Sangh. 'Deepak' (lamp) used to be its symbol. It was such a poor party that it found difficult even to get 'deepak' painted on walls. They put up 103 candidates in Gujarat, of whom 99 lost their election deposit," he said. The prime minister said he remembered clearly that when the deposit of four candidates were returned, the party men celebrated it by distributing sweets. "This is the attitude that takes a person from that position (losing election deposit) to this position (BJP's victory in 2014 general elections). (Former prime minister) Atalji used to say 'haar naa maanooga' (will never give up). This should be the attitude of all the people," he said. Modi also asked the students not to think of him as the prime minister but as a friend and stressed on the importance of confidence and concentration in dealing with exam stress. "Today, I am a student and you are my examiner. You can give me marks out of 10 later. Don't think of me as the prime minister but as a friend," Modi said, responding to questions from the students gathered at the stadium as well as those who wrote in their queries and doubts. Students also asked questions through various television news channels, the Narendra Modi Mobile App, and the MyGov platform. In the course of the event which lasted about one-and-a-half hours, the prime minister took questions on a range of issues, including nervousness, anxiety, concentration, peer pressure, parents' expectations, and the role of teachers. He quoted Swami Vivekananda to invoke the importance of self-confidence, to deal with examination stress and anxiety. He also cited example of Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, who won a bronze medal in the ongoing Winter Olympic Games, just eleven months after suffering a life threatening injury. On issue of peer pressure, Modi highlighted the importance of "Anuspardha" (competing with oneself), rather than "Pratispardha" (competing with others). He said one should only try better what one has achieved earlier. Noting that every parent sacrifices for his or her child, the prime minister urged the parents not to make the achievements of their children a matter of social prestige, stressing that every child was blessed with unique talents. The prime minister explained the significance of both the Intellectual Quotient, and the Emotional Quotient, in the life of a student. On time management, the prime minister said that for students, one time-table or a schedule cannot be appropriate for the full year. It is essential to be flexible and make best use of one's time, he added. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday called for unity among the global Muslim community and asserted if they had been united, the United States would not have dared to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Image: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the religious leaders and scholars at an event in Hyderabad. Photograph: PTI Photo Rouhani, who is on a three-day visit to India, said people who think Islam is a religion of "violence and terrorism" are wrong in their assessment. He was addressing a Muslim congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, after offering Friday prayers. "If Muslims of the world were united, these countries would not have dared to torture Muslims of Palestine every day," he said, without naming any country. "Had Muslims been united, the USA would not have dared to announce Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," the Iranian leader said. In early December, US President Donald Trump announced he would break with decades of American policy and move his embassy to Jerusalem. The move stirred global condemnation and protests across the Palestinian territories and the Arab world. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most controversial issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his speech, Rouhani also referred to some of the shooting incidents in educational institutions in the USA, resulting in deaths of people. The latest one took place on February 14 in a Florida high school, where an expelled former student, armed with a powerful assault rifle, unleashed a hail of gunfire, killing 17 people and injuring 15 others. "Some people alleged that Islam is a religion of violence and terrorism. But they are wrong in their assessment of Islam. On the contrary violence is there in western societies. We see people killing other people in American colleges and schools," he added. Image: Rouhani being welcomed by Maulana Hafiz Osman Imam of Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. Photograph: PTI Photo The Iranian leader said Muslims have many sects but they should tolerate each other and respect other religions too. "Though there are many sects such as Shia and Sunni, Muslims should tolerate each other and respect all Muslims and other religions also," he said. According to him, Muslims should rise above sectarian differences and accept all sects of the community as one. Meanwhile, Iran has expressed willingness to share its vast oil and natural gas resources with India and simplify visa norms to strengthen bilateral ties. Rouhani said the current century belongs to Asia where New Delhi and Tehran have an important role to play. The Chabahar port in the Gulf country will open up the transit route for India to Iran and Afghanistan (bypassing Pakistan), Central Asian countries and Europe, he said. Under an agreement, India is to invest USD 85 million for equipping the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran. "Iran has abundant oil and natural gas resources and is willing to share them with India for its progress and prosperity of (its) people," he said.+ Image: Rouhani visits the Qutb Shahi tomb at Ibrahim Bagh. Photograph: PTI Photo The president said Iran is hopeful India will reciprocate by simplifying visa rules to enhance people-to-people contact. "Iran is willing to further simplify visa procedure (for Indians) and I am hopeful the Indian government, too, will look into it for better relations between the people of India and Iran." Earlier in the day, he visited the historic Qutub Shahi tombs complex in Hyderabad,. Built in the Iranian architecture style, these monuments are popularly known as seven tombs. Telangana government officials and Aga Khan Trust for Culture office-bearers briefed the leader on the architecture and significance of the over 400-year- old monuments. Rouhani began his three-day India visit from Hyderabad where he arrived on Thursday. This was his second visit to Hyderabad and the first after assuming charge as the president of Iran in 2013. Stunning photos have revealed incredible secrets of the underwater world, with the winners of the 2018 Underwater Photographer of the Year award announced. German photographer Tobias Friedrich has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018. More than 5,000 images were submitted this year by photographers from around the world. UPY was once again kind enough to share some of this years honourees with us below, with captions written by the photographers. (Click on the photos for high-resolution images) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday fired yet another salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over tainted businessmen Nirav Modi fleeing the country. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi posted, "The scamster's escape formula: La(Mo) + Ni(Mo) ---(with) Na(Mo)---> Bha(Go)", while using the hashtag "#ModiRobsIndia". The Congress chief had on Thursday alleged that the National Democratic Alliance government was looking the other way when billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi used his clout with the prime minister to slip out of the country and steal Rs 12,000 crore, drawing comparison with the case of liquor baron Vijay Mallya. "Guide to looting India by Nirav Modi--1. Hug PM Modi 2. Be seen with him in DAVOS. Use that clout to: A. Steal 12,000 crore B. Slip out of the country like Mallya, while the government looks the other way," Gandhi tweeted yesterday, using hashtag "#From1MODI2another". The Congress had targeted the government over the Rs 11,400-crore PNB scam allegedly involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi and accused it of doing nothing to stop "independent India's biggest bank fraud" despite being informed of it in July 2016. The opposition party had also raised questions on whether Nirav Modi had been tipped off following which he left the country. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCIndia/Twitter The three heavily-armed Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists who carried out the audacious attack on Sunjuwan military camp in Jammu had infiltrated into Kashmir from Pakistan in June last year, army sources said on Friday. According to preliminary investigation of the army, the three terrorists were hiding in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir for the past seven months and were looking at carrying out an attack. Six army personnel and a civilian were killed in the attack on the Sunjuwan military station on February 10. Three JeM terrorists, who carried out the strike, were killed during the gun battle with the army. The JeM terrorists who carried out the attack had crossed over to India from Pakistan in June last year when infiltration had gone up, the sources said. They said a detailed investigation is being carried into the Sunjuwan attack and the probe report will be examined by top echelon of the army. The sources said immediate steps are being taken to ensure that such attacks do not recur. The attack on the camp came days after four army men were killed in Pakistani firing in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. Army sources said full freedom has been given to local commanders of the army along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir to effectively retaliate any act of violence by Pakistani troops. Following the attack on the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman warned Pakistan saying the neighbouring country "will pay for its misadventure". 'India must close the missile technology gap with both China and Pakistan as early as possible, or else the credibility of India's nuclear deterrence will remain suspect,' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd). IMAGE: India tests its short-range nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-1. Though India is a reluctant nuclear power, nuclear deterrence will continue to play a crucial role in India's national security strategy over the next few decades. The current international trend is towards more modern, high quality nuclear forces, even though the present efforts of the US and Russia to reduce the number of warheads and missiles will continue. Both China and Pakistan are engaged in the upgradation of their nuclear warhead and delivery systems capabilities. With some nations and various terrorist groups expressing their nuclear ambitions openly and the possibility of a political-military meltdown in Pakistan, even though the probability is low, the proliferation of nuclear weapons around India remains a cause for concern. In line with the emerging trends, India too must endeavour to modernise its nuclear warheads and delivery systems and keep its option to test open -- if it ever becomes necessary in the future. In particular, India must close the missile technology gap with both China and Pakistan as early as possible, or else the credibility of India's nuclear deterrence will remain suspect. The recommendations made and the foreign policy imperatives mentioned below merit the government's attention. IMAGE: The 6,000 tonne INS Arihant, India's first indigenous nuclear submarine. Effectiveness of Delivery Systems India must step up efforts to acquire missiles with a range between 5,000 km and 10,000 km for better long-range deterrence against China. The Agni-5/Surya programme, which can benefit from the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), needs to be given high R&D priority. For a nation that has adopted a 'no first use' nuclear posture and is willing to absorb a nuclear strike that may cause large-scale destruction and cripple part of its nuclear forces, genuine deterrence can be provided only by a robust, infallible and potentially insuperable nuclear deterrent capability including SSBNs armed with nuclear-tipped SLBMs. It is imperative for India to make all efforts to acquire and operationalise its SSBNs as early as possible. While the INS Arihant was reported to have been inducted in October 2016, the INS Aridhaman is expected to be launched. Together, these two SSBNs will substantively enhance the quality of India's deterrence. Till such time as SSBNs enter service with the Indian Navy, a small number of surface combat ships in both the Eastern and the Western naval fleets must be equipped with nuclear-tipped missiles to add to the uncertainties of the direction of launch that an adversary must consider. IMAGE: The Agni-5 missile can deliver a nuclear bomb anywhere in China. Testing of Warheads and Missiles As India has conducted only six nuclear tests, the country's nuclear warhead designs are based on only a small database. Hence, despite the availability of sophisticated computer simulation and modelling techniques for improved warhead design, India must retain the option to carry out further nuclear tests as and when it is considered technically necessary by nuclear scientists and is politically feasible to do so. Therefore, signing the CTBT is not a viable policy option for India in the near future. However, as a responsible nuclear power, India must continue to honour all the provisions of the CTBT. Similarly, India's IRBMs have been inducted into service after only a limited number of flight tests. Additional tests of the Agni series of missiles should continue -- both to inspire confidence among the users manning these missiles as well as to enhance the credibility of India's nuclear deterrence by showcasing their technological maturity and accuracy of delivery. Indian diplomacy must endeavour to add value to credible deterrence through appropriate interventions in international fora. IMAGE: 'This is the picture of ground zero where the thermo-nuclear device was detonated in May 1998 in Pokharan. No crater was found at all! This picture tells the story that we have to do more homework. Indeed, we have to do more honest homework,' said K Santhanam, a former Defence Research and Development Organisation scientist dramatically holding the picture in his hand at a 2009 press conference. You can read more from that press conference here. Technological Developments The deployment of effective BMD systems to defend value targets and provide point defence to important installations will considerably enhance the quality of India's deterrence. Endeavours must continue to acquire this capability ex-import as well as through indigenous R&D as early as possible. However, actual deployment should be subject to whether China and Pakistan opt for BMD systems. In view of the MIRV developments in China, India's research programme on MIRV technologies has been correctly made public. However, the deployment of MIRV warheads on India's IRBMs must be undertaken only with due caution so as not to spur an arms race in Asia. India is faced with a continuing nuclear warhead and missile technology nexus between China and Pakistan. As no nation can go it alone in an endeavour as complex as nuclear deterrence, it is in India's interest to seek out strategic partners who might stand by New Delhi diplomatically and, where possible, by providing technological support that does not violate treaty obligations. Comprehensive Plan for Nuclear Signalling In view of the doubts raised over India's nuclear tests of May 1998, tangible measures need to be adopted by way of signalling to enhance the credibility of India's nuclear deterrence. Similarly, nuclear signalling must be conducted to convince India's adversaries about the resolve of the political leadership to order a 'massive retaliation'. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and his delegation meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his team on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, September 5, 2017. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Non-Proliferation Measures and Treaty Obligations New nuclear weapons States, especially those in India's neighbourhood such as Iran, are not in India's national interest. India should therefore cooperate with the international community in furthering non-proliferation efforts even while remaining outside the NPT. India must continue to make efforts to enhance nuclear CBMs and NRRMs with Pakistan so as to reduce the risk of accidental and inadvertent nuclear detonations. Despite China's stubborn refusal to accept India as a State with nuclear weapons, India must extend these efforts to negotiating similar CBMs and NRRMs with China as well. It is not in India's interest to sign the CTBT at present as it is important to keep the option for further nuclear testing open for political purposes, even though it may not be critical to test again in the near future for technological reasons. India should consider joining the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) only after sufficient fissile material has been stockpiled for producing the number of warheads considered adequate for credible minimum deterrence. However, India should continue to support the FMCT and participate in the negotiations which are likely to go on for five to ten years or more. For counter-proliferation efforts to succeed, international support is needed for the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) and the Container Security Initiative (CSI) launched by the US. India should join these initiatives as an equal partner after ensuring that Indian interests are safeguarded. IMAGE: India's surface-to-surface missile, the Prithvi, at a Republic Day Parade. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/Reuters India's nuclear deterrence policy should work in parallel along twin tracks: Continue to enhance the quality of India's nuclear deterrence and preparedness while simultaneously working towards the ultimate goal of achieving total nuclear disarmament in as early a time frame as possible. Total nuclear disarmament is in India's national interest as it will eliminate the risk of nuclear war and also provide a level playing field. India must strive to achieve this goal through vigorous diplomacy by mobilising all its strategic partners and friends in the United Nations. This should be an important foreign policy objective. The political leadership and the senior bureaucracy must be regularly briefed and sensitised about the complexities of nuclear deterrence so that they can make realistic assessments of military options during crises. Short familiarisation capsules should be conducted regularly by HQ Strategic Forces Command for members of Parliament and mid- and senior- level bureaucrats. Civil defence and rescue and relief measures to deal with the deaths, casualties, damage to materials and the radioactive fallout that a nuclear explosion could cause, if deterrence fails, need to be streamlined. The raising of additional nuclear disaster relief battalions beyond the four units that have been raised so far needs to be considered. Military equipment should be hardened against disruption by the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that is generated by nuclear explosions. In fact, as a counter measure, it would be beneficial to undertake research and development of equipment that can generate non-nuclear EMP. Part 2: How India can leash nuclear monsters in our neighbourhood Excerpted from Gurmeet Kanwal's Sharpening the Arsenal: India's Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy, HarperCollins Publishers India, 2017, with the author's kind permission. Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. This is a synthesized video of former President Obama convincingly lip-syncing existing audio thanks to the magic of modern technology. In one of the creator's own words while I never believe anybody I ever see on the internet or television again: Given audio of President Barack Obama, we synthesize a high quality video of him speaking with accurate lip sync, composited into a target video clip. Trained on many hours of his weekly address footage, a recurrent neural network learns the mapping from raw audio features to mouth shapes. Given the mouth shape at each time instant, we synthesize high quality mouth texture, and composite it with proper 3D pose matching to change what he appears to be saying in a target video to match the input audio track We sure have come a long way, haven't we? What's even real anymore? How do we know we're not just holographic projections anyways? You ever think of that? Maybe we really are just holographic Pokemon cards after all. "We're not all holographic Pokemon cards." Open your eyes, sheeple! "Shuppets." What? "A Shuppet is an actual puppet Pokemon, number 353." Get out of here, nerd! Keep going for the video. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Peggy meeting Prince Charles LIFELONG Brownie Peggy Calland received her most prestigious badge to date after being honoured at Buckingham Palace. The 81-year-old was given an MBE for services to the community in recognition of her dedication to the 63rd Rotherham Thorpe Hesley Brownies and Guides troupe, which she founded in 1965. Grandmother-of-five Peggy was named in last year's Queen's birthday honours list and last Thursday picked up the award. The Prince of Wales, who hosted the ceremony honouring deserving people from across the country, decorated Peggy with her MBE (pictured). Peggy said: "It was a lovely day, I really enjoyed it. "It's difficult to remember what Prince Charles said to me. It was all a bit of a whirlwind." Peggy said she set up the group after moving to Thorpe Hesley in 1960 from Grenoside, adding: "The vicar wanted something for girls as he had just started a choir for the boys." Watching on at the palace were proud offspring Christine Harris (55), Martin Calland (53) and Julie Calland (50), who treated their mum to dinner at The Ritz afterwards. Julie fondly remembers growing up and watching her dedicated mum invest her time in the group, which she and Christine were also part of. Julie added: "She still goes down now and helps the group out, even if it's just making the tea." Sue Milnes, commissioner for Girlguiding Rotherham division, said: "We are delighted Peggy has received this recognition for her 50 years service as a girlguiding volunteer at Thorpe Hesley." THE Prince of Wales met young people this morning at Dearne Fire Station who have turned their lives around with help from his charity, The Princes Trust. His Royal Highness visited Dearne Community Fire Station in Manvers Way where his trust is partnering with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to deliver its team programme to young people. The scheme is a 12-week course that aims to build the confidence and employability skills of unemployed young people. Prince Charles took part in a discussion group with former course members and watched a role play scenario carried out by youngsters and fire station staff. Clare Crabb, north regional director at The Princes Trust, said: The trust works hard to help young people reach their potential and we have plans to reach even more. We are delighted that HRH The Prince of Wales visited Dearne Community Fire Station and heard first-hand from young people whose lives have been transformed by the support theyve received through the team programme. PRINCE Charles will visit Dalton today to reignite a furnace that has stood still for more than two years. The Prince of Wales visit is set to mark a major milestone in the revival of Britains steel industry when he reignites the iconic N-Furnace at Liberty Speciality Steels this afternoon. He will also visit Dearne Community Fire Station in Manvers Way to find out how the fire service is working with The Prince's Trust to deliver programmes to young people. The restart of the electric arc furnace, which was mothballed by previous owners Tata in 2015 at the height of the steel crisis, is part of a multi-million-pound investment by the Liberty House Group that is creating 300 new jobs across its Rotherham and Stocksbridge plant. The 800,000-tonne-a-year furnace, which turns scrap metal into specialised steels for uses such as vehicle gearboxes or aircraft landing gear, will now play a pivotal role in Libertys Greensteel strategy, which is designed to create a cleaner era for the industry in the UK. His Royal Highness will meet executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta, staff and industrial cadets from Bradfield School and Rotherham College whom the company supports to develop their knowledge and experience of industry. The switch-on of N-Furnace, the larger of the sites two electric arc furnaces, marks the culmination of five months engineering work by a team of 35 people to repair and upgrade the equipment. It will triple Libertys capacity to melt scrap into liquid steel at Rotherham, making the company the largest steel recycler in the UK, with a capability to melt over 1.2m tonnes a year. Restarting N-Furnace will enable the plant to double production on its adjacent bar mill to over 400,000 tonnes a year. After reigniting the furnace, the Prince will move on to the adjacent Aldwarke General Office at the plant, which has just been renovated and re-opened as the new HQ for Liberty Steel UK, after being empty for years. Amy with her award and champagne A DEDICATED young solicitor who has helped Rotherham child abuse survivors access justice has been given a prestigious award for her achievements. Amy Clowrey (27), who was hailed as an "inspiration", said she was stunned to be named Rising Star of the Year at an industry award ceremony after joining Switalskis Solicitors 18 months ago. Amy, of Kimberworth, beat off four other nominees at the Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Awards in London. The former Thomas Rotherham College student said: I never thought I would win - it was a big surprise. Her proud dad Tony unknowingly inspired her to get into the profession, she said, revealing: I was quite argumentative as a child and my dad used to tell me Id make a good lawyer. The Wakefield-based firm works with victims of child sexual exploitation throughout the UK and has been central in representing Rotherham survivors. Amy said knowing the abuse happened in her beloved hometown made her angry but she had channelled that into her work. I came to Switalskis because I was very keen to get involved in its work, she added. Amy said that when she was studying at Huddersfield University she had become interested in family law, but after undertaking a month-long work placement she realised it was not for her. Her focus shifted to personal injury and she said her goal now was to continue trying to make a difference in the child abuse sector. She added: I would rather these crimes didnt happen in the world, but somebody needs to be there to represent the victims. Switalskis nominated Amy, who qualified as a solicitor in 2014, for her commitment to the legal profession in her day-to-day practice and activities outside of work. Amy was described as having a real impact on CSE survivors and was also commended for her work as part of a campaign to change drink-drive laws. Over the past year, she has co-ordinated the Whitlams Law campaign which aims to make drink-driving laws apply to vehicles being driven on private, not just public roads. The campaign was forged after Switalskis represented Pamela Whitlam, whose 11-year-old son Harry was killed on private land by a reversing slurry trailer, of which the driver was three-times over the legal alcohol limit. Due to Amys efforts, the Minister for Transport will be reviewing the current law when he meets her in the autumn. Switalskis managing director, John Durkan said: We are delighted to see the hard work of Switalskis Rising Star Amy Clowrey acknowledged at these awards. Her drive and client-focused approach is an inspiration to us all. A BURGLAR has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting carrying out the offence in the Moorgate area of Rotherham. David Allen (26), of Stradbroke Road in Sheffield, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday (14 February). He was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for one year, 80 hours unpaid work and a six week curfew from 8pm until 7am. The offence was committed in January. Investigating officer DS Sam Blakemore said: This result is thanks to the hard work of our officers and our ongoing commitment to tackling burglary. ALROSA has summed up the results of international auction for the sale of special size rough diamonds over 10.8 carats at the International Diamond Week in Israel (IDWI). The company sold 105 gemstones with a total weight of 1,665 carats. The overall revenue from sales amounted to USD $13.7 million. "More than 100 companies from different geographical trade and manufacturing centers took part in the auction, 39 companies were recognized as winners, most of them from Israel. The auction has completed with good results. We saw a significant premium to starting price", - Yury Okoemov, Deputy CEO of ALROSA, commented on the results of the auction. Russian laws stipulate that special size rough diamonds over 10.8 carats can be sold only at auctions. In 2018, ALROSA plans to hold five more auctions in Ramat Gan (Israel). Facing slowing global demand for diamond jewelry, diamond companies from around the world are reshaping marketing campaigns to tap a growing pool of independent female spenders in China, the world's second-largest economy, as per a Reuter's report. Chinese and international players such as Tiffany & Co, De Beers, and the Diamond Producers Association are increasing their marketing budgets by as much as 50 percent globally. The aim is to promote diamonds as a way for women to express themselves rather than tie the gems to traditional marketing notions of marriage. In China, which is the fastest growing market, this is a particular focus. The challenge for diamond companies is to stay relevant at a time when spending on experiences and activities - like travel -is gaining favor and many younger consumers are shunning traditional notions of marriage. The DPA, which represents miners such as Rio Tinto and Alrosa, has more than quadrupled its global marketing budget over the past two years and is planning to spend $70 mn in 2018, up nearly six-fold from $12 mn in 2016. Individual jewellery companies in China too are taking steps to woo self purchasing women through Ad. campaigns. Alan Chan, deputy general manager at Chow Tai Fook in Hong Kong said, "We see a growing trend of the self-use market by women. There are more working ladies who are financially independent and have their own income. Instead of buying one every few years, now it can be a few times in a year." Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Several different immigrant reform proposals failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday after the White House threatened to veto the plan that seemed to have the best chance to pass. The Senate voted 54 to 45 to limit debate on a bipartisan amendment, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move forward. Eight Republicans joined with most Democrats in voting to advance the measure, but most GOP Senators voted against the proposal. The amendment included a pathway to citizenship for young illegal immigrants brought to the country as children as well as $25 billion in funding for border security. However, the administration harshly criticized a provision directing the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants who arrive in the country after June 30, 2018. A statement from White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed the provision would produce a flood of new illegal immigration in the coming months. "The Amendment would undermine the safety and security of American families and impede economic growth for American workers," Sanders said. She added, "If the President were presented with an enrolled bill that includes the Amendment, his advisors would recommend that he veto it." The veto threat from the White House came on the heels of a statement from the Department of Homeland Security condemning the proposal. "By halting immigration enforcement for all aliens who will arrive before June 2018, it ignores the lessons of 9/11 and significantly increases the risk of crime and terrorism," the DHS said. The DHS also called the amendment an "egregious violation" of the four pillars of a framework laid out by President Donald Trump. An amendment introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., that closely mirrored Trump's plan also failed to clear the procedural hurdle by a vote of 39 to 60. The Grassley proposal included the pathway to citizenship for the young immigrants known as Dreamers and the $25 billion in border security funding but also limited family-based immigration and reallocates the Diversity Visa lottery. Votes on the bipartisan amendment and the Grassley proposal were preceded by votes on a narrower plan from Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chris Coons, D-Del., and a sanctuary cities measure from Senator Pat Toomey, R-Penn. However, all of the measures failed to receive the necessary 60 votes, raising questions about the future of immigration reform. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Former President Barack Obama on Thursday made a strong plea for legislative action on gun control, saying it's "long overdue." "We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job," Obama said on Twitter after an expelled South Florida high school teenager returned to campus and opened fire with an assault rifle Wednesday. Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder for killing 17 people, including students, at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. "Until we can honestly say that we're doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change," Obama tweeted. Although curbing gun violence has been his priority as President, Obama failed to get Congress to pass gun legislation. After the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Obama gave a tearful speech and later described the moment as the "worst day of his presidency." But in an address to the nation from the White House on Thursday, his Republican successor steered clear of any discussion of gun laws. Advocates cautioned against making assumptions about the links between mental issues and violence after President Donald Trump said the suspect in the mass shooting was "mentally disturbed." Having faced grilling from several Democrats Thursday following the shooting, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will speak to the President and the Cabinet about gun violence. Florida Governor Rick Scott expressed openness to imposing additional restrictions on guns in his state. America is going through unprecedented levels of gun violence. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that on an average day, 96 Americans are killed with guns. On average there are nearly 13,000 gun homicides a year in the U.S., according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence. America's gun homicide rate is more than 25 times the average of other high-income countries. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Ending weeks of speculation, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney officially announced Friday that he is running for Senate in Utah. Romney indicated in a video announcing his campaign that he would seek to bring Utah's values and lessons to Washington. "Utah is a better model for Washington than Washington is for Utah," Romney says in the video, noting that the state has balanced its budget and imports more than it exports. In what was seen as a jab at President Donald Trump, Romney also said, "Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion." Romney has been a vocal critic of Trump but is expected to tone down his rhetoric during the campaign to avoid alienating Utah voters who support the president. A former Massachusetts Governor, Romney is running to replace Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who announced his retirement in early January. "I'm thrilled Mitt has decided to run," Hatch said in a post on Twitter. "His talent and drive as a public servant will ensure Utah maintains a strong seat at the table." Trump had reportedly pushed Hatch to run for re-election amid concerns about Romney taking over his Senate seat. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News FirstEnergy Corp. (FE) Thursday said its Allegheny Energy Supply subsidiary has notified PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization, of its plan to deactivate the coal-fired Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island, West Virginia. The company said the 1,300-megawatt plant will be sold or closed on January 1, 2019. The plant deactivation is subject to PJM's review for reliability impacts, if any. The decision to deactivate the plant impacts about 190 employees. Affected employees may be eligible to receive severance benefits. FirstEnergy subsidiary Mon Power filed a plan in March 2017 seeking regulatory approval to acquire the Pleasants Power Station. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected the proposal on January 12, 2018. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia approved the sale subject to a number of significant conditions. Those conditions, combined with the FERC rejection, make the proposed transfer unworkable. "Closing Pleasants is a very difficult choice because of the talented employees dedicated to reliable operation of the station and the communities who have supported the facility for many years. But the recent federal and West Virginia decisions leave FirstEnergy no reasonable option but to expeditiously move forward with deactivation of the plant," said Charles Jones, FirstEnergy president and chief executive officer. "We will continue to pursue opportunities to sell the plant while planning for deactivation." For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Report: Army wages attacks on Saudi enemys gatherings in Thursday [16/February/2018] SANAA, Feb. 16 (Saba) The army and popular forces have waged military offensive and artillery shelling on Saudi army and its mercenaries gatherings in several fronts on Thursday, military officials told Saba on Friday. Saudi aggression media admitted the killing of 12 of its soldiers in clashes with the army and popular forces in border fronts line. In Jizan border province, artillery shelling targeted Saudi soldiers gatherings in front of Qais mountain, Jarah valley, Ramadha site and Qamer village, killing and wounding dozens. Also in Jizan, Saudi-paid mercenaries gatherings and fortifications shelled by artillery in Habrah site, while five Saudi soldiers were sniped in Qamer village. In the border province of Asir, gatherings of mercenaries were targeted by artillery shells in front of Alab crossing. In Saudi border province of Najran, dozens of Saudi soldiers and mercenaries were killed and injured by an offensive operation in their sites of Shabakah. Also in Najran, another offensive operation was carried out on Saudi armys sites in Talah, causing of the deaths and injuries of dozens. Furthermore, Artillery force of the army and committees shelled gatherings of Saudi soldiers in Talat-rejla and several sites in Shurfah and Shabakah. In Akhdud site of Najran, katyusha rockets were fired toward soldiers gatherings. In Taiz province, a large-scale offensive operation was waged on mercenaries sites in Dhabab district, inflicted the enemy heavy causalities. Dozens of mercenaries were killed and wounded by artillery shells targeted their gatherings in the west of Moazea junction of Taiz. Also in Moaza district, gatherings and military vehicles of Saudi-paid mercenaries were shelled in the north of Khaled camp, while their fortifications in Han mountain and Rosi hill of Dhabab were shelled , causing direct causalities. In Yemen province of Jawf, mercenaries gatherings were targeted by artillery in Utemah area of Khub-washaaf district. Also in Khub-washaaf district, dozens of mercenaries were killed when two of their military vehicles were bombed in Sabrin front, capturing the others. In Marib province, two of Saudi-paid mercenaries were gunned down in Najed front of Serwah district, while their gatherings were shelled by missiles in Mas camp. In Hajjah province, artillery force of the army and popular committees shelled gatherings of Saudi-paid mercenaries in northern Medi desert. Writing by Sameera al-Mahdi, Editing by ZAk . Saba TORONTO, Feb. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YAMANA GOLD INC. (TSX:YRI) (NYSE:AUY) (Yamana or the Company) declares a first quarter 2018 dividend of $0.005 per share. Shareholders of record at the close of business on March 29, 2018 will be entitled to receive payment of this dividend on April 13, 2018. The dividend is an eligible dividend for Canadian tax purposes. About Yamana Yamana is a Canadian-based gold producer with significant gold production, gold development stage properties, exploration properties, and land positions throughout the Americas including Canada, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Yamana plans to continue to build on this base through existing operating mine expansions, throughput increases and optimization initiatives, development of new mines, the advancement of its exploration properties and, at times, by targeting other gold consolidation opportunities with a primary focus in the Americas. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Investor Relations and Corporate Communications 416-815-0220 1-888-809-0925 Email: investor@yamana.com (All amounts are expressed in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.) MONTREAL, Quebec, Feb. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEMAFO Inc. (TSX:SMF) (OMX:SMF) today announced positive pre-feasibility study (PFS) results at Mana, the addition of 188,000 ounces of reserves, primarily at Siou underground, and an increase of 203,000 ounces of reserves at Boungou. As a result, the Corporation is providing the following consolidated five-year operational targets. Table 1 - Five-Year Operational Targets 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2019-2023 Average Production1,2,3 Mana (000 oz) 192 213 213 213 214 209 Boungou (000 oz) 226 226 201 186 180 204 418 439 414 399 394 413 AISC1,2,4,5 Mana ($/oz) 906 1,079 887 823 660 871 Boungou ($/oz) 419 405 527 606 626 516 643 733 712 721 643 696 Operating Cash Flow (at $1,300/oz) Total Revenue ($M) 543 571 539 518 512 2,683 AISC ($M) 268 321 295 287 253 1,424 275 250 244 231 259 1,259 1 Mana results are based on the Mana PFS by Micon International Ltd., presented in Appendix 3. 2 Boungou results are based on the updated mine plan presented in Appendix 4. 3 Assumption: Mineral reserves were estimated using a gold price of $1,200/ oz. 4 All-in sustaining cost is a non-IFRS financial performance measure with no standard definition under IFRS and represents the total cash cost, plus sustainable capital expenditures and stripping costs per ounce. 5 The Mana AISC in the PFS has been updated for this analysis. The costs in the PFS are comparable to current costs except for the US/Euro exchange rate, which has fallen ~10%. Roughly 75% of the AISC is based on CFA, which is linked to the Euro. The AISC has therefore been increased by 10% for the 75% of the cost base. Highlights of Mana Pre-feasibility Study Siou underground reserves stand at 3,035,000 tonnes at 5.29 g/t Au for 515,800 ounces Siou open-pit reserves stand at 1,579,000 tonnes at 3.57 g/t Au for 181,200 ounces Mana added 188,000 ounces of reserves before depletion, mainly from Siou underground Mana annual production will average over 200,000 ounces between 2019 and 2023 at an all-in sustaining cost of $810 per ounce at a gold price of $1,200 Pre-production capital expenditure of $51.7 million, to be financed with existing cash Underground operations eliminate the need to mine 62 million tonnes of open pit waste Mineral reserves at Mana stand at 18.2 million tonnes at a grade of 2.92 g/t Au for 1,710,300 ounces at year-end 2017 based on a gold price of $1,200 per ounce Mana Pre-feasibility Study The Mana PFS provides a revised mine plan for all of Mana, including the Wona-Kona open pit, Siou open pit and Siou underground (see Appendix 3). An updated mineral reserves and resources statement for Mana is provided in Appendix 1. The PFS investigated the potential for extracting the deeper zone of the Siou deposit using underground mining operations, mainly long-hole stoping. Access to the operations will be through a single portal and a 5.5- by 5.5-meter ramp at a 14-gradient slope. The location of the portal will allow mining in the northern part of the Siou pit to continue uninterrupted. The ultimate size of the underground mining operation will be more than 600 meters along strike by 200 meters deep. Figure 1 illustrates the underground mining layout for the Siou mine. To view Figure 1 - Underground mining layout for the Siou mine click here: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2357d3e5-87a2-4dbc-9bd4-b105d3b03ac1 The PFS is based on a 2,000-tpd operation using contractor mining with discussions already ongoing with potential contractors. The underground mining costs are estimated at $70 per tonne milled. The 18-month development period is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2018. Table 2 provides an overview of the major milestones for development of Siou underground. To view Table 2 -Timeline for Development of Siou Underground, click here: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a1214c37-5f2f-49c6-8912-25c625afa09e The mineral reserves and resources were estimated as at December 31, 2017 in accordance with the definitions adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum and incorporated into National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). The PFS for the Mana Mine was carried out by an in-house team whose work was reviewed by qualified persons from Micon International Ltd. Micon International Ltd. has reviewed this press release for accuracy and compliance with NI 43-101. Further details will be presented in a NI 43-101 compliant report to be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of the date of this press release. Boungou Reserves & Resources Update The 2017 infill drill program at Boungou added 203,000 ounces of reserves and 201,000 ounces of measured and indicated resources. The additional reserves have been pit-constrained at a $1,200 gold price and are included in the updated reserves and resources statement in Appendix 2. As at December 31, 2017, mineral reserves at Boungou stood at 11.2 million tonnes at 4.11 g/t Au for 1.5 million ounces of gold. The additional reserves support an average production profile of over 200,000 ounces per year between 2019 and 2023 at an average AISC of $516 per ounce. The updated Boungou mine plan is presented in Appendix 4. An internal trade-off study was conducted on the West Flank in order to determine whether open pit or underground was the optimal mining approach. Open-pit mining provided better returns compared to an underground mining method. The remaining underground resources are included in the measured and indicated category, but are not included in the mine plan. Given the open-pit option, no pre-feasibility study is necessary. The mineral reserves and resources were estimated as at December 31, 2017 in accordance with the definitions adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum and incorporated into National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). Mineral reserves and resources estimates for the Boungou Mine were carried out by an in-house team under the direction of Michel Crevier P.Geo MScA, Vice-President, Exploration and Mine Geology and SEMAFOs Qualified Person. Conference Call The Corporation will hold a conference call on Friday, February 16 to discuss the pre-feasibility results for Siou underground and the multi-year plan. Interested parties are invited to join the call and webcast at 8 a.m. EST. Tel. local & overseas: +1 (647) 788 4922 Tel. North America: 1 (877) 223 4471 Webcast: www.semafo.com Replay number: 1 (800) 585 8367 or 1 (416) 621 4642 Replay pass code: 8085779 Replay expiration: March 15, 2018 About SEMAFO SEMAFO is a Canadian-based mining company with gold production and exploration activities in West Africa. The Corporation operates the Mana Mine in Burkina Faso, which includes the high-grade satellite deposit of Siou, and is targeting production start-up of the Boungou Mine in the third quarter of 2018. SEMAFOs strategic focus is to maximize shareholder value by effectively managing its existing assets as well as pursuing organic and strategic growth opportunities. CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and accordingly, actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are hence cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include words or expressions such as targets, assumptions, will, assumes, estimated, milestones, expected and other similar words or expressions. Factors that could cause future results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include the ability to meet our consolidated five-year operational targets, the ability to meet Mana annual production to average over 200,000 ounces between 2019 and 2023 at an all-in-sustaining cost of $810 per ounce at a gold price of $1,200, the ability to be in line with all assumptions contained in the PFS, the ability to meet all milestones for the development of Siou underground, the ability to execute on our strategic focus, fluctuation in the price of currencies, gold or operating costs, mining industry risks, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral reserves and resources, delays, political and social stability in Africa (including our ability to maintain or renew licenses and permits) and other risks described in SEMAFOs documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. You can find further information with respect to these and other risks in SEMAFOs 2016 Annual MD&A, as updated in SEMAFOs 2017 First Quarter MD&A, 2017 Second Quarter MD&A and 2017 Third Quarter MD&A, and other filings made with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. These documents are also available on our website at www.semafo.com. SEMAFO disclaims any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of SEMAFO under the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. This information was publicly communicated on February 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. For more information, contact SEMAFO John Jentz Vice-President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Email: John.Jentz@semafo.com Ruth Hanna Analyst, Investor Relations Email: Ruth.Hanna@semafo.com Tel. local & overseas: +1 (514) 744 4408 North America Toll-Free: 1 (888) 744 4408 Website: www.semafo.com Appendix 1 - 2017 Reserves and Resources Mana, Burkina Faso1,2,3 DEPOSITS DECEMBER 31, 2017 PROVEN RESERVES PROBABLE RESERVES TOTAL RESERVES Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 MANA1.2.3 WONA-KONA 6,062,000 2.33 453,500 6,280,000 2.22 448,900 12,342,000 2.27 902,400 NYAFE 265,000 5.81 49,600 6,000 3.96 700 271,000 5.77 50,300 FOFINA 33,000 4.66 4,900 3,000 3.94 300 36,000 4.49 5,200 SIOU OP 1,400,000 3.78 170,200 179,000 1.92 11,000 1,579,000 3.57 181,200 SIOU UG 1,047,000 5.10 171,600 1,988,000 5.38 344,200 3,035,000 5.29 515,800 YAMA - - - 651,000 1.75 36,600 651,000 1.75 36,600 ROMPAD 317,000 1,84 18,800 - - - 317,000 1.84 18,800 TOTAL 9,124,000 2.96 868,600 9,107,000 2.88 841,700 18,231,000 2.92 1,710,300 DEPOSITS DECEMBER 31, 2017 MEASURED INDICATED TOTAL RESOURCES Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 MANA1.2.3 WONA-KONA 1,331,000 2.05 87,800 21,623,000 2.55 1,775,600 22,954,000 2.52 1,863,400 NYAFE 286,000 3.94 36,300 223,000 5.97 42,700 509,000 4.83 79,000 FOFINA 293,000 4.25 40,000 253,000 4.45 36,100 546,000 4.34 76,100 YAHO 5,738,000 0.91 168,500 11,636,000 0.88 330,800 17,374,000 0.89 499,300 FILON 67 26,000 2.72 2,300 9,000 3.59 1,000 35,000 2.93 3,300 FOBIRI 469,000 1.80 27,100 114,000 1.52 5,600 583,000 1.74 32,700 SIOU OP 67,000 0.63 1,400 56,000 0.65 1,200 123,000 0.66 2,600 SIOU UG 513,000 3.23 53,200 787,000 3.25 82,300 1,300,000 3.24 135,500 YAMA - - - 99,000 1.56 4,900 99,000 1.54 4,900 TOTAL 8,723,000 1.49 416,600 34,800,000 2.04 2,280,200 43,523,000 1.93 2,696,800 DEPOSITS DECEMBER 31, 2017 INFERRED Tonnage Grade (g/t Au) Ounces4 MANA1.2.3 WONA-KONA 3,466,000 2.96 329,600 NYAFE 151,000 5.87 28,400 FOFINA 67,000 4.20 9,100 YAHO 223,000 0.78 5,600 FILON 67 6,000 6.32 1,100 FOBIRI 578,000 1.39 25,800 MAOULA 2,628,000 1.62 137,100 SIOU 2,093,000 3.86 259,900 YAMA 58,000 1.33 2,500 TOTAL 9,270,000 2.68 799,100 1 The Corporation indirectly owns 90% of SEMAFO Burkina Faso S.A. which directly holds the interest in the Mana Mine reserves and resources. 2 Mineral reserves and resources were estimated using a gold price of $1,200 and $1,400 per ounce, respectively. 3 All mineral resources reported are exclusive of mineral reserves. 4 Rounding of numbers of tonnes and ounces may present slight differences in the figures. Appendix 2 - Consolidated Reserves and Resources PROPERTY Mana1.2.4.5.6 Tapoa1.2.4.5.6 Yactibo1.3.4.5.7 Total (Boungou Mine) (Nabanga Project) MINERAL RESERVES Proven Tonnes 9,124,000 1,584,000 - 10,708,000 Grade (g/t Au) 2.96 6.45 - 3.48 Ounces 868,600 329,000 - 1,197,600 Probable Tonnes 9,107,000 9,611,000 - 18,718,000 Grade (g/t Au) 2.88 3.72 - 3.31 Ounces 841,700 1,150,000 - 1,991,700 TOTAL MINERAL RESERVES Tonnes 18,231,000 11,195,000 - 29,426,000 Grade (g/t Au) 2.92 4.11 - 3.37 Ounces 1,710,300 1,479,000 - 3,189,300 MINERAL RESOURCES (exclusive of reserves) Measured Tonnes 8,723,000 62,000 - 8,785,000 Grade (g/t Au) 1.49 1.86 - 1.49 Ounces 416,600 4,000 - 420,600 Indicated Tonnes 34,800,000 4,768,000 - 39,568,000 Grade (g/t Au) 2.04 2.66 - 2.11 Ounces 2,280,200 408,000 - 2,688,200 TOTAL M&I Tonnes 43,523,000 4,830,000 - 48,353,000 Grade (g/t Au) 1.93 2.65 - 2.00 Ounces 2,696,800 412,000 - 3,108,800 Inferred Tonnes 9,270,000 855,000 1,840,000 11,965,000 Grade (g/t Au) 2.68 2.08 10.00 3.76 Ounces 799,100 57,000 590,000 1,446,100 1 The Corporation indirectly owns a 100% interest in all of its permits. except for the permits held by SEMAFO Burkina Faso S.A. and SEMAFO Boungou S.A., respectively, in which the Government of Burkina Faso holds a 10% interest. 2 Mineral reserves and resources at Mana and at Tapoa (Boungou Mine) were estimated using a gold price of $1,200 and $1,400 per ounce. respectively. 3 Mineral resources at Yactibo Permit Group (Nabanga project) were reported above a 5.0 g/t Au cut-off grade. 4 Rounding of numbers of tonnes and ounces may present slight differences in the figures. 5 All mineral resources reported are exclusive of mineral reserves. 6 As of December 31. 2017. 7 As of June 30. 2015. Appendix 3 - Mana Consolidated Life of Mine Plan 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 TOTAL LOM SIOU UG Ore processed (t) - 65,000 654,000 704,000 704,000 705,000 204,000 - 3,036,000 Head grade (g/t) - 5.23 5.61 4.97 5.34 5.35 4.92 - 5.29 Recovery (%) 96% 96% 96% 96% 96% 96% 96% - 96% Gold recovered (oz) - 10,531 113,206 107,953 116,055 116,450 31,041 - 495,237 Cash operating cost per tonne ($/t) 1 - 22 106 93 93 81 79 - 90 SIOU Waste (t) 12,835,000 15,205,000 - - - - - - 28,040,000 Ore processed (t) 711,000 867,000 - - - - - - 1,578,000 Head grade (g/t) 3.5 3.63 - - - - - - 3.57 Recovery (%) 96% 96% - - - - - - 96% Gold recovered (oz) 76,734 97,212 - - - - - - 173,945 Cash operating cost per tonne ($/t) 1 70 68 - - - - - - 69 WONA Waste (t) 21,126,000 22,566,000 32,189,000 19,822,000 16,602,000 8,050,000 3,203,000 6,286,000 129,844,000 Ore processed (t) 1,411,000 1,277,000 1,646,000 1,683,000 1,683,000 1,698,000 1,337,000 1,606,000 12,341,000 Head grade (g/t) 2.31 2.53 2.31 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.35 1.97 2.27 Recovery (%) 81% 81% 81% 81% 81% 81% 81% 81% 81% Gold recovered (oz) 85,050 84,047 99,234 105,305 96,553 97,418 81,786 82,371 731,764 Cash operating cost per tonne ($/t) 1 60 66 70 52 47 35 30 33 49 Other (Nyafe + Yama + Rompad + Fofina) Gold recovered (oz) 19,694 - - - - - 52,378 - 72,073 MANA CONSOLIDATED Waste (t) 34,066,000 37,771,000 32,189,000 19,822,000 16,602,000 8,050,000 14,772,000 6,286,000 169,558,000 Ore processed (t) 2,475,000 2,209,000 2,300,000 2,387,000 2,387,000 2,403,000 2,463,000 1,606,000 18,230,000 Head grade (g/t) 2.62 3.04 3.25 3.16 3.13 3.12 2.78 1.97 2.92 Recovery (%) 87% 89% 88% 88% 89% 89% 75% 81% 86% Total Gold recovered (oz) 181,478 191,790 212,441 213,258 212,608 213,868 165,205 82,371 1,473,019 Cash operating cost per tonne ($/t) 1 63 65 80 64 61 49 41 33 58 Sustaining capital ($) 10,319,000 8,000,000 18,523,000 13,016,000 7,000,000 3,000,000 3,000,000 - 62,858,000 All-in sustaining cost ($/oz) 2 968 843 1,004 825 766 614 685 702 809 Initial capital expenditure - Siou UG 14,496,000 37,175,000 - - - - - - 51,671,000 Gold @ 1,200/oz Revenues - Gold sales 217,773,000 230,148,000 254,929,000 255,910,000 255,130,000 256,641,000 198,246,000 98,845,000 1,767,622,000 Total all-in sustaining expense ($) 175,684,000 161,695,000 213,341,000 175,916,000 162,905,000 131,251,000 113,224,000 57,791,000 1,191,807,000 Operating cash-flow ($) 42,089,000 68,453,000 41,588,000 79,994,000 92,225,000 125,390,000 85,022,000 41,054,000 575,815,000 1 Cash operating cost per tonne is a non-IFRS financial performance measure with no standard definition under IFRS and is calculated using total operating costs related to tonnes processed (which includes capitalized stripping activities) over tonnes processed. 2 All-in sustaining cost is a non-IFRS financial performance measure with no standard definition under IFRS and represents the total mining operation expenses (which includes capitalized stripping activities), plus sustainable capital expenditures. English French Nanterre (France), February 16, 2018 FULL-YEAR 2017 RESULTS STRONG PERFORMANCE IN 2017 WITH OPERATING MARGIN AT 7% OF SALES IN H2 2018 GUIDANCE AHEAD OF ROADMAP RECORD ORDER INTAKE AT 62BN, UP 9BN ACCELERATION OF INNOVATION STRATEGY PROPOSED DIVIDEND OF 1.10 PER SHARE, UP 22% YEAR-ON-YEAR in m 2016 2017 Change Sales* 15,613.6 16,962.2 +10.6%** Operating income 970.2 1,170.3 +20.6% as % of sales 6.2% 6.9% +70bps Net income from continued operations 532.5 714.5 +34.2% Recurring net cash flow 332.5 435.3 +30.9% Net debt at the end of the period 341.5 451.5 +32.2% * Value-added sales ** On an organic basis All definitions are explained at the end of this Press Release, under the section "Definitions of terms used in this document" STRONG PERFORMANCE IN 2017 WITH OPERATING MARGIN AT 7% OF SALES IN H2 Strong organic* sales growth of 10.6%, 830bps above worldwide automotive production growth (+2.3%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018), to 17.0 billion Operating income up 20.6% to 1,170.3 million, representing 6.9% of sales (+70bps yoy); in H2, operating income rose by 21.6% to 7.0% of sales Net income from continued operations up 34.2% to 714.5 million Recurring net cash flow up 30.9% to 435.3 million Solid financial structure with net debt at 0.2x EBITDA at year-end 2018 GUIDANCE AHEAD OF ROADMAP FY 2018 sales growth of at least +7% (at constant currencies) i.e. at least 500bps above worldwide automotive production growth (+2.0%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018) leading to 2016-2018 CAGR of more than 8% and 2016-2018 average outperformance of more than 600bps (ahead of initial ambitions of +6% and 400bps) FY 2018 operating margin above 7.0% of sales (ahead of initial ambition of 7.0%) FY 2018 net cash flow above 500 million (confirming initial ambition) FY 2018 earnings per share of 5.00 (confirming initial ambition) RECORD ORDER INTAKE Three-year rolling order intake (2015-2017) of 62 billion, up 9 billion vs. 2014-2016 Patrick KOLLER, CEO of Faurecia declared: "Our 2017 performance confirmed our ability to enhance value creation through profitable growth and deliver on targets whilst continuing to invest in our innovation strategy. Our order intake is at a record high and our financial structure is sound. We remain strongly focused on operational excellence and accelerating the transformation of Faurecia into an innovative "Tech company". I thank all "Faurecians" for their contribution to this excellent year." The 2017 consolidated financial statements have been approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on February 15, 2018, under the chairmanship of Michel de Rosen. These financial statements have been audited. As previously announced, since January 1, 2017, Faurecia reports only value-added sales, which are total sales less monolith sales (a table in appendix details the reconciliation between total sales and value-added sales). Upon application of accounting rule IFRS 5, the assets and liabilities sold as well as net income (loss) from discontinued operations have been isolated in distinct lines in the consolidated balance sheet and in the income statement. The impact of IFRS 5 application concerns only the Automotive Exteriors which was sold on July 29, 2016 and for which the final arbitration took place in October 2017. GROUP OPERATING PERFORMANCE IN H2 2017: ORGANIC SALES UP 12.8% AND OPERATING INCOME UP 22% TO 7.0% OF SALES (+80bps) Faurecia's value-added sales reached 8,378 million in H2 2017, up 8.9% on a reported basis and up 12.8% on an organic basis, 1,150bps above worldwide automotive production growth (+1.3%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018) All Business Groups posted solid organic growth of more than 9% (Interiors posted the highest organic growth at +20.5%) All regions significantly outperformed local automotive production growth, including North America that posted a 1.1% organic growth despite regional automotive production dropped by 7.3% year-on-year Faurecia's operating income grew by 21.6% to 584 million; profitability rose by 80bps, to 7.0% of value-added sales All Business Groups posted double-digit increase in operating income All regions posted strong increase in operating income GROUP OPERATING PERFORMANCE IN FY 2017: ORGANIC SALES UP 10.6% AND OPERATING INCOME UP 21% TO 6.9% OF SALES (+70bps) Faurecia's value-added sales reached 16,962 million in 2017, up 8.6% on a reported basis and up 10.6% on an organic basis, 830bps above worldwide automotive production growth (+2.3%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018) All Business Groups posted solid organic growth of more than 8% (Interiors posted the highest organic growth at +14.8%) All regions significantly outperformed local automotive production growth, including North America that posted a 5.6% organic growth despite regional automotive production dropped by 4.0% year-on-year By customer, the most remarkable developments came from Ford (+18% organic), PSA (+17% organic), FCA (+42% organic), Cummins for commercial vehicles (+39% organic), Volvo (+47% organic) and Chinese OEMs (+71% organic) Change in scope had a net negative effect of 117 million (-0.8%), due to the divestment of the Fountain Inn (USA) plant that occurred in H1 2016. Change in currencies had a net negative effect of 191 million (-1.2%). By semester, it was a positive effect of 109 million in H1 and a negative effect of 300 million in H2. Faurecia's operating income grew by 20.6% to 1,170 million; profitability rose by 70bps, to 6.9% of value-added sales All Business Groups posted double-digit increase in operating income All regions posted strong increase in operating income; in Europe and Asia, operating income grew by 20% and 10% respectively while South America confirmed its return to profitability, with a significant upswing of 35 million in operating profit SALES AND PROFITABILITY BY REGION Europe (50% of Group sales): Record sales and profitability Sales up 8.2% on an organic basis and operating income up 20%, at 6.2% of sales Value-added sales totaled 8,500.4 million in 2017, compared to 7,906.6 million in 2016. They were up 7.5% on a reported basis and up 8.2% on an organic basis, outperforming by 500bps automotive production in Europe (incl. Russia) (+3.2%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Organic growth was driven by PSA (with the successful launches of the new 3008 and 5008 SUVs), Ford, FCA and Volvo as well as the launch at the end of the year of the new complete seats program for the VW group (Audi Q8, VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne). Operating income reached 527.0 million in 2017 (vs. 440.0 million in 2016), representing 6.2% of value-added sales, an increase of 60bps year-on-year, leveraging operational efficiency. North America (26% of Group sales): Improved performance despite tough market conditions Sales up 5.6% on an organic basis and operating income up 8%, at 5.8% of sales Value-added sales totaled 4,470.2 million in 2017, compared to 4,432.7 million in 2016. They were up 0.8% on a reported basis and up 5.6% on an organic basis, outperforming by 960bps automotive production in North America (-4.0%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Scope had a negative impact of 117 million (-2.6%), resulting from the divestment of the Fountain Inn (USA) plant in H1 2016. Currencies had an additional negative impact of 92 million (-2.1%), mainly due to the USD vs. the euro, of which a positive effect of 71 million in H1 and a negative effect of 163 million in H2. Organic growth was driven by Ford (with the complete seat for F-250), VW and Cummins (with the launch of the new "Nitro" technology for commercial vehicles that started in January 2017). Operating income reached 257.6 million in 2017 (vs. 239.4 million in 2016), representing 5.8% of value-added sales, an increase of 40bps year-on-year, thanks to improved industrial efficiency. Asia (17% of Group sales, incl. China representing 77% of the region's sales i.e. 13% of Group sales): Outstanding performance in China, driven by Chinese OEMs and SUVs Sales up 18.1% on an organic basis and operating income up 10%, at 11.6% of sales Value-added sales totaled 2,942.3 million in 2017, compared to 2,557.2 million in 2016. They were up 15.1% on a reported basis and up 18.1% on an organic basis, strongly outperforming automotive production in Asia (+2.7%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Currencies had a negative impact of 78 million (-3.1%), mainly due to the CNY vs. the euro. In China, organic growth stood at 19.7%, strongly outperforming automotive production (+2.6% source: IHS Automotive January 2018), and value-added sales to Chinese OEMs grew by 69% on an organic basis. Value-added sales in China totaled 2,251 million in 2017 (vs. 1,952 million in 2016), of which Chinese OEMs represented 16% or 355 million (vs. 11% or 218 million in 2016). Operating income reached 341.8 million in 2017 (vs. 310.4 million in 2016), representing 11.6% of value-added sales. South America (5% of Group sales): Dramatic turnaround in sales and profitability Sales up 51.1% on an organic basis and return to profit with an upswing of 35 million in operating income from a loss of 23 million in 2016 to a profit of 12 million in 2017 Value-added sales totaled 788.0 million in 2017, compared to 509.6 million in 2016. They were up 54.6% on a reported basis and up 51.1% on an organic basis, strongly outperforming automotive production in South America (+19.7%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Currencies had a positive impact of 18 million (+3.6%). Operating income was a profit of 11.6 million in 2017 (vs. a loss of 23.2 million in 2016), representing 1.5% of value-added sales and a 34.8 million upswing year-on-year. SALES AND PROFITABILITY BY BUSINESS GROUP Seating (42% of Group sales) Sales up 9.0% on an organic basis and operating income up 20%, at 5.8% of sales (+60bps) Value-added sales totaled 7,132.9 million in 2017, compared to 6,607.4 million in 2016. They were up 8.0% on a reported basis and up 9.0% on an organic basis, outperforming by 670bps worldwide automotive production growth (+2.3%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Organic sales grew by high single-digits in Europe and North America and by double-digits in Asia and South America. Organic growth was mainly driven by sales to PSA in Europe and Ford in North America. In China, sales grew by 6% on an organic basis. In 2017, two new joint-ventures for the Seating Business Group were signed with Chinese OEMs, Wuling and BYD, that will contribute to future growth. Operating income reached 410.9 million in 2017 (vs. 343.7 million in 2016), representing 5.8% of value-added sales, an increase of 60bps year-on-year. Interiors (31% of Group sales) Sales up 14.8% on an organic basis and operating income up 21%, at 5.6% of sales (+40bps) Value-added sales totaled 5,336.1 million in 2017, compared to 4,810.9 million in 2016. They were up 10.9% on a reported basis and up 14.8% on an organic basis, strongly outperforming worldwide automotive production growth (+2.3%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Sales were impacted by a negative scope effect of 117 million (-2.4%), resulting from the divestment of the Fountain Inn (USA) plant in H1 2016. Organic sales grew by 67% in Asia, boosted by China, and in South America, where they more than doubled. Organic growth was mainly driven by sales to Ford, FCA and Chinese OEMs. Sales in China more than doubled on an organic basis (+104%). In 2017, a new joint-venture for the Interiors Business Group was signed with Wuling. This will contribute to future growth, along with the consolidation of Coagent, also acquired in 2017. Operating income reached 299.7 million in 2017 (vs. 247.9 million in 2016), representing 5.6% of value-added sales, an increase of 40bps year-on-year. Clean Mobility (27% of Group sales) Sales up 8.3% on an organic basis and operating income up 17%, at 10.2% of sales (+80bps) Value-added sales totaled 4,493.2 million in 2017, compared to 4,195.3 million in 2016. They were up 7.1% on a reported basis and up 8.3% on an organic basis, outperforming by 600bps worldwide automotive production growth (+2.3%, source: IHS Automotive January 2018). Sales to Cummins (+39% year-on-year) continued to be a significant growth driver; commercial vehicle sales rose 41%, now representing 11% of the Clean Mobility Business Group. In China, sales grew by 6% on an organic basis. Operating income reached 459.7 million in 2017 (vs. 393.8 million in 2016), representing 10.2% of value-added sales, a strong increase of 80bps year-on-year. NET INCOME FROM CONTINUED OPERATIONS UP 34% TO 715 MILLION Group operating income stood at 1,170.3 million, up 21% compared with 970.2 million in 2016. Restructuring costs: net charge of 85.0 million vs. a net charge of 86.3 million in 2016; Other non-recurring operating income and expenses: net charge of 11.2 million vs. a net charge of 19.5 million in 2016; Amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations: net charge of 1.2 million in 2017; Net financial result: net charge of 131.3 million vs. a net charge of 162.4 million in 2016, which included a charge of 21 million related to the anticipated reimbursement of the 2016 bonds ; Income tax: net charge of 261.8 million vs. a net charge of 189.2 million in 2016, mostly reflecting the increase in income before tax; Share of net income of associates: profit of 34.6 million vs. a profit of 19.7 million in 2016. Net income from continued operations was a profit of 714.5 million, up 34% compared with 532.5 million in 2016. Net result from discontinued operations was a profit of 188.3 million in 2016 (corresponding to the disposal of the Automotive Exteriors business) and a charge of 7.4 million in 2017 (corresponding to a minor adjustment to that disposal). Net income before minority interests was a profit of 707.1 million, down 2% compared with 720.8 million in 2016. Minority interests amounted to 96.9 million vs. 83.0 million in 2016. As a result, consolidated net income (Group share) was a profit of 610.2 million, down 4% compared with 637.8 million in 2016. SOUND FINANCIAL STRUCTURE AND STRONG FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY EBITDA stood at 1,889.3 million, up 15% compared with 1,639.3 million in 2016. Change in working capital requirement (including broadly stable receivables factoring) was an inflow of 213.0 million vs. an inflow of 162.5 million in 2016, reflecting tight control of all items. Capital expenditure and capitalized R&D totaled 1,207.5 million vs. 1,044.9 million in 2016, reflecting a higher number of programs starting in 2017. Restructuring represented an outflow of 88.3 million vs. an outflow of 63.5 million in 2016. Net financial expense was an outflow of 124.5 million vs. an outflow of 132.0 million in 2016, reflecting better financial terms. Income tax was an outflow of 286.5 million vs. an outflow of 257.7 million in 2016 , Other items including cash flow from discontinued operations was an inflow of 39.8 million vs. an inflow of 154.8 million in 2016 (which included cash flow related to the disposal of the Automotive Exteriors business). Net cash flow stood at 435.3 million vs. 458.5 million in 2016 and recurring net cash flow of 435.3 million was up 31%, compared with 332.5 million in 2016. Recurring net cash flow improved year-on-year both as a percentage of sales (2.6% of value-added sales in 2017 vs. 2.1% in 2016) and as a percentage of EBITDA (23% in 2017 vs. 20% in 2016). Dividend paid (incl. minorities) was an outflow of 186.1 million vs. an outflow of 165.0 million in 2016. Share purchase was an outflow of 40.0 million vs. an outflow of 24.8 million in 2016. Net financial investments and other cash elements was an outflow of 319.2 million vs. an inflow of 335.6 million in 2016. The 2017 outflow mainly corresponds to the initial investment in Parrot Automotive, the increase from 35% to 51% in the JV for the FCA-Pernambuco plant and the 50.1% stake in Coagent. The 2016 inflow mainly corresponds to the disposal of the Automotive Exteriors business. At December 31, 2017, the Group's net financial debt stood at 451.5 million vs. 341.5 million at December 31, 2016. It represented 0.2x EBITDA, a stable ratio year-on-year. Faurecia boasts a sound financial structure with strong financial flexibility. Over 70% of gross debt secured through bonds with no maturity before 2022, Strong financial flexibility through an undrawn 1.2 billion syndicated credit facility with maturity June 2021, Significantly improved terms and conditions through recent refinancing operations, Faurecia remains attentive to market opportunities to further strengthen its financial structure. Faurecia's profitable growth and enhanced cash generation prospects recently led Moody's and Standard & Poor's to improve Faurecia's credit ratings: in October 2017, Moody's raised outlook to Positive and in January 2018, Standard & Poor's assigned BB+ with Stable outlook. RECORD ORDER INTAKE (2015-2017) OF 62 BILLION, UP 9 BILLION The Group's order intake (3-year rolling 2015-2017) of 62 billion is up 9 billion compared to last year (3-year rolling 2014-2016). This record figure demonstrates Faurecia's capability to attract new projects and customers (15 new customers in 2017) and increases confidence in profitable growth prospects. ACCELERATION OF INNOVATION STRATEGY In 2017, the Group invested in some important partnerships and acquisitions in order to accelerate the acquisition of new competences and expertise in the fields of Sustainable Mobility and Smart Life on Board, as well as for digital services. Particularly noteworthy are the acquisition of Parrot Automotive and Coagent (China) in the fields of connectivity and infotainment and that of Hug Engineering for clean solutions for high horsepower engines. The Group signed technology partnerships with ZF for advanced safety solutions and with Mahle for thermal management in the Cockpit of the Future. The first demonstration of the technologies from these partnerships was on display at the CES show in Las Vegas in January 2018. Another important partnership was signed with Accenture for digital services and digital transformation. Since its establishment in 2016, the investment fund Faurecia Ventures invested in seven startups. In addition, the Group opened its first Innovation platform in Silicon Valley to accelerate relationships with the local ecosystem of startups and academic establishments. The acceleration of the Group's innovation strategy translated into an increase in innovation spend of 23% to 160 million. The number of patent first filings also increased by 35% (from 244 in 2016 to 330 in 2017) to reach a total of 577 filings in 2017, including patent extensions. PROPOSED DIVIDEND OF 1.10 PER SHARE, UP 22% YEAR-ON-YEAR The Board of Directors will propose at the next Annual Shareholders' Meeting, to be held in Paris on May 29, the payment of a dividend of 1.10 per share, up 22% vs. the dividend of 0.90 paid last year. It will be paid in cash early June. The dividend increase reflects the Group's confidence in its capability to generate profitable growth and enhanced cash flow as well as its commitment to create shareholder value. OUTLOOK In the current environment and in line with the latest IHS forecast, Faurecia expects worldwide automotive production to grow by around 2%* in 2018 vs. 2017. Based on this assumption* and continued momentum in building profitable growth, Faurecia targets for the full-year 2018: Sales growth of at least +7% (at constant currencies) i.e. at least 500bps above worldwide automotive production growth, Operating margin above 7% of sales, Net cash flow of above 500 million, Earnings per share of 5.00. These targets exceed the 2018 ambitions that Faurecia announced at its April 2016 Capital Markets Day. After the Capital Markets Day held in London on June 27, 2017 and focused on Sustainable Mobility, Faurecia will hold a new Capital Markets Day in Paris on May 15, which will focus on Smart Life on Board (Seating and Interiors) with an update on Sustainable Mobility. * Main regional automotive production assumptions (PC + LV<3.5t): Europe: at least +2% North America: below +1% China: at least +2% 2018 currency assumptions: USD/ @ 1.20 on average CNY/ @ 7.80 on average Faurecia's financial presentation and financial report will be available at 10:30 am today (Paris time) on the Faurecia website: www.faurecia.com. A webcast (www.faurecia.com ) will be held today at 10:30 am (Paris time). You may follow the presentation via conference call: France: +33 1 76 77 22 57 UK: +44(0)330 336 9411 USA: +1 719 325 4746 No access code needed. Calendar April 20, 2018: Q1 2018 sales announcement (before market hours) May 15, 2018: Capital Markets Day focused on Smart Life on Board (Paris) May 29, 2018: Annual Shareholders' Meeting (Paris) July 20, 2018: H1 2018 results announcement (before market hours) October 4-14, 2018: Faurecia's presence at Paris Mondial de l'Auto October 11, 2018: Q3 2018 sales announcement (before market hours) About Faurecia Founded in 1997, Faurecia has grown to become a major player in the global automotive industry. With 330 sites including 30 R&D centers, 110 000 employees in 35 countries, Faurecia is now a global leader in its three areas of business: automotive seating, interior systems and clean mobility. Faurecia has focused its technology strategy on providing solutions for smart life on board and sustainable mobility. In 2017, the Group posted total sales of 20.2 billion and value-added sales of 17.0 billion. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange and is a component of the CAC40 Next20 index. For more information, please visit www.faurecia.com Contacts Press Eric FOHLEN-WEILL Head of Media Relations Tel: +33 (0)1 72 36 72 58 eric.fohlen-weill@faurecia.com Analysts/Investors Marc MAILLET VP Investor Relations Tel: +33 (0)1 72 36 75 70 marc.maillet@faurecia.com Definitions of terms frequently used: Organic Variation at constant exchange rates and consolidation scope, including JVs consolidation. Value-added sales Total sales less monoliths sales. Order intake Sum of 3 year order intake. Monolith sales Monolith are components used in catalytic converters for exhaust systems. Monoliths are directly managed by automakers. They are purchased from suppliers designated by them and invoiced to automakers on a pass-through basis. They accordingly generate no industrial value-added. Operating income Operating income is the Faurecia group's principal performance indicator. It corresponds to net income of fully consolidated companies before: Amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations; Other non-recurring operating income and expense, corresponding to material, unusual and non-recurring items including reorganization expenses and early retirement costs, the impact of exceptional events such as the discontinuation of a business, the closure or sale of an industrial site, disposals of non-operating buildings, impairment losses recorded for property, plant and equipment or intangible assets, as well as other material and unusual losses; Income on loans, cash investments and marketable securities; Finance costs; Other financial income and expense, which include the impact of discounting the pension benefit obligation and the return on related plan assets, the ineffective portion of interest rate and currency hedges, changes in value of interest rate and currency instruments for which the hedging relationship does not satisfy the criteria set forth in relationship cannot be demonstrated under IAS 39, and gains and losses on sales of shares in subsidiaries; Taxes. Net cash-flow Net cash-flow is defined as follow: Net cash from (used in) operating and investing activities less (acquisitions)/disposal of equity interests and businesses (net of cash and cash equivalents), other changes and proceeds from disposal of financial assets. Recurring net cash flow Net cash-flow restated for exceptional elements related to the disposal of Automotive Exteriors (mainly receivables factoring) in 2016. Net financial debt Net financial debt is defined as follow: Gross financial debt less cash and cash equivalents and derivatives classified under non-current and current assets. Appendices : see attached the press release Re: How Church can help Govt. raise $2.7million fund With all due respect Mr. Reverend Ieremia, I totally disagree with the people of Samoa giving the government that money as you have said. If your church wants to help so be it but thats NOT appropriate THE GOVERMENT NEEDS TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF SAMOA INSTEAD. Theres little children selling goods all day and all night trying to feed their parents and you are saying that IT DOES NOT ADD UP SIR, the leaders of our country are FAT with all our money my friend. We Samoan dont need to do as you have said it should be the other way around excuse my French but its true. MAY GOD STILL KEEP AN EYE ON THEM YOUNG KIDS NOT GOING TO SCHOOL BUT SELLING GOODS EVERYDAY BOTH DAY and NIGHT. Hopefully the government will do something about that soon. Nati Stock Exchange Notice Date: 16 February 2018 GC Rieber Shipping: Publication of Prospectus and commencement of the subscription period NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES, OR IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. OTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE APPLICABLE. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THE PRESS RELEASE Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement dated 13 February 2018 in which GC Rieber Shipping ASA ("GC Rieber Shipping" or the "Company") announced that a prospectus (the "Prospectus") has been approved in connection to the rights issue (the "Rights Issue") of 13,333,333 new shares in the Company (the "Offer Shares") at a subscription price of NOK 7.50 per Offer Share (the "Subscription Price"). Availability of the Prospectus: Subject to applicable local securities laws, the Prospectus will be available at the following website: www.carnegie.no Eligibility: Shareholders registered in the Company's shareholder register with the Norwegian Central Securities Depository (VPS) as of the expiry of 26 January 2018 (registered as such in the VPS on 30 January 2018, (the "Record Date")) (the "Existing Shareholders") will be granted transferable subscription rights (the "Subscription Rights") that, subject to applicable law, provide preferential rights to subscribe for and be allocated Offer Shares in the Rights Issue. Allocation of Subscription Rights: Each of the Subscriptions Rights provides preferential right to subscribe for, and be allocated, one Offer Share at the Subscription Price (subject to applicable law in the relevant jurisdiction of an Existing Shareholder). Existing Shareholders will be allocated one (1) Subscription Right for each 3.28596 share in the Company registered held on the Record Date, rounded down to the nearest whole Subscription Right. For a description of restrictions in respect of allocation, acquisition and/or exercise of Subscription Rights, reference is made to Section 15 "Selling and transfer restrictions" and Section 14.9 "Subscription Rights" in the Prospectus. Subscription Period: The subscription period in the Rights Issue will commence at 09:00 hours (CET) on 16 February 2018 and expire at 16:30 hours (CET) on 2 March 2018. Trading in Subscription Rights: The Subscription Rights will be listed and tradable on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker "RISH T" from 09:00 hours (CET) on 16 February 2018 to 16:30 hours (CET) on 2 March 2018 on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Subscription Rights that are not used to subscribe for Offer Shares or sold before the expiry of the Subscription Period will have no value and will lapse without compensation to the holder. The Subscription Rights may have economic value if the Company's shares trade above the Subscription Price during the Subscription Period. The Rights Issue will result in an immediate dilution of approximately 23% for Existing Shareholders who do not participate in the Rights Issue. Subscription Price: NOK 7.50 per Offer Share. Pre-commitment and underwriting: The largest shareholder of the Company, GC Rieber AS, has pre-committed to subscribe for its 70.44% pro rata share of the Rights Issue. In addition, AS Javipa and Pelicahn AS have pre-committed to subscribe for their 2.33% and 0.80%, respectively, pro rata share of the Rights Issue. The remaining Offer Shares (26.43%) are fully underwritten by GC Rieber AS, who has also guaranteed payment of the Offer Shares. GC Rieber AS' obligations to subscribe and pay for the remaining shares in the Rights Issue are conditional upon certain customary conditions. For a description of the underwriting agreement and the payment guarantee agreement and such conditions, reference is made to Section 14.21 "The Underwriting" in the Prospectus. Subscription procedure Subscription of Offer Shares must be made by submitting a correctly completed subscription form, and submit it to the subscription office as set out in the Prospectus within 16:30 hours (CET) on 2 March 2018 or may, for subscribers who are Norwegian residents with a Norwegian personal identification number, be made through the VPS online subscription system within the same time. Over-subscription and subscription without Subscription Rights are permitted. Financial Intermediaries: If an Existing Shareholder holds shares in the Company registered through a financial intermediary as of expiry of the Record Date, the financial intermediary will customarily give the Existing Shareholder details of the aggregate number of the Subscription Rights to which they will be entitled. The relevant financial intermediary will customarily supply each Existing Shareholder with this information in accordance with its usual customer relations procedures. Existing Shareholders holding their shares in the Company through a financial intermediary should contact the financial intermediary if they have received no information with respect to the Rights Issue. Listing and Commencement of trading of the Offer Shares: Subject to timely payment of the entire subscription amount in the Rights Issue, it is expected that the Offer Shares will be issued and delivered to the VPS accounts of the subscribers to whom they are allocated on or about 14 March 2018. The Offer Shares allocated in the Rights Issue are expected to be traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange from and including 14 March 2018. The Prospectus will, subject to regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions, be available at www.carnegie.no from today, 16 February 2018. Hard copies of the Prospectus may be obtained free of charge from the same date by contacting the Company or the subscription office as set out in the Prospectus. Carnegie AS is acting as Receiving Agent in the Rights Issue. Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS is acting as the Company's legal adviser in connection to the Rights Issue. For further details of the terms of the Rights Issue, please refer to the Prospectus. *** For further information: CEO Christian W. Berg, phone: +47 974 05 553 CFO Einar Ytredal, phone: +47 975 20 184 About GC Rieber Shipping: GC Rieber Shipping's business within offshore/shipping includes ownership in specialized vessels, high quality marine ship management and project development within the segments subsea, ice/support and marine seismic. The group has a specialized competence in offshore operations in harsh environments as well as design, development and maritime operation of offshore vessels. GC Rieber Shipping currently operates and has direct and indirect ownership in 11 advanced special purpose vessels for defined markets within the subsea, ice/support and marine seismic segments. The Company has its headquarter and a ship management office in Bergen, and an additional ship management company in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia). The Company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker RISH. Further information is available on the Company's website www.gcrieber-shipping.com. This information is subject to disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. *** IMPORTANT INFORMATION This communication may not be published, distributed or transmitted in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, South Africa or Japan. These materials do not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities of the company (the "Shares") in the United States, Norway or any other jurisdiction. The securities mentioned herein, including the subscription rights to subscribe for Shares (the "Subscription Rights"), have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). Neither the Shares nor the Subscription Rights may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Any sale in the United States of the Shares or the Subscription Rights mentioned in this communication will be made solely to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act pursuant to transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Any offering of securities will be made by means of a prospectus to be published that may be obtained from the Company once published, and that will contain detailed information about the Company and its management, as well as financial statements. These materials are an advertisement and not a prospectus for the purposes of Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive"). Investors should not subscribe for any Shares or acquire any subscription rights referred to in these materials except on the basis of information contained in the prospectus. In any EEA Member State other than Norway (from the time the prospectus has been approved by the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway, in its capacity as the competent authority in Norway, and published in accordance with the Prospectus Directive as implemented in Norway) that has implemented the Prospectus Directive, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at "qualified investors" in that Member State within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive ("Qualified Investors"), i.e., only to investors to whom an offer of securities may be made without the requirement for the Company to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive in such EEA Member State. In the United Kingdom, these materials are only being distributed to and are only directed at Qualified Investors who (i) are investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the "Order") or (ii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc) (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). These materials are directed only at Relevant Persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Carnegie AS is acting for GC Rieber Shipping and no one else in connection with the rights issue and will not be responsible to anyone other than GC Rieber Shipping for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice in relation to the rights issue and/or any other matter referred to in this communication. This communication and any materials distributed in connection with this communication may contain certain forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they reflect GC Rieber Shipping's current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of material factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including the risks and uncertainties to be set out in the prospectus. The Bank South Pacific (B.S.P.) has donated $20,000 worth of emergency supplies, hygienic products, clean drinking water and other items to the Samoa Red Cross. The donation was presented by B.S.P. Samoa Country Manager, Taituuga Maryann Lameko-Vaai to Leiataua Jerry Brunt, of the Samoa Red Cross. Taituuga said the donation was their way of lending a helping hand to the community in this time of need. So basically the main purpose of the donation is to lend a hand to our Red Cross who are working so hard in looking after our community in times of need, Taituuga said. B.S.P. is rmly committed to the wellbeing and prosperity of others, especially in the communities that we operate in." During this state of natural disaster, B.S.P. will provide cyclone relief through the initiative." These supplies will assist in providing support especially to the disaster-affected across the two islands." Taituuga believes its a good feeling when we know that we have done something to give back to the community and thats how the Bank South Pacific feels. Lei'ataua expressed their heartfelt thanks for the donation. The lawyer representing two prisoners accused of masterminding the failed mass prison break last week has called on the Police to treat his clients as human beings". Lawyer Pau Tafaogalupe Mulitalo has asked the Police to give them clothing and amenities for their state of wellbeing". The request is made in a letter from Pau addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Fuiavailili Egon Keil. Dated Tuesday 13 February 2018, a copy of the letter has been obtained by the Weekend Observer. Pau has questioned the Ministry of Polices handling of the case of Tagaloasa Filipaina and relative, Ovaleni Poli Vaili, who have been removed from Tafaigata prison following the failed plot last week. We ask with the greatest respect why our clients have been kept in custody without the right to know of their arrest and the reasons for being in Police custody and without humane treatment in not providing them with a mat and pillow to sleep on and cover sheet to keep them warm at night time, Pau wrote. Mr. Tagaloasa Filipaina has a medical condition from being exposed to cold at night time and is feeling completely unwell where he is kept at present. We ask to give these men humane treatment because they have rights to be represented under the Constitution of Samoa and under the international conventions regarding minimum standards and prisoners rights. Pau further pointed out that Article 7 and 9 of our Constitution reaffirm that: 7 Freedom from inhumane treatment- No person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment of punishment; 9 Right to a fair trial- (1) In the determination of his civil rights and obligations or of any charge against him for any offence, every person is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established under the law. He further quoted the Constitution that every person charged with an offense shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law; every person charged with an offence has the following minimum rights: to be informed promptly in a language which he understands and in detail of the nature and cause of the accusation against him. Pau sought the Commissioners discretionary power to intervene in making sure that these men ought to be treated as human beings and to be provided with the necessary clothing and amenities for their state of wellbeing. Attempts to get a comment from the Commissioner of Police have not been successful. Emails have not been responded to at press time. Tagaloasa and Poli have been identified as two of the suspects behind the failed mass prison break last Friday. Police Superintendent, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo, told the Samoa Observer that the suspects have been removed from Tafaigata Prison. They are under custody of the Police. They are both convicted drug defendants, said Auapaau. As for your question on where the suspects are held, I will not answer that. I cannot give out that type of information, it is classified. Auapaau said the decision was made following the foiled escape attempt last week. Look, all I can say is that the suspects are no longer at the Tafaigata Prison, they have been removed from the Prison for security reasons. The threat of a mass prison break was uncovered as the nation was being warned about Cyclone Gita which lashed the country last Friday night and Saturday morning. About 90 Police officers descended at the Prison, where they conducted a raid finding marijuana and cash. In the interest of justice, Supreme Court Justice Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren has denied the application by Kei Ji Li to depart Samoa until his criminal case is heard and determined by the Court of Appeal. Kei Ji Li is the driver of a vehicle that collided with a bus, killing an elderly man from Leauvaa in March 2017. In October 2017, he pleaded guilty of one charge of negligent driving causing death and was sentenced by Supreme Court Justice Leiataualesa Darryl Clarke to pay reparation of $10,000 and to perform 200 hours of community work. On 16 November 2017, on application by the applicant, Justice Clarke cancelled the community work sentence of 200 hours and substituted in place of that sentence 90 hours community work and a fine of $650 to be paid within seven days, in default four weeks of the Community Justice Act 2008. Last year, November, the Prosecution appealed against sentence and issued a Departure Prohibition Orders (D.P.O.) by way of letters to the C.E.O. of the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet. According to the order, in December 2017, Kei Ji Li filed an urgent application to order to revoke Departure Prohibition Order against him and a hearing was held. During the hearing, the prosecution noted that under the Immigration Act 2004, the A.G. has absolute discretion to make an order prohibiting a person from departing Samoa if the person is currently involved as a party in a criminal case that is before the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal and it is not in the interests of justice for the person to depart Samoa. Justice Tafaoimalo pointed out in her ruling that whilst the A.G. has the authority to make an order without notice, once it is made, the A.G.O. is required to serve it on the person affected by the order. Service then invokes the persons right to seek a review of the order by a Supreme Court judge and in order for the Court to exercise its power to amend or revoke an order made under S26(1)(c) of the IO, it needs to view the A.G.O.s motion or an interested partys application and supporting affidavit as to why such a person should be prohibited from leaving. A prohibited person needs to address the reasons given to support the prohibition and show they are applicable to his/her situation or can be overcome by measures demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Court. According to the accuseds argument through his lawyer, Kei Ji Li works for Huawei Company based in Suva, Fiji, and they provide service to Bluesky and Digicel. His livelihood depends on his providing this service for his employer. Samoa is a lucrative client and he will be sent here by his company to serve the needs of the clientele. They argue that the first is that under the law, the A.G. has absolute discretion to make the order without giving notice to the applicant and without giving the applicant an opportunity to be heard. It is submitted that in light of the appeal filed on 17 December 2017, the A.G. had the absolute discretion to issue the D.P.O. against Mr. Li as it was absolutely necessary given that Mr. Li was a national of China and was party to the appeal filed with the Court of Appeal. Furthermore they argue that the law does not stipulate the form in which the D.P.O. should be made nor does it stipulate that a formal motion be filed by the A.G. The third submission is that the onus is on the applicant to satisfy the Court on a balance of probabilities that the order should be revoked. The applicant has failed on a balance of probabilities to show why the D.P.O. should be revoked. Justice Tafaoimalo noted the D.P.O., which was issued on 25 May 2017, is now a non-issue as rightly asserted by the applicant. The D.P.Os issued by the A.G. has a time limit of three months. From the bench, Justice Tafaoimalo pointed out that it appears that the most significant issue for the applicant is the process by which the A.G. made the order. The accused submits that the A.G. cannot issue the D.P.O. without a motion, filed by his office to him and a supporting affidavit of one of his lawyers to him because he is acting in a judicial capacity. In order to address this submission by the applicant, it is important to look at the principles of statutory interpretation contained in the Acts Interpretation Act 2015, specifically section. She stated if the words of the statute are in themselves precise and unambiguous, then no more can be necessary than to expound those words in their natural and ordinary sense. The words alone best declare the intention of the lawgiver. But if any doubt arises from the terms employed by the legislature, it has always been held a safe means of collecting the intention, to call in aid the ground and cause of making the statute, and to have recourse to the preamble and the mischiefs which [the makers of the Act] intended to redress. On my reading of the words in section 26, specifically the words upon the Attorney Generals own motion, the intention of Parliament is clear and unequivocal. A D.P.O. can be issued by the A.G. either on his or her own motion, or upon application of any interested party. The intention of Parliament is to make provision for situations where the A.G. does not require an application from anyone to issue a D.P.O. and acts on his or her own accord. The Supreme Court Justice pointed out that it is neither practicable nor logical for the A.G. to first require a motion and a supporting affidavit from his office before he issues a D.P.O. This is a clear cut situation of the A.G. appealing the sentence imposed on the applicant and a Notice of Appeal being duly filed and served on the applicant. The applicant is therefore a respondent in a criminal trial before the Court of Appeal and it is not in the interests of justice for him to depart Samoa before his case has been heard and determined by the Court of Appeal. Justice Tafaoimalo concluded that while there is no specific guidance on how the Court should approach revocation or amendment of a D.P.O, the onus is on the accused to satisfy the court on a balance of probabilities that he is not currently involved as a party in a criminal case before the Court of Appeal, and that it is in the interests of justice that he depart Samoa. The applicant (Kei Ji Li) has not satisfied me. It is undisputed that the applicant is currently involved as a party in a criminal case before the Court of Appeal and I am satisfied that it is not in the interests of justice for him to depart Samoa until his criminal case is heard and determined by the Court of Appeal. The application is therefore denied and the D.P.O. issued by the A.G. dated December 21, 2017, remains in force, stated Justice Tafaoimalo. Its not official, but its looking more likely that San Diego-based Sempra Energy is about to wrap up a deal to acquire Oncor, the largest utility in Texas. The Public Utility Commission of Texas, which blocked previous attempts by other entities to buy Oncor, called on staff members to prepare an order on the Sempra acquisition Thursday, indicating the commission will approve the $9.45 billion deal when it meets on March 8. Executives at Sempra have assiduously garnered support from all 10 intervenors such as consumer advocates, business interests and government groups in the proceeding, a crucial step in the regulatory process needed to sew up the deal. We were pleased by yesterdays developments and remain focused on continuing our work with the Public Utility Commission of Texas as the commissioners prepare to vote on our joint application with Oncor, Sempra spokesman Doug Kline said. Advertisement In addition to getting approval from the utilities commission in Texas, the acquisition must also get approval from a federal bankruptcy court beause Oncors parent company, Energy Futures Holdings of Dallas, declared bankruptcy in 2014. But the federal hearing has been moved up to Feb. 26, offering another indication the deal will get the OK. I dont want to read the tea leaves too much, but I think Sempra has done pretty much everything theyve been asked to do, and theyre further along than anyone else has gotten, and you would think the PUC (of Texas) wants to put an end to this process, said Andy Smith, senior analyst who follows utilities for Edward Jones. Oncor has a customer base of 10 million and under the terms of the deal, Sempra will acquire the 80 percent ownership stake in the utility held by Energy Futures Holdings, which ran aground after low natural gas prices made company debt unsustainable. While Energy Futures Holdings declared bankruptcy, Oncor has been described as a jewel asset, posting a $431 million profit in 2016 and earned similar returns in the previous three years. Being a regulated utility, Oncors rates are set by the state of Texas, making it a steady money maker. Sempra already has a number of assets in Texas the company has an office in Houston with about 200 employees but picking up Oncor will greatly expand its reach in the Lone Star State. I think it would be a very good acquisition for Sempra, Smith said. What weve seen with a lot of utility acquisitions is when the acquired asset has been part of a larger conglomerate or has been neglected a little bit, the acquiring entity (in this case, Sempra) finds all sorts of additional projects, additional expense-cutting opportunities, ways to improve rates or relationships that lead to good growth. Sempra made headlines last August when it bested a $9 billion offer for Oncor from business guru and billionaire Warren Buffetts company, Berkshire Hathaway. Advertisement The deal has an enterprise value of about $18.8 billion, including debt. Sempra has received financing commitments from RBC Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley to help fund the acquisition. If approved, the deal will be the biggest in the history of Sempra, which was formed in 1998. A Fortune 500 company, Sempra boasts 32 million natural gas and electricity consumers worldwide. Its subsidiaries include San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas. Sempra has promised to keep Oncors headquarters in Dallas, maintain the independence of Oncors board of directors and will keep in place ring-fence measures to help insulate Oncor from Energy Futures bankruptcy proceedings. Advertisement Business rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com Advertisement (619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski The militarys presence in San Diego County isnt just sailors, Marines, ships and planes. Its a $9.2 billion contracting network of 5,600 businesses and 62,000 workers that serve the bases and develop weapons and systems for the nations defense establishment. Thats the premise for a first-ever report, issued Wednesday from the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., to outline the extent of defense contracting and its challenges in the face of an aging population and competition for high-tech talent. Historically, San Diego companies and institutions have received defense research and development grants but the knowledge gained has become the basis of many companies to do nondefense work as well. In absence of the defense cluster, it is doubtful San Diego would be the global innovation hub it is today, the report said. Advertisement The 19-page report, Mapping San Diegos Defense Ecosystem, was written before Congress passed a two-year budget bill that boosts defense spending $165 billion over the next two years, thus reducing concerns the authors expressed about defense spending uncertainty. Last years defense spending of $634 billion to grow to $700 billion this year and $716 billion next year. The passage of the bill and the significant increase in defense funding certainly is going to be a net positive for San Diego, said Jesse Gipe, the EDCs economic development manager. What are the big numbers? Besides defense contracting, active-duty personnel payrolls totaled $10.6 billion last year and veterans benefits amounted to $5 billion. In manufacturing, construction and professional, scientific and technical services, defense and nondefense jobs totaled 358,000 jobs or 21 percent of the county total. How big is the defense contracting sector? There are 5,600 defense contractors locally and 81 percent are small businesses with fewer than 50 employees involved in manufacturing and professional-scientific-technical services. They employ 62,000 employees. What sort of work do the defense contracting workers do? The big areas range from unmanned aerial vehicles to cybersecurity, shipbuilding and satellites. Many companies manufacture component parts that go into military equipment and weaponry assembled elsewhere. Manufacturing represents 68 percent of contracting, followed by 18 percent for services, 10 percent for construction and 5 percent other types of work. How does San Diego contracting compare nationally? Fairfax, Va., outside Washington, D.C., ranks first and San Diego is second, followed by Tarrant County in Texas, and Los Angeles. San Diegos services, construction and manufacturing sectors represent 22 percent or 358,000 jobs of the local economy. In contrast, 29 percent of Fairfax, Va.s and 18 percent of Los Angeles employment comes from the three sectors. Advertisement What are the job prospects in defense contracting? The report says 41 percent of defense firms contacted plan to add jobs in the next 12 months, up from 29 percent the previous three years. About 2 percent expect a reduction, down from 13 percent in the previous period. What are some of the challenges ahead? Jesse Gipe, the EDCs economic development manager, said defense contractors, like many other industries, face a shortage of skilled manufacturing and high-tech workers who are being lured to higher-paying nondefense companies. But in San Diego, the relatively high cost of living, especially in housing, is posing an additional challenge. Trying to address the long-term housing crunch in the region remains a priority, Gipe said. Even for industries like defense, where a lot of employees are paid fairly highly $65- to $80,000 on the (factory) floor, it certainly can be a challenge to address the housing issue. What about retiring active military and veterans? Many companies see former military personnel as ideal employees, while those Navy and Marine Corps vets have ambitions of their own to start companies that cater to their former military colleagues. Advertisement Gipe said programs like a recently established entrepreneurship program at UC San Diego seek to ready those newly minted vets to compete in the private sector. The reason why vets are so valuable in the defense industry is security clearance, he added. Obviously the military workforce coming out, if they dont already have a security clearance and these days, almost everybody does they can get it cheaper and faster than a civilian. Especially with small- and medium-sized companies, they cant necessarily wait six months to a year to get clearance approved with the huge backlog in the security clearance process. What tools are available to learn more? The EDC has developed a research tool for local agencies and companies to analyze defense contracting impact on a local area SanDiego.DoDspend.com. Another tool, developed by the East County Economic Development Corp., connectory.com, is available to help companies partner with each other on defense projects. Advertisement Business Advertisement roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowley Exactly six years to the day that he was named El Cajon city manager, Douglas Williford announced he is stepping down from the position. On Feb. 14, the 60-year-old Alpine resident told city staff and the City Council that it was time for someone else to run the city of nearly 100,000 residents. I told my wife that 60 was a big, round number, and its my 40th year in the business, also a nice, round number, and that it was a good time to stop, Williford said. During his six years managing El Cajon, the city moved forward in several significant ways. Advertisement Williford was instrumental in the city signing a contract with Live Nation, Inc., to run the soon-to-reopen East County Performing Arts Center. Williford also helped woo the areas first four-star hotel. Courtyard by Marriott is set to open its doors later this month. El Cajon City Manager Doug Williford (Courtesy photo ) Doug is one of the greatest city managers ever in California because of the way hes been able to turn around El Cajon, City Councilman Gary Kendrick said. Getting Live Nation and four-star Marriott. He also brought in a new Mercedes-Benz dealership. Those are all extraordinary accomplishments that nobody would believe could have happened in this city 10 years ago. Williford said that neither Live Nation nor Marriott knew anything about El Cajon, that they didnt care about El Cajon, when they were initially approached. We got their attention, they did their due diligence, they talked to people in the region, Williford said. After doing all that, they told us they believed in the future of this town. And they invested a massive amount of money here. Those two represent something thats never been in El Cajon before. Willifords tenure, however, has also been marked by one of the citys biggest challenges. The City Council made international news for its October decision to ban food sharing, primarily to the homeless, in city-owned areas. The City Council took action because of a hepatitis A emergency in San Diego County. The ban ended last month when the county health emergency was lifted. Williford hasnt set an exact final day, but expects it to be in late May. Advertisement I want to leave before the next budget cycle (in June) so that the next city manager has a good, fresh start with the next fiscal year, Williford said. Williford will leave the city earning $246,000 annually, not counting perks including medical insurance. His starting pay with the city was $219,500. He said his retirement pay with the California Public Employees Retirement System has not been figured yet since he is not fully retiring. Williford said he expects to do some consulting work on the side. He is also close to getting a real estate license and will be doing some part-time teaching in the public safety sector as well. This was Willifords second go-around in El Cajon, where he first lived in the 1980s. Advertisement His first job after he graduated from San Diego State University with a masters degree in urban and environmental geography was as planning technician for the city of El Cajon. That came on the heels of an internship he did with the city of La Mesa. After a short time in El Cajon, he worked for the city of Santee from 1982 until 2006 and was its deputy city manager and development services director. After that, he headed north to Orange County, where he worked as the city of Irvines community development director. He later became deputy executive director for the Southern California Association of Governments. Williford said he always had his eyes and heart set on returning to El Cajon, where two of his children were born. Advertisement I always have tried to think about the big picture and long-term strategy, he said. El Cajon has always been the heart of the East County. I was attracted to it and wanted to be part of a long-term effort to make sure the citys direction was headed in a really positive and really productive way. Back then, some people were feeling that El Cajons best days were behind it. I absolutely didnt believe that. Seeing the big picture now, I dont think there is anybody inside the city or outside the city who doesnt believe that the citys best days are ahead of it. The City Council will have to make a decision about a successor for Williford later this spring. It has one strong candidate already in-house with Graham Mitchell, who has been city manager in Farmersville, Lemon Grove and Escondido. Whomever is chosen, he or she will have huge shoes to fill, Mayor Bill Wells said. Advertisement Its hard to express how much Doug Williford has done for the city of El Cajon, Wells said. He has had a profound influence on every aspect of what the city is and has become. His counsel has been consistently wise and effective and he will be greatly missed. Advertisement karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com Most politicians would have been swallowed up in scandal after new details emerged Friday of an alleged affair with a Playboy Playmate, no less that occurred the same weekend of a reported dalliance with a porn star. Not Donald Trump. In eight pages of handwritten notes published by the New Yorker, 1998 Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal recalled having sex with Trump in 2006, a few months after his wife, Melania, gave birth to their son, Barron. McDougal said one of their sexual encounters took place at the same Lake Tahoe golf tournament where porn actress Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, says that she, too, had a tryst with Trump. Advertisement The president denies both affairs, but the women received money to keep the matters quiet. Americans have known for years about Trumps history of adultery, most famously his 1989 cheating on his first wife, Ivana, with his soon-to-be second wife, Marla Maples. He won the presidency despite accusations of sexual harassment or assault by more than a dozen women, along with an Access Hollywood audiotape of Trump boasting that his star power allowed him to grab women by their genitals. If you assume someone is a devoutly religious, family-values person, something like this will absolutely destroy their reputation and level their career, said Lara M. Brown, who runs the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. If, on the other hand, you believe this is who they are going in, which, if you heard the Access Hollywood tape or listened to interviews with Howard Stern, then this is more confirmation of your belief and your expectations. Billy Bush interviews Donald Trump on Access Hollywood at Trump Tower in New York City on Jan. 20, 2015. (Rob Kim / Getty Images ) Also, Trumps checkered New York business career bankruptcies and alleged real estate swindles, among other things inoculates him from some of the harm that a more conventional politician might suffer as details emerge on the hush money received by McDougal ($150,000) and Clifford ($130,000). His business reputation is not necessarily one of high character, said Brown, an expert on political scandals. Advertisement Still, Trump is weathering a rough patch in his presidency, and the McDougal distraction is no help. The White Houses apparent overlooking of domestic abuse allegations against former senior Trump aide Rob Porter could worsen Republicans troubled standing among women at a time when the #MeToo movement threatens to fuel GOP setbacks in Novembers midterm election. McDougal, who confirmed the authenticity of her notes in an interview with New Yorker writer Ronan Farrow, said she was speaking out in part because of the #MeToo movement. Every girl who speaks is paving the way for another, she told the magazine. Advertisement Trump and McDougal met at a pool party at the Playboy Mansion, where Trump was taping an episode of his television show, The Apprentice, McDougal wrote in the notes. Their affair lasted nine months, she said. The New Yorker article, citing previously undisclosed texts, emails and legal records, elaborates on a Wall Street Journal report in 2016 about a deal requiring her to keep quiet about the alleged affair. It included the $150,000 payment to McDougal from American Media Inc., publisher of the National Enquirer, which never printed her story about Trump. David Pecker, chairman and CEO of AMI, is a close friend of the president. In the supermarket tabloid world, suppressing a story as a favor to a friend or gossip source is known as catch and kill. Advertisement The National Enquirer published harshly critical articles on Hillary Clinton, but not Trump, during the presidential campaign. AMI denies paying anyone to protect Trump from damaging stories. McDougals comments appeared to buttress the accounts of two other women who said Trump pursued them for sex in the early years of his marriage to Melania Trump. Both cases have sparked legal action against the president. Trump lawyer Michael Cohen told the New York Times this week that he used personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Clifford just before the November 2016 election. In return, Clifford reportedly agreed to keep quiet about the alleged affair. Michael Cohen, President Trumps personal attorney, in Washington on Sept. 19, 2017. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press ) Advertisement The nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause has filed a Federal Election Commission complaint saying the payment was an illegal campaign contribution, which Cohen denies. Like Clifford, McDougal says she had sex with Trump at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe in July 2006. The other woman, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice, has accused Trump of trying to force himself on her in 2006. She filed a defamation suit against him after he called her a liar. All three women say their interactions with Trump included encounters in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. All three also say they were escorted to the bungalow by Keith Schiller, a longtime Trump bodyguard who left his job in September as the director of Oval Office operations and deputy assistant to the president. Advertisement Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a University of Pennsylvania expert on politics and media, said the McDougal and Daniels cases were likely to have minimal political impact on Trump, whose most loyal supporters have ignored all manner of controversial statements and behavior by the president. Both instances in the news right now are consensual, she said. So its easy for voters to say, Thats Melanias concern, not the voters concern unless there are legal implications, which could be violating the campaign finance laws. Porn actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, at the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas on Jan. 27. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images ) Scott Basinger, another expert on political scandal, suggested Trump is also shielded by the us-versus-them tribalism of the countrys politics and the support of Christian conservatives who might have been expected to respond with outrage, or at least disappointment, at his sordid conduct. Advertisement Theyve said pretty explicitly that theyre going to give him a mulligan on his personal life and anything that happened before he became president is not of interest to them, said Basinger, who teaches at the University of Houston. As long as people believe he can deliver judges like Neil Gorsuch Trumps nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court theyre willing to overlook everything else. Whether the first lady is willing to overlook reports about her husbands sex life is another matter. On Friday, Melania Trump broke with protocol and did not walk with her husband across the South Lawn to Marine One, driving separately to Joint Base Andrews for the flight to Florida. Advertisement She canceled her recently scheduled trip with the president to Davos, Switzerland, declined to ride in his limo from the White House to the Capitol for the State of the Union address and has been seen swatting his hand away from hers fueling chatter on the state of their marriage. michael.finnegan@latimes.com Twitter: @finneganLAT Advertisement mark.barabak@latimes.com Twitter: @markzbarabak UPDATES: Feb. 17, 8:40 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details on Melania Trump. Advertisement Feb. 16, 4:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new information throughout. 12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details of McDougals allegations. This article was originally published on Feb. 16 at 9:35 a.m. Prosecutors have convicted several Marines in recent weeks for crimes including rape and child pornography, and dozens of similar cases continue to percolate through the military criminal justice system. The cases are coming to light due to a series of Freedom of Information Act requests filed by The San Diego Union-Tribune over the past four months. Documents released by the Marines reveal some of the most serious cases tied to senior leaders like ex-Chief Warrant Officer E. DeLeon Jr. At a Camp Pendleton court-martial last month, a military judge convicted DeLeon of possessing and distributing child pornography. Although the judge sentenced him to seven years behind bars, a pretrial agreement capped the Marines imprisonment at five years. Advertisement Highly redacted records trace DeLeons crimes back to Nov. 26, 2016, on Camp Pendleton. He distributed a digital image of a child engaging in sex. Three days earlier, he communicated to an unidentified person his desire to molest a little girl, an act he thought sounds amazing, according to his criminal records. Camp Pendleton Lance Cpl. M. F. Currington also was found guilty last month of abusing anabolic steroids and sexually abusing a child. He was sentenced to three years behind bars. Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, Curringtons charges stemmed from a late 2016 probe into steroid and drug paraphernalia possession, according to records released to the Union-Tribune. Another Camp Pendleton Marine, Lance Cpl. B.J. Morton of 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, also was convicted last month of possessing and distributing child pornography. He was reduced to private and given a bad conduct discharge but a pretrial agreement capped his confinement at 1 years behind bars. He was incarcerated on Aug. 14 after investigators accused him of possessing three videos and other sexually explicit images of children, according to his records. A fellow member of his artillery regiment, Marine E.F.Hernandez-Ramirez, faces multiple domestic abuse charges filed in September. Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines at Camp Pendleton, hes accused of punching an unnamed woman in the head and torso, slamming her head against a wall, hitting her head with a coffee cup and twice choking her during five incidents that allegedly occurred in September, October and November of 2016. He was charged with four more specifications tied to several Murietta incidents that allegedly occurred in late 2016 and early 2017. Hes accused of punching a woman in the head and body three times and wrapping a belt around her neck to choke her. The records failed to specify if it was the same woman in all the incidents, and Camp Pendleton officials declined comment. Several cases involve Marines accused of sneaking into other service members rooms to assault or grope them. Advertisement For example, Lance Cpl. J.P. Hill was convicted last month of sexual assault causing harm, abusive sexual contact and making an indecent recording. Assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters inside Camp Pendleton, he crept into the room of a fellow Marine at night to assault her and photographed her when she was nude, according to records released to the Union-Tribune. He was sentenced to two years in prison, reduction to private and a dishonorable discharge. L.M. Schmidt, a Marine assigned to Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 in Yuma, Arizona, likewise was charged on Aug. 17 with entering an unnamed service members barracks to touch the persons hips in order to gratify his sexual desires, according to the court records. His unit falls under the command of the Miramar-based 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Advertisement Another Yuma Marine, Sgt. C. S. Panatta, is accused of raping a child under the age of 12 years old there in 2016. Commanders also filed a pair of charges tied to lewd incidents involving another child under the age of 16 that allegedly occurred around the same time. He faces a third set of charges linked to child abuse that allegedly occurred in 2014 and 2015 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, in San Bernardino County. Hes accused of beating a child with a fly swatter, punching a childs face, slamming a child in the head with a door and attempting to suffocate a child with a pillow, according to records released to the Union-Tribune. Assigned to Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, Panatta has been in pretrial confinement for a year. Another Marine assigned to an aviation unit, P. Wiredu of Miramars Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, was charged in 2015 with allegedly committing three 2013 rapes in or near San Diego, according to heavily redacted records released to the newspaper. Advertisement Citing the ongoing cases, Marine officials declined comment. Five other cases are linked to Camp Pendleton logistic units. Assigned to Headquarters Regiment, 1st Marine Logistics Group, Lance Cpl. Christopher R. Kylus faces court-martial for a series of unwanted groping and kissing incidents that allegedly occurred on base in 2016 and 2017, according to records released to the Union-Tribune. Sgt. G. Green Jr. of Camp Pendletons Combat Logistics Regiment 15, is accused of attempting to scuttle his court-martial case for reckless driving by asking a Murrietta mechanic to create fake invoices and lie about an acceleration glitch dogging his vehicle. Advertisement On Dec. 10, 2016, he was clocked driving an estimated 100 miles per hour near Carlsbad. He was charged seven months later with speeding on Camp Pendleton, according to his records. A fellow Marine in his regiment, Cpl. E. Anderson III, allegedly vandalized a pair of autos inside Camp Pendleton last spring. He allegedly used paint remover to cause $3,437 in damages to vehicles belonging to a corporal and a sergeant. Another Marine there, A.L. Jordan of 1st Supply Battalion, has been charged with fondling and raping an unidentified Camp Pendleton victim on Aug. 6, 2017. He also allegedly choked her neck with force likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm, according to records released to the Union-Tribune. He was confined to the Camp Pendleton Brig alongside a Marine listed only as J. Norman in heavily redacted documents provided to the Union-Tribune. Advertisement On Jan. 9, Norman pleaded guilty to the wrongful use of controlled substances and was sentenced to three months in the brig, reduction to private and a bad conduct discharge. Assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, he was suspected of distributing cocaine on base between early 2016 and mid-2017, records reveal. Camp Pendleton officials declined comment on his case. Lance Cpl. Tomas Rocha Jr., a member of Camp Pendletons Security and Emergency Services Battalion, has been in pretrial confinement since Sept. 6, following multiple charges for abandoning his guard post, fondling an unnamed woman and telling another that he would fine her $1,000 if she didnt let him grope her breast. Advertisement The alleged conduct is in direct contradiction of the Marine Corps values of honor, courage and commitment, but it is important to note that every Marine is considered innocent until proven guilty, said Camp Pendleton spokesman Anthony A. Lopez in an emailed statement to the Union-Tribune. Only one of the records provided to the Union-Tribune involves a sailor. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Darrius D. Upshaw remains in post-trial confinement at Camp Pendleton after appealing a pair of sex crime convictions. Prosecutors contend that he twice went to an Oceanside bar in 2014 and 2015, sidling up to an inebriated male Marine before identifying himself as a Navy medic who would give him a safe ride home. Advertisement Once in his car, he fondled them and, in one case, allegedly raped a Marine who was too drunk to fight back, according to records released to the Union-Tribune. A military jury found Upshaw of Marine Raider Support Battalion guilty and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a dishonorable discharge, but he contested his conviction and the United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals in Washington, D.C., partially agreed with him. In a May 31 decision, the tribunal ruled that Upshaws judge erred in allowing prosecutors to use his sexual misconduct in the first case to suggest a propensity to commit a similar crime in the second. Although they affirmed Upshaws convictions for abusive sexual contact, the appellate judges set aside his sexual assault conviction for a retrial slated later this year at Camp Pendleton. Advertisement It took months for the Union-Tribune to collect military criminal records routinely available to citizens at civilian courtrooms or even other armed forces bases worldwide. Policies instituted by officials at 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Air Wing, Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, Training Command and Marine Corps Recruit Depot have delayed or blocked release of criminal justice information, often for months after a court-martial trial has concluded. Although the local military units publish a docket of upcoming prosecutions, commanders can restrict access to courtrooms and the services no longer post information about scheduled Article 32 hearings where the bulk of evidence against a defendant is often heard before a plea agreement is struck. After charging suspects, Marine commands typically dont share even the full names of defendants or detail why they were believed to have committed crimes, beyond a bare recitation of their charges. That forces citizens interested in cases to seek often highly-redacted records through federal laws designed to shine light on government operations taxpayers fund. Advertisement The Union-Tribune awaits decisions in four Freedom of Information Act appeals filed against the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Marine Corps Recruit Depot and the Marines Virginia-based Training Command after they refused to release records tied to three suspicious deaths at Camp Pendleton and a rape charge filed against a Marine assigned to San Diegos boot camp. Advertisement Military Videos On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal cprine@sduniontribune.com Robert Rollins was on his daily bike ride around Newport Beachs Back Bay on Feb. 3 when he noticed a group of people looking at something. It was a bald eagle in a eucalyptus tree. Rollins quickly pulled out his camera, headed up the side of a cliff and started snapping pictures. It was thrilling to see a bald eagle again, said Rollins, a Costa Mesa resident who is a filmmaker by trade, adding that he hadnt seen a bald eagle in the wild since high school, when he went on family road trips through the western United States and Canada. Advertisement They are stunning birds. But I was honestly surprised to see a bald eagle in [Orange County] because I thought their species were nearly [wiped] out in the 1950s due to the dumping of DDT in the ocean. Not too long ago, the state of the bald eagle in the United States was a perilous one largely because of widespread use of the pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) after World War II, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website. In 1967, the bald eagle was added to the federal list of endangered species, and in 1971 it was also added to the California list of endangered species, according to the site. In 1972, DDT was banned in the U.S. There have been several efforts to reintroduce bald eagles in areas of California throughout the years, including the Channel Islands. According to Peter B. Sharpe, who has been directing the bald eagle restoration project on the California Channel Islands since 1997 for the Institute for Wildlife Studies, the study has been focused on restoring bald eagles to the Channel Islands after they were eliminated by the 1960s because of DDT pollution that caused thin-shelled eggs that broke before they could hatch. The efforts seem to be paying off. By 1963, there were only 487 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states, according to Sharpe. He said that in 2007, there were estimated to be 11,040 breeding pairs in the lower 48 states. We have about 50 to 60 bald eagles on the Channel Islands, he said. There are about 20 pair nesting on five of the eight islands as of 2017. Advertisement But the eagles dont stay on the islands year-round. Most of our young birds leave the islands the first summer/fall and travel around the mainland from San Diego to central British Columbia, Sharpe said, adding that the eagles are tagged as part of the reintroduction program. Quite a few have been reported in O.C. Among them is eagle A-96 named Kanoa by a donor of the institute the one photographed by Rollins. Kanoa hatched at the Trap Canyon nest on the northern shore of Santa Rosa Island in 2014, said Sharpe, and has been reported in the Newport Back Bay on Feb 4, 2017, Feb. 10, 2017, and March 21, 2017; in Santa Ana Heights on Feb. 9, 2017, and Feb. 21, 2017; Irvine on March 22, 2017; Oak View in Ventura County on May 8, 2017; and again in Newport Back Bay on Jan. 26, 2018. Another of the Channel Islands bald eagles was reported near Anaheim about two weeks ago. Advertisement OC Parks Ranger Derrick Ankerstar said that because of the variety of habitat types that exist in Upper Newport Bay, birdwatching is very popular in the area. Kanoa was probably attracted to the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve because of the abundance of food such as fish and the healthy ecosystem, he said. Upper Newport Bay is home to nearly 200 species of birds, some living here full time and some stopping in during their migration, Ankerstar said. Orange County raptor researcher Scott Thomas said bald eagles are in a state of recovery now off the federal endangered list. He said theres a pair who have taken up residency in Irvine Lake for the past eight years for breeding and have had a couple of chicks annually. People see them around Irvine Park and around the zoo, Thomas said. Advertisement Theres another pair attempting to breed for the first time in Anaheim Hills, he added. They were gone completely from Southern California, said Thomas, adding that sightings are not uncommon now. It is a huge success story. A crowd of immigrant rights advocates blocked a Homeland Security van late Thursday from accessing the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. Video footage showed dozens of people standing in the street, in front of a marked van, chanting, Drive out ICE! and Stop the deportations! Some held signs. The protest was in response to raids this week that led to the detention of more than 100 people suspected of violating immigration laws. The event was organized by the Koreatown Popular Assembly and publicized by Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and other groups. Advertisement Around 50 people are gathered around the ICE van near Aliso and Alameda. pic.twitter.com/I85bHC3TUE Marcus Yam (@yamphoto) February 16, 2018 Here are the photos from tonight's ICE protest. https://t.co/ItIxMbA1UC pic.twitter.com/2wJr4qGVyR Marcus Yam (@yamphoto) February 16, 2018 Activists believe Southern California was a target in the sweep in retaliation for so-called sanctuary laws around the region. The original goal was to really loudly proclaim that were not going to stand for ICE destroying families on Valentines Day of all days, said Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, who is on the board of an organizing group. When the ICE/DHS van came, our group of people decided it was time to put their bodies in front of the machinery of deportation, he said. Cohen said two agents stayed in the van during the protest. Its unclear whether anyone was detained inside the van. Los Angeles police officers were called to the protest shortly after 7 p.m., said Officer Tony Im, a spokesman for the department. We have a group of protesters that are not allowing ICE agents to enter in or out of the federal building, Im said. Were currently out at scene addressing the issues. Advertisement Activists said police issued a dispersal order about 9 p.m. No one was arrested. Immigration authorities said this week their enforcement operation began Sunday and focuses on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. This means that, ideally, we are working with local police and county jails to identify public safety threats in their custody, who are also in the country illegally, for deportation, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Sarah Rodriguez. But uncooperative jurisdictions such as Los Angeles, she added, have forced ICE agents to conduct at-large arrests in the community, putting officers, the general public and the aliens at greater risk, and increasing the incidence of collateral arrests. Advertisement alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com Twitter: @AleneTchek UPDATES: 11 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the organizers. Advertisement This article was originally published at 9:30 p.m. Stock Exchange Notice Date: 16 February 2018 GC Rieber Shipping: 4-month charter for Polar Queen GC Rieber Shipping has entered into a time charter agreement with a European offshore client for the CSV vessel Polar Queen for a fixed period of four months with options to extend by up to one month. With this charter, all GC Rieber Shipping subsea vessels have secured contracts for the summer season 2018. The Polar Queen will be used in British sector to perform walk-to-work duties and commencement will be in May 2018. "We are pleased to see Polar Queen build on her success in the walk-to-work market and secure a new substantial charter with Tier 1 clients. With this charter, GC Rieber Shipping is sold out for the summer of 2018. Both Polar King and Polar Onyx are now on solid long terms charters, and the agreement for Polar Queen proves the robustness of our crew and organizational capabilities", said GC Rieber Shipping CEO, Christian W. Berg. For further information, please contact: Christian W. Berg, CEO, phone: +47 974 05 553 Christoffer Knudsen, Director of Chartering, phone: +47 926 18 226 About GC Rieber Shipping: GC Rieber Shipping's business within offshore/shipping includes ownership in specialized vessels, high quality marine ship management and project development within the segments subsea, ice/support and marine seismic. The group has a specialized competence in offshore operations in harsh environments as well as design, development and maritime operation of offshore vessels. GC Rieber Shipping currently operates and has direct and indirect ownership in 11 advanced special purpose vessels for defined markets within the subsea, ice/support and marine seismic segments. The company has its headquarter and a ship management office in Bergen, and an additional ship management company in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia). The company is listed on Oslo Brs with ticker RISH. Further information is available on the company's website www.gcrieber-shipping.com. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. A California man who pleaded guilty to identity theft as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was a self-described digital marketing strategist who once ran a website that helped people get around security measures for online marketplaces such as Amazon and EBay. Richard Pinedo, 28, of Santa Paula, pleaded guilty this month to one count of identity fraud as part of the investigation, according to court documents made public Friday by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Though Fridays news linked Pinedo to the ever-expanding investigation into Russias role in President Trumps election night victory, his attorney painted him as an unwitting accomplice who has been cooperative ever since he was contacted by investigators. He was obviously shocked and his response was to acknowledge his wrongdoing, take responsibility and assist the special counsels office in their investigation, attorney Jeremy Lessem said in an interview with The Times. Advertisement Mueller announced charges against 13 Russians and three Russian companies Friday, alleging they used stolen banking information, fake campaign events and hundreds of social media accounts to tilt the 2016 election in Trumps favor. The indictment, apparently quoting internal Russian documents, said the operation began with a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system in general. Over time, however, its focus became bolstering Trumps chances and disparaging his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. According to court documents, Pinedo operated an online auction service called Auction Essistance that offered a variety of services designed to circumvent the security features of large online digital payment companies. The companys LinkedIn page touts Auction Essistance as a haven for users who have been unfairly banned from Amazon or EBay because of negative reviews or false allegations. More and more people have found out that EBay has suspended their accounts or have sided with buyers for ridiculous claims that these buyers have filed.... One negative comment or feedback on your Amazon seller account and you are banned, the companys online biography reads. We are committed to helping you to get back to selling or begin to sell for first timers. Through the company, Pinedo sold bank account numbers to users, according to court documents. He often purchased stolen bank information over the internet before selling it to his clients. Pinedo confessed to selling some stolen accounts to users outside the United States, including those the special counsels office accused of being involved in the plot to swing the election. While the criminal charge against Pinedo says he knowingly dealt with people outside the U.S. both in buying and selling account numbers a law enforcement official told The Times there is no evidence that he knew he was dealing with a Russian intelligence operation. He profited tens of thousands of dollars from the sale of banking information online through Auction Essistance, according to court documents. Advertisement In a statement released Friday, Lessem acknowledged his clients guilt, but contended he had no knowledge of a Russian plot to manipulate the election. Through an online website, Mr. Pinedo sold bank information, which allowed individuals to fraudulently verify and establish accounts with online financial institutions. Doing so was a mistake, and Mr. Pinedo has accepted full responsibility for his actions, Lessem said. However, Mr. Pinedo had absolutely no knowledge of the identities and motivations of any of the purchasers of the information he provided. To the extent that Mr. Pinedos actions assisted any individuals, including foreign nationals, in interfering in the American presidential election was done completely without his knowledge or understanding. Pinedo had no prior criminal convictions, according to court records. He is not in custody, according to Lessem, who declined to disclose his clients whereabouts. Advertisement Lessem would not say when Pinedo became aware of the fact that he was doing business with a Russian intelligence operation. The attorney did not know Pinedos political views, nor did he know who his client voted for in 2016, if at all. Lessem said Pinedo had dealings with some of the defendants listed in the indictment, but stressed that those interactions represented a small piece of his clients overall business. Pinedo was the only employee of Auction Essistance, according to documents filed with the California secretary of states office. Said Lessem: Its not as if everyone he was working with was part of this overall scheme. This was not the typical client of his online enterprise. Pinedo could serve 12 to 18 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, but Lessem said many factors could lead to a different punishment. A sentencing date has not been set. Advertisement Online, Pinedo described himself as a digital marketing strategist who touted his skills at increasing website traffic for businesses, according to his LinkedIn page. Being able to come up with creative ideas, strategies & coming up with solutions to problems is always a big plus for me, his online biography reads. A photo on the LinkedIn page shows him with a wide smile and dark, slick-backed hair. His LinkedIn page says he worked at Auction Essistance from 2012 to 2014, but federal court documents say his time with the company lasted until 2017. The company was registered with the California secretary of states office in 2013, based at what appears to be Pinedos home address in Santa Paula. The company was dissolved in February 2015, and Pinedo listed himself as the organizations sole member. Advertisement The companys website, Facebook page and Twitter account were no longer available on Friday afternoon. Pinedo also published an e-book in 2013 titled EBay Incognito! described as a guide to teaching users how to operate in online marketplaces after their accounts were suspended. According to his LinkedIn page, Pinedo was also the marketing director at a Ventura County search optimization firm named SEO Distortion from March 2014 to October 2017. The companys listed phone number is the same as the phone number Pinedo provided on his LinkedIn page. A call to that number was not returned Friday. Pinedo also had a brief stint as a sales associate at LA Fitness, and his online resume said he attended Ventura College, studying for a computer science associates degree. A college spokeswoman said Pinedo did not graduate from Ventura College. Advertisement Two unclaimed Amazon boxes and a gray cat sat Friday outside the door of the white Santa Paula residence where Pinedo lives. When approached by reporters, a man who identified himself as Pinedos father handed out a paper with contact information for his sons lawyer. He declined to discuss the indictment. The familys neighbors also declined to comment on Pinedos guilty plea. A television news truck sat parked across the street from the residence for hours in the afternoon, with cameras and cellphones aimed at the door. Los Angeles Times staff writers David S. Cloud and Joseph Tanfani contributed from Washington. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Advertisement james.queally@latimes.com UPDATES: 5:20 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Pinedos attorney 3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about Richard Pinedo. Advertisement This article was first published at 2:15 p.m. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against an admitted gang member accused of killing his cousin before fatally shooting one Whittier police officer and wounding another, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office announced Friday. Michael C. Mejia, 27, a convicted felon with a history of drug possession and violent criminal activity, is accused of killing his cousin, Roy Torres, in East Los Angeles last February before fleeing with Torres car and crashing into two other vehicles at a Whittier intersection. When police Officers Keith Boyer, 53, and Patrick Hazell arrived at the scene of the accident and ordered Mejia out of his car, he opened fire on them, prosecutors said. Mejia killed Boyer and wounded Hazell, authorities said. Mejia was wounded during the gun battle. Advertisement He was charged with two counts of murder and one count each of attempted murder, carjacking and possession of a firearm by a felon, authorities said. He also faces special circumstance allegations of multiple murders, the murder of a police officer and murder to escape arrest, making him eligible for the death penalty. Mejia is being held without bail and was ordered to return to court April 6 for a pretrial hearing. After the shooting, Mejia was taken to a hospital and initially booked for violating probation. At the time of the killings, he was under the supervision of the L.A. County Probation Department. Mejia had been jailed and released for violating probation five times since the summer of 2016. Mejia had previously served a prison sentence for grand theft auto and earlier had been sentenced to four years in prison for robbery and gang membership. The Feb. 20 slayings came just over a week after he finished his latest jail stint. Sheriffs homicide investigators said that while on probation Mejia repeatedly served short jail sentences for violations including possessing narcotics and fleeing police officers. Some critics blame criminal justice reform legislation, particularly Assembly Bill 109, for putting Mejia back on the street. In response to prison overcrowding, Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011 spearheaded AB 109, which shifted many inmates from state prisons to county jails. The measure also allowed some inmates to serve a split sentence, with part of the time on probation instead of behind bars. State corrections officials have said that AB 109 played no role in Mejias release and that he served his full prison terms. Advertisement Two L.A. County supervisors have launched an investigation into the probation departments handling of Mejia and why his probation had not been revoked. The shooting was cited repeatedly as a reason to create a blue-ribbon commission to study the impact of state criminal justice reforms in the county. Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report. sarah.parvini@latimes.com For more California news follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini The cases against a man and his girlfriend accused of trying to smuggle endangered sea life through the San Ysidro Port of Entry concluded this month with very different results. Alan Ren, owner of two Chinese restaurants in New York, was sentenced Feb. 2 to 10 months in prison, fined $7,500 and ordered to pay $16,600 in restitution after pleading guilty last year. Wei Wei Wang took the case to trial and was acquitted in federal court in San Diego on Wednesday of all four charges, including smuggling and unlawful importation of wildlife. The couple was stopped at the border in February 2016 as they tried to cross. Ren, who was driving, told the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer that they were going to do some shopping and had nothing to declare, court records say. But the officer spotted suitcases and garbage bags in the back of the minivan and asked what was inside. Advertisement Ren first said clothing, but then admitted there were sea cucumbers for friends and family. The officer found 172 pounds of dried sea cucumber protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and 83 pounds of frozen black abalone, an endangered species found off California and Baja California. Both items require proper authorization to bring into the United States. The seafood was seized, but Ren and Wang were released. Three months after the stop, Ren produced two receipts from a seafood vendor in Ensenada that falsely claimed to be invoices for the products. In his plea agreement, he admitted he did not have the proper permits to import or export the seafood, or to act as a commercial importer of fish or wildlife. Some of the seafood was found in luggage that appeared to belong to Wang, who was sharing an apartment in Tijuana with Ren at the time of the border crossing, prosecutors said. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Advertisement Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Trial opened Thursday in the alleged murder of 2-year-old Jahi Turner, with a prosecutor saying evidence will show what really happened to the child back in 2002 when his stepfather reported him missing, and the defense saying there is no such evidence. The boys body was never found after Tieray Jones made a 911 call from a Golden Hill neighborhood playground, telling San Diego police his stepson disappeared while his back was turned for 15 minutes. Deputy District Attorney Bill Mitchell told San Diego Superior Court jurors they will hear testimony from people who were at the park on April 25, 2002, and never saw the man and boy. Also, he said, neighbors would describe Jones tossing out large trash bags a day earlier, and that entries from his journal indicated the boy suffered a major head injury. Jahi suffered a massive injury on April 23 that rendered him unable to walk or talk, Mitchell said. After that, he added, Jahi was never seen or heard from again. Advertisement Mitchell said there was no credible evidence that Jahi was ever at the park. He told jurors that after hearing all the evidence, you will know what happened to Jahi Turner. Investigators believe Jahi was killed or died of a severe untreated trauma and dumped in trash that ended up in a landfill. Jones is charged with murder and child abuse leading to death. He could face life in prison if convicted. Deputy Public Defender Courtney Cutter presented a different view, that Jones past behavior and his journal revealed his love for the boy and his willingness to care for him as his own. Tameka Jones gave birth to Jahi, son of her previous boyfriend Tramane Sampson, in Maryland in 2000. She joined the Navy and married Jones in 2001. The couple came to San Diego in 2002. She had left Jahi in her mothers care, but brought him to San Diego on April 21, 2002. She deployed the next day on the amphibious ship Rushmore. Jones kept a journal to share with his wife when she returned from her Navy duties. Cutter showed jurors a March 2002 journal entry in which Jones asks if his wife would give Jahi his last name, adding, I think of him as a son. He also wrote about buying two sets of bunk beds, anticipating that the couple would have more children. Advertisement He was an imperfect father, but not a reluctant one, Cutter said, noting that Jones was using marijuana the day he reported Jahi missing. She said Jones became a suspect in the eyes of investigators almost immediately. Mitchell pointed to Jones inconsistent statements and lies to police. Cutter said because of Jones drug use, detectives began viewing him through a filter and that filter colored everything they did. After a two-year investigation, Cutter said, police and the District Attorneys Office put the case on hold in 2004, unable to prove Tieray had killed this beautiful child he loved. Advertisement Tameka Jones took the stand, describing how she and Jones got married, had a second son in 2003, then divorced in 2013. She said Tieray Jones was occasionally in her life and her sons since his birth. The trial is expected to resume Friday and last until the end of March. Advertisement pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for more than three hours Thursday in what both sides predicted would be two days of difficult talks after months of badly fraying relations between Washington and its NATO ally in Ankara. An unsmiling Erdogan received Tillerson at the presidential palace. After their meeting, Tillerson would only tell reporters, Were still working. The diplomatic push came a day after Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis held a tense meeting with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Brussels. Mattis indicated later that the two sides were still struggling to resolve differences, saying sometimes war just gives you bad alternatives to choose from. Advertisement Turkey, which hosts a major U.S. air base, has demanded that the Trump administration stop arming and training a Kurdish militia in northern Syria. Ankara argues the U.S.-backed Kurds share personnel and ideology with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a terrorist group that has waged a deadly insurgency inside Turkey. Washington, which sees the Kurdish fighters as crucial to defeating Islamic State, has refused. Turkey launched a military offensive last month against Afrin, a Kurdish-held enclave in northwestern Syria, and has threatened to push about 60 miles east to Manbij, where U.S. troops are deployed with Kurdish forces. Ankara has urged Washington to move its forces out of the way, but the Trump administration has said it has no plans to withdraw. U.S. officials fear the dispute with Turkey will distract from efforts to defeat Islamic State. The militants have been pushed into a sliver of land near the Iraqi border, but still pose a terrorist threat. There is no question that the situation in Afrin has taken the focus away from Islamic State, said Col. Ryan Dillon, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq and Syria. He said the battle in Afrin has drawn not only Kurdish fighters from elsewhere in Syria, but also Arab and Christian fighters who want to help them. U.S. officials say that Washington recognizes Turkeys legitimate security concerns about Kurdish militants but that Ankara must show restraint in the volatile region. Advertisement We are urging them to show restraint in their operations in Afrin and to show restraint further along the line across the border in northern Syria, said a senior State Department official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. Turkey also is angry at U.S. criticism of the jailing of tens of thousands of people after a failed military coup in 2016, and Washingtons refusal to extradite a Turkish cleric in Pennsylvania who Ankara blames for the coup. The Trump administration complains in turn of attacks on protesters by Erdogans guards when he visited Washington last year, and the arrests of civilian employees at U.S. diplomatic facilities in Turkey. The rupture in relations is so severe that the two nominal allies stopped issuing visas to each others citizens for months last year. Advertisement Before Tillerson arrived, Erdogan railed against the United States in a speech to the Turkish parliament in Ankara. He threatened to give Washington an Ottoman slap and suggested he might withdraw from NATO. We declare that we will destroy every terrorist we have seen starting from the ones standing with [the U.S.] side, Erdogan said. Then they will understand that it is better for them not to stand with the terrorists which they rub their backs on. Turkey has threatened to purchase Russian military equipment, including air-defense missiles and radar, that might not be compatible with NATO systems, or could give Moscow access to NATO intelligence. On Sunday, H.R. McMaster, the White House national security advisor, met with Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin in Istanbul to discuss the Kurdish militias. The disparity appeared to reflect the chill in relations, although Turkish officials said they still hope Washington will take notice of their concerns. Advertisement Bilateral relations can still be rescued, the pro-government Daily Sabah paper wrote in an editorial addressed to Tillerson. However, as things stand, Turkey will not lift a finger to please you. It is about time you thought carefully and did something that made Ankara happy. Special correspondent Farooq reported from Istanbul, and Times staff writers Zavis and Wilkinson from Beirut and Baghdad, respectively. alexandra.zavis@latimes.com Twitter: @alexzavis Advertisement tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter Despite facing an $18 million deficit, the San Diego City Council wants money for arts, police and homelessness. Mayor Kevin Faulconer will use the council suggestions to craft the proposed budget hes scheduled to unveil on April 12. The projected deficit will make it harder for the mayor to include all of the requests, especially on arts funding. Funding for the arts, police officer recruiting, homelessness and flood channel clearing are among San Diego City Council priorities for new spending despite the city facing a roughly $18M projected deficit in the upcoming budget year. Other priorities included in council budget memos are stepped up enforcement of San Diegos minimum wage law, funding implementation of the citys ambitious climate action plan and a wide variety of infrastructure projects. Mayor Kevin Faulconer and his staff will use the memos to help craft the proposed budget hes scheduled to unveil April 12 for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The projected deficit will make it harder for the mayor to include all of the requests, especially on arts funding, where he proposes to spend $10.4 million and six of nine council members want significantly more. Advertisement Last year the city faced a deficit for the first time since Faulconer was elected mayor in 2014, and it was also the first time the mayor used his line-item veto to slash funding for several council priorities. Among suggestions for expanded homelessness programs is additional staffing for the Police Departments psychiatric emergency response team, considered a crucial tool with so many local homeless suffering from mental illness. Council members also want to expand a Fire Department program that identifies chronic, high-volume users of the citys emergency medical system and works to connect them with less expensive resources that can meet their needs. On police officer recruiting, some council members want the mayor to fund a pilot housing incentive program and an in-depth analysis of why so many officers have been leaving the department in recent years. The city has less money to close the deficit than previously expected because of recent spending to combat the hepatitis A outbreak and Decembers wildfires. City finance officials had expected to have nearly $18 million in excess cash when the current budget year ends June 30, but they recently lowered that estimate to $12.3 million. The council memos suggest several other ways to close the deficit, including revising upward revenue estimates from the citys new cannabis tax and a delay in restoring the citys pension reserve, which was wiped out by last years deficit. Some also want to suspend a requirement from 2016 voter-approved Proposition H that half of all new revenue growth be spent on infrastructure. A two-thirds vote of the council to suspend that could free up more than $15 million. Advertisement During a Monday council hearing on city budget priorities, leaders of the local arts community said it would be shortsighted to cut their funding because they have a $1.1 billion economic impact on the region. Considering the exceptional economic impact, together with the inherent and intrinsic value, it is quite honestly baffling that arts and culture are once again being imperiled as a prime target for budget cuts, said Peter Comiskey, executive director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership. The mayor set arts spending for the coming budget year at $10.4 million in this winters financial outlook, which would be a cut from $14.6 million this budget year. He proposed a similar cut in the proposed budget he unveiled last April, but council members restored nearly all of the money before a final budget was adopted in June. Advertisement Six of nine council members the panels five Democrats and Republican Lorie Zapf said in their memos the city should try to honor its commitment to arts spending under a program called Penny for the Arts. The program, which the council approved in 2012, is a commitment to ramp up arts spending to the same percentage the arts received before years of steady cuts began after 2002. The $10.4 million Faulconers budget proposes is more than the $9.8 million the city spent on arts just three years ago. Comiskey said the money has a multiplier effect, helping many arts organizations secure private donations. Advertisement The investment in arts and culture that is threatened, some $5 million, has an impact that outweighs the amount by many, many times, he said. If there are cuts to arts funding, they should be based on previous allotments, he said. We understand there may be a need for arts and culture to take a proportionate share of the cut that is being shared by the city, but that should only be 2 percent off that $14.6 million, he said. Advertisement david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick Fire destroyed an apparently abandoned house in Southcrest on Thursday evening, a San Diego police officer said. The fire was reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. at a home on Gamma Street, off south 38th Street, San Diego police Officer Robert Heims said. Neighboring homes were evacuated as firefighters fought the blaze, he said. No further information was immediately available. Advertisement teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com (760) 529-4945 Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT Six weeks after the state began licensing marijuana farming and sales, officials have received a flood of complaints about illegal pot operations and demands for a start to tough enforcement. Many of the 304 complaints received in recent weeks are from newly licensed businesses that say they are being harmed financially by the continuing illegal market. That was a prevalent concern voiced by license holders when a citizens panel providing advice on cannabis regulation received an earful this week from licensed operators in Sacramento. We really need enforcement in California given that the local licensees are really having to fight against the black market, Stephanie Hopper, a representative of the firm Canndescent, which grows and sells marijuana in California, told the panel. Advertisement Hopper said illicit businesses are driving down the price of marijuana. Enforcement is needed to make sure that we actually stand up this industry and that the regulated people actually have an opportunity to thrive. The state Bureau of Cannabis Control acknowledges the problem and plans to begin issuing citations to illegal pot businesses in the near future, said Lori Ajax, chief of the agency. Ajax noted that marijuana firms only began operating with state licenses Jan. 1 and said her inspectors have responded to many early complaints with educational warnings about what the operations have to do to become licensed and comply with restrictions. We are getting complaints, she said. Its from a variety of people, from reporting unlicensed activities to advertising to products and packaging and labeling issues. The agency has issued 1,204 licenses so far to firms transporting and selling marijuana. Asked why no citations have been issued, Ajax said, We dropped a lot of regulations on them, and I think there is a lot they are still trying to learn. This first round of inspections was more focused on education, she added. Weve pointed out areas where we say, This needs to improve or change. As we go back around again, you are going to see us starting to issue citations. Advertisement Mark Pelter, owner of the River City Phoenix marijuana shop in Sacramento, urged state officials to investigate the many advertisements on the internet that appear to be from illegal marijuana operations. I would hope there would be a special task force for enforcement that would use these postings as an investigation tool, find out if these are illegal operations and take appropriate action, Pelter told members of the state Cannabis Advisory Committee during its hearing on enforcement Tuesday. A subcommittee of the panel agreed to seek better regulations of advertisements to identify illegal operations. San Jose Police Sgt. David Woolsey, a member of the committee, said some illegal operations are hard to track down on the internet. Advertisement Unlicensed activity is obviously a problem, and it needs to be enforced against, he said. Its often hard to identify who is behind an illegal business if they dont have a storefront that is bold and in your face on the street. Updates from Sacramento Local police departments have asked the state for help in enforcement, citing their limited resources that are devoted primarily to dealing with violent crime. The Los Angeles Police Department has shut down eight illegal pot shops since Jan. 1, including one last week near a school in Pacoima. But there are 200 to 300 other unlicensed marijuana businesses still operating just in Los Angeles, LAPD Deputy Chief John Sherman said. Advertisement We do have ongoing challenges with unauthorized establishments, with illegal clandestine operations, Sherman told reporters Wednesday. The coordination of enforcement efforts between the state and local governments was the focus of a meeting held this week by representatives of Gov. Jerry Brown and law enforcement, including the California Police Chiefs Assn. Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), a retired sergeant for the California Highway Patrol who has met with the governors aides, said the Bureau of Cannabis Control doesnt have enough inspectors and the attorney generals office doesnt have enough agents to adequately help local authorities control the large illegal market. Theres a lot of conversation going with the attorney generals office and the governors office, Lackey said. I voiced that my biggest concern is the illegal marijuana going out of California, because that clearly makes us a target for federal intervention. Advertisement Lackey hopes more resources for enforcement will be included by the governor in his budget revision in May. We believe that local police departments need help when it comes to organized criminals operating across the state, Lackey said. We have cartel influence that is organized. Representatives of the governor and attorney general did not respond to requests for comment on the issue. Lackey has proposed that the California Highway Patrol take the lead against the black market, including distribution networks that transport marijuana out of California to states where it is not legal. Advertisement Warren Stanley, who was appointed by Brown last week as commissioner of the CHP, said his officers are well trained and on the lookout for vehicles illegally transporting marijuana. He said his agency is prepared to take on any role approved by the governor and Legislature. Were always concerned about illegal drugs on our roadways and in the communities that we serve, Stanley said. We do everything we can to help other law enforcement agencies with that and do what we can to get [drugs] out of our communities. patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 Advertisement Updates on California politics Updates from Sacramento After another school shooting, words fail us. Worse, words seem wasted. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has written too many editorials in recent years about the nations gun violence, advocating for reasonable solutions, a respectful debate, any sort of response at all. What has Congress done? Nothing. (Feb. 16s Opinion page ) Advertisement Some people may call todays editorial a stunt, an abdication of a role we take seriously every day. To them, I say its white space is a way to show Congress weve lost our faith in it on this crucial issue, to shame its leaders into doing something. Those in control of Congress unconscionably refuse to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines or take other limited steps many gun violence experts agree will keep military-style weapons out of the wrong peoples hands. We could have offered words of comfort or advocated again for change today. Instead, our point is more pointed. It merits the unusual treatment, something rare and maybe unprecedented for us. As todays editorial makes clear, we expect Congress to do nothing even though three of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have happened in the past four months, even though 19 of the 34 worst have happened since 2007. President Donald Trump in his remarks to the nation Thursday didnt even bring the issue of guns up. We do, of course, respect supporters of the Second Amendment and realize that the vast majority of Americas gun owners are responsible. But this pattern of mass shootings is too predictable now. The issue is exceedingly complex, but enough is enough. Its time to do something different. Its time to do something. In 2001, I was the first reporter on scene at the Santana High School shooting in Santee that left two dead and 13 wounded. My first interview was with a shaken 15-year-old who was in the bathroom when a gunman his age came in to reload. My last interview was with the devastated mother of a 17-year-old who died. He wanted to help people, she told me in her living room. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, I wrote a column about the national discussion on gun control and mental illness and made a conscious decision and a point not to mention the killers name. A few days later, I wrote a column on guns in which I interviewed a gun shop owner in La Mesa whose store is a stones throw from an elementary school. I can guarantee you that if something were to happen at that school, that doors going to lock, and my ass is going to be running over there to help out, one of the gun store owners told me. I share this to show the issue is complex. I get it. Since 2016, as editorial and opinion director, Ive written or edited numerous gun-violence editorials to suggest what should be done. After 49 people were slaughtered in an Orlando nightclub in June 2016, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board again advocated for an assault rifle ban, an improved federal background check system and a gun debate that didnt devolve into histrionics. Advertisement Our headline? How to have a gun debate everyone wins. So much for that debate. In October, we wrote an editorial after 58 people were killed at a concert in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Gun violence is no longer a question of if because its no longer a question, we wrote, resigned to a country that would not change its gun laws. Advertisement Then came November, and the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left 26 dead. We again advocated for an assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban while noting that the bill being backed by some in Congress explicitly allows Americans to keep the weapons and magazines they already legally own. Three months later, here we are again. Seventeen people shot to death at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, hailed as the safest city in the state by a trade association just last year. Four members of our editorial board struggled at a morning meeting to find the words to share with readers that might make a difference, might make a point. We chose no words at all. Were frustrated. And frightened. Every member of our editorial board is a parent. We want to comfort our kids every day. We want them to be safe. To that end, that we expect Congress to do nothing now doesnt mean you should do nothing. Write your congressional leaders if you want. But talk to your children. Talk to us. Advertisement If you are a parent with school-age children or a student, wed like to hear from you. Has your family had discussions about school shootings? What was said and how did it go? What needs to be said? What needs to be done? We may publish your responses, so please include your name and city or neighborhood, if in San Diego, and a phone number that we wont publish but will use to verify that you are the author. Please limit your responses to 200 words and send them to opinion@sduniontribune.com. Its time to do something. Hall is the editorial and opinion director for The San Diego Union-Tribune. He can be reached at matthew.hall@sduniontribune.com or on Twitter, @SDuncovered. Unauthorized immigration and the inflow of illegal drugs are consistently portrayed as major U.S.-Mexico border problems. Neither drugs nor immigrants originate in the Mexican border region nor do most of them terminate in the U.S. border region. They are border problems in the sense that U.S. policy has focused on fighting illegal drugs and unauthorized immigrant inflows at the border. For both drugs and immigration, U.S. policy-makers have focused on controlling supply. The problem is that supply is driven by demand and not the other way around. If people with the ability to pay want something, someone will find a way to supply it. Supply-side policy can make acquiring a good more expensive, but as long as demand is strong for illegal drugs and cheap labor, they will be supplied. The war on drugs was initiated in 1971 by President Richard Nixon. For the past 47 years, this war has continued and despite spending over $1 trillion, there is no sign of a decrease in illegal drug use or its supply. With each failure, policy-makers only solution has been to increase money, manpower and technology for the drug war. When heavy policing blocks one drug corridor, others open. Increased enforcement increases risk and hence price and profit in drugs. Advertisement Strong, militarized enforcement has resulted in a stronger militarized response by well-financed drug cartels and increased corruption, violence and death, but not a decrease in the flow of drugs. It seems that 47 years of failure might be an impetus for policy-makers to try a different approach. What would drug policy look like if we decided to fight drugs from the demand side? For starters, it would mean treating drug use as a health problem rather than a criminal activity and allocating a lot more money for drug rehabilitation. This coupled with education about the health effects of various drugs along with increased availability of mental health services has a much better chance for success than the failed war on drugs. Fewer people would be jailed for criminal use of drugs, saving $30,000 per year per person cost of incarceration for each of 500,000 now in U.S. prisons on drug-related charges. High taxes on legal drugs, alcohol, and nicotine (and in some states marijuana), can finance regulation, drug rehabilitation and education about the negative health effects of drugs. Nicotine is a successful example of this approach. Cigarette smoking has not been eliminated, but its use is significantly reduced. Politically, the downside of this approach is that it forces us to lay the blame for high drug use on us, the users, rather than them, the suppliers. What we know is that where there is demand, one way or the other there will continue to be supply. The importance of demand for immigration is well illustrated by its dramatic drop when the U.S. economy crashed in 2008. During 2009 and 2010, the number of Mexican immigrants fell to a trickle and about 1 million existing unauthorized migrants returned to Mexico. During the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, Border Patrol arrest rates, used to estimate unauthorized migration rates, fell to the lowest on record. A demand side approach to unauthorized labor would require, first, to fill labor shortages by insuring a sufficient supply of legal migrant workers and second, to enforce the law against hiring unauthorized workers by holding employers responsible for non-compliance. To do this, the U.S. government would need to supply an adequate number of legal visas to meet demand. In 2016, the government issued 134,000 H-2A visas for legal agricultural workers, about 10 percent of the 1.3 million farm workers employed. Enforcement at the workplace would mean holding employers responsible for hiring unauthorized workers by issuing large fines and perhaps jail sentences for repeat offenders, no longer allowing employers to hide behind feigned ignorance. Instead of a new wall, the U.S. needs a) strategies that reduce the demand for drugs, b) revised labor policy to insure an adequate supply of authorized workers, and c) significant penalties for employers hiring unauthorized workers. These changes would save billions of dollars and allow for more productive economic interrelations with our southern neighbors. A bigger, better wall is unlikely to lower the supply of drugs or the flow of unauthorized immigrants any more than past efforts. There is no wall so high you cant fly over it, so low you cant dig under it or so wide you cant go around it. Advertisement Anderson, Ph.D., professor emerita of economics, University of San Diego, is co-author of Fifty Years of Change on the U.S.. Mexico Border, University of Texas Press, 2008. DENVER, Colorado, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SKY Digital Holdings Corp. today announced that it has received approval from FINRA for a name change from SKY Digital Holdings Corp (Ticker symbol SKYC) to Qualis Innovations Inc. with a new ticker symbol (OTC:SKYCD). The name change will be effective at opening on February 14, 2018. The new symbol will be SKYCD. The D will be removed in 20 business days and the symbol will change to QLIS. FINRA has also approved a one for 1,000 reverse split. The reverse split will also take effect February 14, 2018 at opening. Qualis Innovations Inc. is an acquisition company that intends on making acquisitions in the consumer, healthcare sector or emerging technologies sector. The acquisitions the company will focus on can be of emerging companies or young companies in need of capital that can grow significantly in size overtime by developing new products or executing on the marketing of existing products . The characteristics that the company are high and sustainable margins in industries that are growing and that are fragmented. The Company has a new Board of Directors: Richard J. Prati, a seasoned business executive, investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and hands-on turnaround specialist, has served as Chief Executive Officer of Life Care Medical Devices since 2013 (www.lcmd.com), and CEO of Prati Management, a small Family Office since 2012. LCMD is an innovative non-invasive company utilizing electromagnetic induction to target the aesthetics space and seeking to address multiple other conditions as well. Richard has over 20 years of proven financial leadership and operational execution in investment banking, institutional equity sales, and professional investment management. Dr. Richard Oliver received a BA degree from Monmouth College with a Major in Biology. After college, Dr. Oliver served a short term in the US Navy during the Vietnam conflict until acceptance to medical school. After graduating from Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine and Science in Chicago, Dr. Oliver came to Denver to set up practice. Within a few years, Dr. Oliver founded LKB Surgical Center in Denver and became the CEO and Chief of Surgery for the Center. During his time in practice in Denver, Dr. Oliver became one of the chief officers of the surgical department at Rocky Mountain Osteopathic Hospital. Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure: This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. In this context, forward-looking statements may address the Company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipates," "beliefs," "estimates," "expects," "intends," " plans," "seeks," "will," and other terms with similar meaning. These forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Although the Company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements based are reasonable, it can provide no assurances that these assumptions will prove to be correct. All forward-looking statements in this press release are expressly qualified by such cautionary statements, risk, and uncertainties, and by reference to the underlying assumptions. If Elon Musk can put a Tesla in space, it begs the question: Why on Earth can he not hire more women and minorities? The SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch was stunning. Watching the twin boosters land side by side with reverse thrusters precisely guiding them to the ground was awe-inspiring. It was unexpectedly moving to hear Starman while watching a mannequin chill in a Tesla Roadster far above the planet. However, watching the video of the launch, there was one glaring problem: The shot of the SpaceX employees cheering revealed a sea of almost entirely white men. The lack of diversity in tech is not a new or unnoticed issue. Studies abound on how diversity leads to stronger companies, higher revenues and more effective teams (https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/is-there-a-payoff-from-top-team-diversity; https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter). Somehow Musk is either unaware of these studies or just doesnt care (https://www.wired.com/story/why-men-dont-believe-the-data-on-gender-bias-in-science). The former is unimaginable, as any CEO should know about this data. Its easier to imagine that he doesnt believe that these studies apply to his companies. Either way, hes made a critical mistake. Advertisement What SpaceX did was incredible, and it was clear watching the footage of the launch that few women and minorities were able to participate in making that happen. Whether the issue is hiring, promotion, retention, and/or the general climate and culture and it is very likely all of these things, as they are interrelated they are barely present at SpaceX. It sucks for women and minorities that they dont get to lead or even equitably participate in these endeavors, and it sucks for SpaceX, which would be doing even more innovative work with a diverse workforce. Both SpaceX and Tesla have declined to publish their diversity numbers. A report from 2016 found that only 14 percent of employees at SpaceX are women (https://electrek.co/2016/03/07/tesla-and-spacex-standout-in-tech-employee-survey-for-the-most-stressful-and-lowest-paying-jobs-but-also-most-meaningful/), which is low even by tech standards. While one woman (flight reliability engineer Lauren Lyons) spoke during the launch broadcast, the live feed of the SpaceX employees cheering made the poor diversity statistics of the company all too obvious. If SpaceX is remotely similar to other tech companies, their likely response would be, But we do care! We have tried to increase our numbers. There just arent many qualified women and minorities to hire. We know that thats not true, and instead women and minorities are too often overlooked. Or they might say We do hire them, but they choose not to stay here. In other words, the problem isnt us, its them. This would be a facile response. The methods required to hire and retain women and minorities in tech are well-known. If Musk can send a Tesla into space, he can hire and promote more women and minorities. This is doable, and its a lot easier than other things hes trying. SpaceX should partner with an organization like Project Include (https://projectinclude.org) to become an inclusive organization. Musk doesnt need to reinvent the wheel; he needs to work with people who know how to do this. It involves tracking each step of the process, starting with recruitment and continuing with hiring and promotion processes. It involves looking at how people are being evaluated and promoted to leadership positions. It means assessing and tracking the numbers and being transparent about the results. Elon Musk is a smart guy. He clearly wants to do innovative things and make his companies as successful as possible. Its simply stunning then that hes not been more serious about diversity. This is a solved problem; it isnt rocket science. If he is as committed to advancing the human race as he proposes to be, then why doesnt his expansive vision include half of humanity? Think of what Tesla and SpaceX have already done to reinvent the car and space travel. Then think of how much more they could do if they welcomed and valued women and minorities. Thats stunning vision. Advertisement Coil is an astrophysicist who is a UCSD physics professor; associate dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and faculty equity adviser, division of physical sciences. Heavy public use of mass transit is a great goal to pursue. Its far better for the environment, reduces congestion and can be much cheaper for individuals than owning a vehicle. But three recent stories by reporter Joshua Emerson Smith in The San Diego Union-Tribune offer fresh evidence that political leaders in California strongly overestimate the publics willingness to use mass transit or otherwise stop using their cars. A Jan. 29 report detailed how the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System was changing its bus routes in response to passenger trips dropping from 96.7 million in 2015 to 88.2 million in 2017. After extensive outreach efforts, the MTS approved changes in about 60 of its 95 bus routes, with a focus on service during rush-hour commutes. A Jan. 31 report detailed a survey done by the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies that found public transit ridership was falling across Southern California as more low-income residents buy cars. The survey was commissioned by the Southern California Association of Governments and was based on information from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Imperial counties. It noted that per-capita ridership in the six-county area has been falling since the 1980s, a long-term plunge that accelerated in 2007. A report Monday detailed how San Diego officials had created a misleading impression of how much progress the city had made in reducing the total number of vehicle miles traveled by relying on a grossly inaccurate 2010 estimate of miles driven issued by the San Diego Association of Governments. The story also noted that the Climate Action Campaigns new survey of how local cities were responding to climate change dinged San Diego for its lack of progress in shifting transportation from cars to biking, walking and transit and for saying driving was decreasing when the opposite is the case. Advertisement Why is this a big deal? Because, as Smith wrote, the Climate Action Plan adopted by the city in 2015 calls for 22 percent of all commuters in transit corridors those who live within a half-mile of a major transit stop to bike, walk or take public transportation to work by 2020. The number of people in the city who use such alternative transportation has been stuck around 8 percent for years, according to Census data. Nonetheless, the office of Mayor Kevin Faulconer released a statement asserting that San Diego had laid a solid foundation to reach our climate goals over the next two decades. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has no doubt that climate change is real, that the goals of the citys Climate Action Plan are worthy and that concerted government action can lead to a cleaner planet. But we remain skeptical that our elected leaders are being realistic about changing the behavior of local residents. As the Voice of San Diego has reported, about 60 percent of city residents live within a half-mile of a major transit stop. The idea that so many of these residents some of whom have physical challenges, some who need transportation flexibility to help out family members and friends, and some who just really love their cars will choose to bike, walk or take public transit to work is a fantasy. The Census Bureau reported in 2013 that fewer than 1 in 160 Americans commuted by bicycle. In 2016, data from the League of American Bicyclists showed there wasnt a single major U.S. city where even 7 percent of residents commuted on bikes. Just because City Council members and the mayor signed a legally binding document declaring San Diego was going to accomplish things no American city has come close to accomplishing doesnt mean its going to happen. Heres what the citys Climate Action Plan needs: a solid foundation of candor and honesty on how much it can expect from its citizens. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Advertisement UPDATES: Advertisement This was updated to include more recent bicycle usage statistics at 2 p.m. Feb. 16. A San Diego company whose cameras have been taking captivating images from the surface of Mars and the outer reaches of Jupiter has built on that success, using one of its imagers to photograph Earth and the moon from deep space. The so-called NavCam 1 camera is attached to OSIRIS-REx, a NASA spacecraft thats on a sample return mission to the asteroid Bennu. NavCam1 is part of a three camera system designed and built by Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), which also created imagers for the Mars Curiosity rover and Juno spacecraft, which is now orbiting Jupiter. The OSIRIS-REx photo was part of an engineering test conducted on January 17th, when the spacecraft was nearly 40 million miles from Earth, and traveling at a speed of 19,000 mph, according to NASA. Advertisement The black-and-white image shows a white ball the Earth and a white speck, the moon. Several constellations are also visible in the surrounding space, NASA said in a statement. The bright cluster of stars in the upper left corner is the Pleiades in the Taurus constellation. Hamal, the brightest star in Aries, is located in the upper right corner of the image. The Earth-Moon system is centered in the middle of five stars comprising the head of Cetus the Whale. Saturdays launch of Falcon 9 rocket could be visible from San Diego FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code") 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: HARGREAVE HALE LIMITED (for Discretionary Clients) (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree STADIUM GROUP PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 15 FEBRUARY 2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" NO If YES, specify which: 2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security. (a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any) Class of relevant security: ORDINARY 5p Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 3,402,515 8.9122 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: TOTAL: 3,402,515 8.9122 All interests and all short positions should be disclosed. Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions). (b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options) Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages: 3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in. The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated. (a) Purchases and sales Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit NONE (b) Cash-settled derivative transactions Class of relevant security Product description e.g. CFD Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit NONE (c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options) (i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit NONE (ii) Exercise Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit (d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities) Class of relevant security Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) NONE 4. OTHER INFORMATION (a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" NONE (b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" NONE (c) Attachments Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO Date of disclosure: 16 FEBRUARY 2018 Contact name: DAVID CLUEIT HARGREAVE HALE LTD Telephone number: 01253 754739 Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129. The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. MILESTONE GROUP PLC ("Milestone" or the "Company") Update on Settlement Agreed for October 2016 Placing Milestone (AIM:MSG), the AIM quoted provider of digital media and technology, provides a further update to the announcement made on 22 January 2018 relating to a compromise agreement ("Compromise Agreement") with City of London Markets Limited. Milestone entered into the Compromise Agreement with City of London Markets Limited following the failed placing announced on 20 October 2016 (the "Placing"). In the Placing, a dispute arose between the Company and City of London Markets Limited in relation to the issue and allotment of 83,333,332 shares (the "Shares") at a price of 1.5 pence per share, as the 1.25 million gross proceeds from the Placing were not received by the Company from its placee. City of London Markets Limited has failed to make a payment as per the compromise agreement on the agreed basis. In order to bring this matter to a close the Company has agreed to enter into revised payment terms whereby City of London Markets Limited will pay an amount of 76,000 on an agreed payment schedule by 27 April 2018, the remaining balance of 49,000 is to be paid in quarterly instalments by 30 April 2019. As previously announced the City of London Markets Limited waived all rights to the Placing Shares upon execution of Compromise Agreement. The Company reserves all rights regarding legal pursuit of the matter of the Compromise Agreement should City of London Markets Limited fail to make any future scheduled payment on time. Tony Sanders, Chief Executive Officer commented "It is very disappointing that City of London Markets Limited has failed to honour its agreement entered into on 22 January 2018. The Board has taken the view that it is in the best interest of the Company to close this matter on the revised terms as the cost and use of management time being spent is causing significant disruption to Milestone's business development." This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014. The person who arranged for release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Tony Sanders (Chief Executive Officer). For further information: BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stonehenge Community Development LLC (Stonehenge) announced that it has been awarded a $35 million allocation in the federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program for the 2017 allocation round. Stonehenge Community Development, a subsidiary of Stonehenge Capital and a leading participant in the federal NMTC program since 2003, will use this round of allocation to continue creating high-quality jobs and fostering development in economically distressed communities. The company will invest in businesses located in rural areas as well as communities overlooked or underserved by most investment firms. With each NMTC allocation, Stonehenge strives to prioritize investments that will result in a significant positive impact on minority communities. We are proud of our track record of creating opportunity, lifting marginalized and economically distressed communities and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the country, all while generating new jobs and keeping many more in the United States, said LQuentus Thomas, Director of Stonehenges NMTC investments. We look forward to continuing our mission of providing transformational capital to communities that need it the most. The U.S. Treasurys Community Development Financial Institution Fund (CDFI), which administers the program, allocated $3.5 billion in tax credits to 73 community development entities for 2017. The program seeks to incentivize community development and economic growth by attracting private investment to underserved communities. According to a recent report published by the CDFI, the NMTC program generates over $8 of private investment for every $1 invested by the federal government. In 2017, Stonehenge utilized New Markets Tax Credit allocation to finance a variety of projects, including Williams Sausage Company in Union City, Tennessee. Stonehenge provided $10 million of below market, non-conventional financing to assist the family-owned business build a new factory; the new factory will help bring more than 200 manufacturing jobs to the distressed rural community at a time when the area had suffered substantial job displacement. In downtown Toledo, Ohio, Stonehenge utilized $5 million of New Markets allocation to fund the construction of a nonprofit health care providers headquarters. ProMedicas new central headquarters created 600 new jobs and brought 900 corporate employees to a single facility, bringing new economic vibrancy to the underserved community. We are excited to use this next round of NMTC allocation to provide meaningful and intentional economic and social opportunity to underserved communities, Thomas said. New Market Tax Credits help spur private investment in areas that are experiencing economic stagnation or decline, and we are proud to be a longtime participant in this solution-oriented program. With the announcement of the 2017 tax credit allocations, the total amount invested through the NMTC program since it began in 2002 is $54 billion. Stonehenge Community Development is a subsidiary of Stonehenge Capital Company. More information about Stonehenge is available at http://www.stonehengecapital.com . About Stonehenge Capital: Since 1999, Stonehenge (www.stonehengecapital.com) has operated at the nexus of finance and community development. Stonehenge invests in underserved communities through community development programs in order to improve the economic wellness of the communities and residents. Today, the firms values remain unchanged and Stonehenges role as a catalyst in the success of individuals, businesses and communities is evident through the firms three core business lines: growth capital, tax credit services and community development. Stonehenge utilizes a variety of debt and equity financings to spur economic growth across the country, and has offices in Baton Rouge, New York, Dallas and other locations. Astronomers using data from NASAs extended Kepler mission, known as K2, have discovered 95 new exoplanets, with sizes ranging from mostly rocky super-Earths and fluffy mini-Neptunes to Jupiter-like gaseous giants. NASAs Kepler Space Telescope discovers new extrasolar planets by measuring the subtle dip in a host stars brightness caused by a planet passing in front of the star. In its initial mission, Kepler surveyed just one patch of sky in the northern hemisphere, determining the frequency of planets whose size and temperature might be similar to Earth orbiting Sun-like stars. In the spacecrafts extended mission in 2013, it lost its ability to precisely stare at its original target area, but a brilliant fix created a second life for the telescope that is proving scientifically fruitful. After the fix, Kepler started its K2 mission, which has provided an ecliptic field of view with greater opportunities for Earth-based observatories in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Additionally, the K2 mission is entirely community-driven with all targets proposed by the scientific community. Because it covers more of the sky, the K2 mission is capable of observing a larger fraction of cooler, smaller, red-dwarf type stars, and because such stars are much more common in the Milky Way than Sun-like stars, nearby stars will predominantly be red dwarfs. Exoplanets are a very exciting field of space science. As more planets are discovered, astronomers will develop a much better picture of the nature of exoplanets which in turn will allow us to place our own Solar System into a galactic context, said Andrew Mayo, Ph.D. student at the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark. Mayo and co-authors analyzed hundreds of signals of potential exoplanets thoroughly to determine which signals were created by exoplanets and which were caused by other sources. We started out analyzing 275 candidates of which 149 were validated as real exoplanets. In turn 95 of these planets have proved to be new discoveries, Mayo said. This research has been underway since the first K2 data release in 2014. We found that some of the signals were caused by multiple star systems or noise from the spacecraft. But we also detected planets that range from sub Earth-sized to the size of Jupiter and larger, he added. One of the planets detected by the astronomers was orbiting a very bright star. We validated a planet on a 10-day orbit around a star called HD 212657, which is now the brightest star found by either the Kepler or K2 missions to host a validated planet, Mayo said. Planets around bright stars are important because astronomers can learn a lot about them from ground-based observatories. The discoveries will be published in the Astronomical Journal (arXiv.org preprint). _____ Andrew W. Mayo et al. 2018. 275 Candidates and 149 Validated Planets Orbiting Bright Stars in K2 Campaigns 0-10. AJ, in press; arXiv: 1802.05277 BOSTON, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bynder , a global leader in digital asset management (DAM), today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Shutterstock's digital asset management business, known as Webdam (NYSE:SSTK). The acquisition brings together the respective DAM category leaders from EMEA and North America to create a global organization offering marketing and creative teams with scalable, cloud-based solutions for managing, distributing and collaborating on their digital assets. Marketers today are producing more digital content than ever before, and distributing it across an increasingly complex web of platforms and channels. As a result, digital asset management has moved to the heart of marketing technology where it must scale to support activities across and beyond the enterprise. The acquisition of Webdam highlights Bynders commitment to bring best-in-class DAM to brand-driven businesses of all sizes, globally. Blending the industry knowledge, technological innovation, and geographic strengths of the two companiesincluding heavy investments in artificial intelligence and integrationswill allow Bynder to better address evolving customer needs. Businesses are racing to keep up with the digital economy, in which digital content has become the storefront for your brand. Marketers and creatives play a critical role in developing these digital experiences, so the necessity for DAM is only accelerating, said Chris Hall, founder and CEO of Bynder. Bynder and Webdam are two of the top digital asset management platforms on the market. Were ready to join forces with a fellow leader in the space and develop an unparalleled DAM that businesses integrate at the core of their operations. There is a clear synergy in the culture and product vision between Bynder and Webdam. Thats why we see this as a strategic move that will greatly benefit both our customers, said Bob Hickey, GM of Webdam. We have grown rapidly in the past four years as our customers depend on high quality digital experiences to build their brands. We see this as a great opportunity for our customers continued success and a natural partnership that will help us meet future industry demands. Following closing of the acquisition, there will be no immediate impact for customers of either service, however; users can expect to see an improved, combined offering. This acquisition bolsters Bynders U.S. presence, including the addition of an office in the San Francisco Bay Area. This acquisition comes 1.5 years after Bynders $22m Series A funding with New York City-based Insight Venture Partners. About Bynder Bynder is the fastest way to professionally manage digital files. Its award-winning digital asset management (DAM) platform offers marketers a smart way to find and share creative files such as graphics, videos and documents. More than 250,000 brand managers, marketers and creatives from 450+ organizations like PUMA, innocent drinks and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines use Bynder to organize company files; edit and approve projects in real time; auto-format and resize files; and make the right content available to others at the click of a button. Founded in 2013 by CEO Chris Hall, Bynder is headquartered in Amsterdam with offices in Boston, London, Barcelona, Rotterdam and Dubai. For more information, visit www.bynder.com or follow Bynder on Twitter @Bynder. About Webdam Webdam, a Shutterstock company, is a leader in digital asset management, changing the way marketing and creative teams manage the worlds brands. Founded in 2005, Webdams cloud-based platform powers the visual content that drives impactful brand experiences, and allows brand-building activities to scale across the enterprise and consumer touchpoints. For more information, please visit Webdam.com, and follow Webdam on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET:CN) (CSE:GET.WT) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (FKT:GJT) is pleased to announce that it has signed with the auto dealership and services firm Blue Star Motors to offer its mobile payment solution, Glance Pay. Providing a leading tech solution for our customers gives Blue Star Motors the ability to process payments wherever our customer is, with the added benefit of a loyalty and rewards program. Offering Glance Pay as a payment option helps Blue Star Motors maintain our flexible and competitive advantage, says Blue Star Motors Owner, Rob Libera, I strongly support the technology and the benefits Glance Pay provides. As we continue to target our growth strategy on the North American marketplace, we are excited to have Blue Star Motors be our first partner in the sizable automotive industry, says Glance CEO Desmond Griffin CEO. We believe there are a number of opportunities to streamline the payment experience in the car dealership space. For example, paying for car service, maintenance, and detailing has traditionally been a slow process and has generally lacked loyalty components. We also believe there are opportunities to remotely pay for services in this space, potentially enabling your car to be returned to you when ready. We continue to believe that many industries want a way to offer a better payment experience while building loyalty. The global automotive repair and maintenance services market was estimated to reach a market valuation of US$ 441.3 billion by the end of 2016 according to Future Market Insights (https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/automotive-repair-and-maintenance-services-market). About Glance Technologies Inc. Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to shop, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards & interact with merchants. Glance offers targeted in-app marketing, geo targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in IOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning fast payment processing. Glance also owns an end to end blockchain solution for a rewards based cryptocurrency which is currently being integrated into the Glance Pay app. For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech. For more information, contact: Christina Rao Vice President, Investor Relations (604) 723-7480 investors@glancepay.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward- looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward- looking information is typically identified by words such as: may, "believe", thinks, "expect", exploring, expand, could, "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", plan, pursue, "potentially", should, will and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to the discussion of Glances business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, margins, sales, new products, new licensing arrangements, potential acquisitions, use of proceeds, expenses, profitability, liquidity and capital resources and to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward looking statements in this press release, see the section entitled Risk Factors in the most recent Annual Information Form and Prospectus of Glance, which may be accessed through Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code") 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: Majedie Asset Management Limited (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates: Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree TESCO PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 15 February 2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer? If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" No 2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security. (a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any) Class of relevant security: ORD 5P Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 317,604,250 3.88 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: TOTAL: 317,604,250 3.88 All interests and all short positions should be disclosed. Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions). (b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options) Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages: 3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in. The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated. (a) Purchases and sales Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit ORD 5P Purchase 19,870 203.8738 (b) Cash-settled derivative transactions Class of relevant security Product description e.g. CFD Nature of dealing e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit (c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options) (i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit (ii) Exercise Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit (d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities) Class of relevant security Nature of dealing e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) 4. OTHER INFORMATION (a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer: Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" None (b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to: (i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or (ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced: If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" None (c) Attachments Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO Date of disclosure: 16 February 2018 Contact name: Matthew Hambly Telephone number: 0207 618 3900 Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129. The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk. 'The ideal choice for this role, it reflects Sharp's in depth knowledge of our ports and infrastructure worldwide, garnered from his ten years worth of experience in port operations,' noted Nason. Sharp was previously head of port operations for RCCL across EMEA, as well as chair of port and destination committee within CLIA Europe. Sharp has spent the last 18 months in sales as head of key accounts, reporting to Ben Bouldin, sales director, UK and Ireland, Royal Caribbean International. Carnival Legend, which joins resident Australian sister ship Carnival Spirit for a few months each year, is currently homeported in Melbourne. She left on February 6 for several ports in New Caledonia and is due to return Saturday morning. However, Legends captain stopped near Eden off the New South Wales far south coast on Friday for police to come aboard and remove around 23 people. Jennifer Vandekreeke, Carnival Cruise Line vp and gm Australia, issued a statement saying that the safety and security of passengers and crew is the companys No. 1 priority. We apply a zero-tolerance approach to excessive behaviour that affects other guests, Vandekreeke said. In line with this policy, we contacted the New South Wales Police to attend Carnival Legend at Eden today to remove a large family group from the ship that had been involved in disruptive and violent acts. The group has been disembarked from the vessel and we are cooperating fully with the authorities. Our Care team is currently onboard supporting those guests who were affected by their behaviour. We are confident that this strong action has addressed the disruption on Carnival Legend and enabled our remaining guests to properly enjoy the closing stages of their cruise holiday. 'These events are completely isolated to this family group and out of character with the onboard atmosphere for which Carnival Cruise Line is known,' she added. Carnival is initiating a full internal investigation into this unprecedented incident, noted Vandekreeke. While the conference title Shipping in a Disrupted Market smacked of a day full of tech evangelists, and there was some of that, it also clearly made the point that everything is in a state of flux, with less than perfect radar for peering ahead. This is the disruption, with old ways of doing business being questioned, and, where it makes sense, supplanted. One of the more disruptive parts of the agenda saw Francis Birkeland, who leads ABN Amros Transport and Logistics desk in the Americas, appearing on a panel discussing Environmental Activism and Regulation. Birkeland, explained that sustainability is an integral component of ABN Amros evaluation of shipping companies and projects. On the same panel, RightShips Anuj Chopra identified the key driver of shipping companies moving in the direction of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that customers, more likely listed, and therefore subject to social pressure, expect it He also noted a recent push by large institutional investors to demand CSR as a precondition for shareholdings. Of course, technology had its own panel, with IBMs Stephen Rogers - spearheading IBMs efforts developing Blockchain technology in the transport area - providing clear and cogent explanations of potential impacts, some evolutionary, some disruptive, on supply chains. Boston Consulting Groups Apostolos Zampelas, acknowledging that shipping has been behind on the digital adaption curve, identified a number of container carriers, including Maersk- IBMs partner in a Blockchain project, as moving towards being Digital Champions- which he asserted see better financial returns as a result of bringing digitaliaation into their operations. Yet technology was infused throughout unlikely places on the conference agenda; for example, the Environmental panel heard law firm Blank Romes Washington, DC partner Jeanne Grasso discuss the burgeoning importance of record keeping, where digitalization plays an important and growing role, as part of compliance with a host of regulations now emerging. As with previous conferences, the morning sessions dealt with listed companies and the various conduits between capital sources and shipping companies. A sell-side equity analyst again provided the opening remarks. What is different is that this years speaker, Amit Mehrotra from Deutsche Bank made a great effort to discuss corporate governance and investors disdain for related party transactions and hidden fees. After noting that balance sheets [of listed companies] are almost over equitized, he opined that A shipping company could not list on the New York Stock Exchange without having world class corporate governance. As Mehrotra pointed out later in the morning- on a panel covering activist investing, not a big factor in shipping, Many of the drivers of company value [notably hire levels and the orderbook] are out of the shipowners control - but governance is a differentiator. A finance panel later in the morning also broke new ground, with long-time shipping banker Martin Lunder, Nordeas man in New York saying: Theres more room than ever for alternative capital. One obvious difference between traditional bankers and the new providers is the latters transactional emphasis, with panelist James Lightbourn, with Connecticut-based Alterna Capital, telling the audience: We try to develop relationships, but we evaluate each project separately. David Carnes from Kingswood, Texas is suing Friede & Goldman, Noble Drilling Services, Noble Drilling International and Noble Drilling Exploration Co for severe injuries to back, hand and other parts of his body suffered when the Noble Regina Allen titled over with over 1,000 workers onboard. Some 89 workers were injured in the accident in December 2012 and Singapore Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi at the time described it as one of the worst industrial accidents in recent times. A jury trial starts in Houston on Monday for Carnes who is seeking over $1m in compensation. The attorney for the plaintiff, Cory Itkin of Houston-based law firm Arnold & Itkin, said: This is a case where bad engineering met with reckless decision-making which led to a spectacular disaster. We know that the computer code used to direct the rigs vertical movement was bad, and we know the breaks used to control the movement were woefully insufficient, but no one is accepting fault. At trial, well be asking a jury to determine who ultimately bears responsibility for this completely preventable disaster. 16 February 2018, Limassol, Cyprus The company has entered into a settlement agreement with Ordinat Shipping AS, the owners of Munin Explorer, for the termination of the charter party agreement and redelivery of the vessel. The transaction is conditional on the fulfilment of certain preconditions and is expected to be approximately cash neutral to the company in 2018 and 2019. The company is estimating that the transaction will save in excess of $2 million over the term of the contract, including the forgiveness of the $2.4 million charter hire payment due 30 June 2020. The settlement agreement provides for a three year non-competition restriction whereby the vessel cannot compete in the company's markets. With the termination of the Munin charter agreement, the company has completed its historical fleet optimization effort. The entire SeaBird fleet is now composed of vessels that are optimally configured and well positioned to address the company's core markets and the evolving technology requirements. SeaBird is a global provider of marine acquisition for 2D/3D and 4D seismic data, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry. SeaBird specializes in high quality operations within the high end of the source vessel and 2D market, as well as in the shallow/deep water 2D/3D and 4D market. Main focus for the company is proprietary seismic surveys (contract seismic). Main success criteria for the company are an unrelenting focus on Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), combined with efficient collection of high quality seismic data. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include SeaBird`s reliance on a cyclical industry and the utilization of the company's vessels. Actual results may differ substantially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. For further queries contact: Christophe Debouvry CEO SeaBird Exploration Phone: +4722402705 or Nils Haugestad CFO SeaBird Exploration Phone: +4722402717 Hoppe Singapore is headed by Wilfred Rachan as md and is a sales and service office as well as spares and logistics hub for the Hamburg-headquartered company's operations in the region. The decision to set up Hoppe Singapore, enhancing the already existing Hoppe network in China and South Korea, proves Hoppes commitment in ensuring a reliable and timely response on service and spares support to customers in the region, said Marc Rohde, md of Hoppe Marine, Germany. Lothar Beinke, md of Hoppe Marine, Germany added that the Singapore investment was a reflection of its long term commitment to its customers in the region. Hoppe Singapore is positioned to provide sales and services support to ship design of ces, shipyards, ship owners and ship operators. Local presence of quali ed and trained Service Engineers coupled with local availability of quality spare parts and tools are key to ensure competency in service delivery to our customers in the region, he said. Ami Dotan, cybersecurity professional with Karamba A hacker takes control of an autonomous car and forces it to do his or her bidding, flaunting the wishes of a car owner who may or may not be in the vehicle at the time. We've seen images like this in pop culture like last summer's blockbuster The Fate of the Furious , and cybersecurity expert Andre Weimerskirch says they're what most people think of when they imagine cyber threats to vehicles.But Weimerskirch believes that sort of attack is quite low on a very long list of priorities for hackers as connected and autonomous vehicles proliferate. Weimerskirch is the co-chair of the cybersecurity working group at Mcity , the University of Michigan's (U-M) testing facility for connected and autonomous vehicles, and vice president of cybersecurity for Lear Corporation . He says hackers are typically motivated by financial gain, and remotely taking the wheel of someone else's car doesn't provide much opportunity for that.However, the burgeoning world of connected and autonomous vehicles provides hackers a plethora of more lucrative opportunities, ranging from stealing credit card information from a vehicle to abusing vehicle-to-infrastructure systems to break into a car owner's garage or house.Fortunately, though, Weimerskirch is just one of many in Metro Detroit's automotive cybersecurity sector who are working feverishly to prepare defenses against such attacks."I believe hackers are very smart, and they have a huge advantage," Weimerskirch says. "They only need to come up with one idea, one attack, where we, the defenders, need to foresee all possible ways we could be affected."Automotive cybersecurity is hugely important, but it's also a relatively new industry for obvious reasons."If you think about the vehicles we had even five years ago, none of them had WiFi connections," says Eric Cesa, general manager of the Americas for ETAS , parent company to cybersecurity company ESCRYPT , which has an Ann Arbor office. "They weren't connected to the infrastructure, so to speak. They were their own single node in the end."Weimerskirch says cybersecurity first appeared on automakers' radars with the advent of remote door-unlock technology, but for a long time, it was far from a pressing concern. Awareness of the increasing need for automotive cybersecurity grew when University of California, San Diego researchers wirelessly hacked into a Chevy Impala in 2010.The topic entered even more into the public consciousness when researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek wirelessly took control of a Jeep Cherokee in 2015. As of the last five to six years, Weimerskirch says, "there's a very different sensitivity around this topic where everyone takes it seriously."Weimerskirch says those working in automotive cybersecurity have "lots and lots of open challenges" to address. A 2016 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report broke those challenges into four broad groups: protecting against hacks, detecting hacks once they've successfully infiltrated a system, responding to mitigate the effects of successful hacks, and assessing and widely disseminating solutions.Ami Dotan says that after overcoming an initial learning curve, the auto industry is now working on "fast forward" to tackle those problems. Dotan is the CEO and co-founder of Karamba Security , an Israeli cybersecurity firm with offices in Bloomfield Hills and Detroit. He says automakers are now fully aware that cybersecurity and safety are inseparable."Any mistake, any one time, any wrong read of the command, may mean people's lives at stake," he says. "So this became a catalyst for cybersecurity solution thinking. The interest is great (and) the involvement is great."What's more, that interest and involvement is very much centered in the Detroit area. Dotan originally opened an Ann Arbor office so he could be closer to U-M, but then opened offices in Bloomfield Hills and at the PlanetM Landing Zone in downtown Detroit in order to be closer to automakers and Tier 1 auto suppliers. He relocated here from Israel in 2016 and says he appreciates the close, personal access he now has to Detroit's automotive community."Michigan is leading," he says. "Why is that? Because in Silicon Valley, these other automakers ... cooperate very little. They try to do everything by themselves, in-house. There is not much of a community around the subject, where here there is much more involvement and sharing when it comes to cybersecurity."Matt Fanto says that's thanks to Detroit's status as the birthplace and longstanding center of America's auto industry. Fanto is a senior application safety engineer at Ann Arbor cybersecurity firm Duo Security , and he's previously worked on cybersecurity projects for Ford, Chrysler, and ESCRYPT. He says automotive cybersecurity is quite different from any other type of cybersecurity in that personal safety is paramount, and Detroit's auto industry understands that."The automotive industry has such a huge focus on things like quality and safety and reliability," he says. "I think the expertise in that ... places Detroit in a better position than some of those traditional hubs." Kettering University president Robert McMahan echoes that sentiment, noting that Detroit's auto industry has long had to adhere to much higher standards of safety than most."People cant have the OS of their car crash and hang while they are driving," he says. "It has to work every time flawlessly or people get hurt or killed. Thats the significant difference, and Michigan is in an enormous position of advantage."What's more, beyond the professional advantages, Dotan says he's found Michigan is just a pleasant place to live."People are so kind and nice and willing to support and educate," he says. "It's been amazing for a family like ours to move over here."Now that industry interest in automotive cybersecurity has ramped up, with expertise concentrated in metro Detroit, local activity and energy in the sector are extremely high."It's a very competitive space right now," Cesa says. "You see all of the tiered suppliers building up internal expertise, as well as the OEMs, which makes for a really competitive environment."Dotan says 2018 stands to be a particularly important year for automakers, the automotive cybersecurity sector, and Michigan alike."2016 and 2017 were years of the automakers and the suppliers like us educating each other about the needs, the pains, and the solutions needed to overcome those pains," he says. "We see a commitment in our discussions with automakers that they view 2018 as a crucial year for them."Cesa describes the sector as being in yet another "adaptive phase" as traditional tech hubs on the west coast begin to really take notice of activity in Detroit. Waymo, Google's autonomous car development company, has already established a development center in Novi. And Cesa expects that other tech giants will soon be in a position of responding to Detroit's leadership in automotive cybersecurity."I think the wealth of knowledge that we have in this area really sets us in a good place to support the future of the auto industry," he says.Patrick Dunn is the managing editor of Concentrate and an Ann Arbor-based freelance writer for numerous publications.Photos by Nick Hagen. Senator Joel Villanueva's Chinese New Year message We extend the most heartfelt greeting to our beloved Filipino-Chinese brothers and sisters in welcoming the Chinese New Year. The celebration encourages us to reflect about rich experiences we have had from the previous year. This event is particularly an opportunity for us not only to appreciate our blessings but to also renew our opportunities in life. The prosperous relationship between the Chinese and Filipinos serves as proof of our active willingness to celebrate together year after year. There is nothing more but a strengthened bond between these two cultures that I wish for as we welcome the Chinese Lunar New Year. Let us spend this new year to keep our loved ones closer to our hearts and cherish every moment we spend with them. Kung Hei Fat Choi! Reaction of Senator Cynthia Villar for the Appointment of INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo as Special Envoy for Overseas Filipino Concerns "The position of Special Envoy for Overseas Filipino Concerns entails enormous patience, a keen appreciation of human nature and diplomatic skills to build bridges of hope for our distressed overseas workers. INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo enjoys a good relationship with the President and our OFWs throughout the world. This is a rare opportunity for him to serve not just within the vast global network of the INC, but beyond it, as our Special Envoy for Overseas Filipino Concerns." The Trump Administration has proposed including the superalloy metals niobium, scandium, and titanium among 35 Critical Minerals that are to be considered vital to the Nations security and economic prosperity. With its entire planned product suite now proposed as strategically vital by the U.S. Government, NioCorps Elk Creek Project is emerging as a highly unique Critical Minerals Mine that can significantly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign producers of several critical and strategic metals. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska Congressional delegation and Congressmen Don Bacon (NE-2) and Adrian Smith (NE-3) in particular are praised for their advocacy the Elk Creek Project. CENTENNIAL, Colo., Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NioCorp Developments Ltd. (NioCorp or the "Company) (TSX:NB) (OTCQX:NIOBF) (FSE:BR3) today praised the Trump Administration for proposing that NioCorps entire planned product suite of three superalloy metals niobium, scandium, and titanium be considered as Critical Minerals under President Trumps December 20, 2017 Executive Order aimed at encouraging greater domestic production of materials that are vital to the Nations security and economic prosperity. In a Federal Register notice published today, the Trump Administration included niobium, scandium, and titanium on a list of 35 materials proposed as Critical Minerals. The Company believes that the proposed listing significantly elevates the strategic importance of the Elk Creek Project, particularly given that it is the only proposed mine in the U.S. that is expected to produce both niobium and scandium, two superalloy metals that have significant uses in national defense technologies and upon which the U.S. is currently 100% dependent on foreign nations such as Russia and China. In many ways, our Elk Creek Superalloy Project is emerging as an increasingly unique and valuable critical minerals mine in terms of its strategic importance to the United States and to other Western nations, said Mark A. Smith, Executive Chairman and CEO of NioCorp. We are very pleased with the increasing attention that is being paid to the superalloy metals we intend to produce, and we look forward to moving this project to construction and commercial operation as rapidly as we can. The two Nebraska Congressmen wrote a letter recently to the Trump Administration advocating for scandiums inclusion in the Critical Materials list. In their letter, which can be seen here, the Congressman noted the following: Scandium is used in a variety of defense and civil applications including lasers, electronics, and high-performance lighting. When added to aluminum, scandium makes an extraordinarily light and strong alloy for use in bulkheads, heat shields, fuel and exhaust systems, aircraft fuselage and landing gear assemblies, mobile bridges, missiles, and other defense systems. In the commercial sector, scandium alloys are poised to drive major advances in commercial aircraft and surface transportation systems through greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Scandium is also a critical component of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells which provide highly efficient and reliable power generation for DoD, NASA, and companies such as Home Depot, Walmart, Apple, Google, and Verizon, they wrote. Despite these strategic uses, today our nation is 100% dependent on imported scandium, primarily from China and Russia. We share the concerns of many of our colleagues in Congress who consider this a significant national security vulnerability for the United States. For this reason, the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act included language that specifically mentions scandium and the need to develop domestic sources of this strategic material. We also note that the European Union added scandium to its 2017 list of Critical Raw Materials, further illustrating its growing importance in global commodity supply chains, they wrote. Nebraska stands to emerge as a major global producer of scandium once the Elk Creek Project comes online. As currently planned, the Project is estimated to produce more than 100 tonnes of scandium oxide product annually when brought to full-scale production. Current global production of scandium oxide is estimated by the U.S. Geologic Survey at only 10-15 tonnes per year. The Administrations priority list also included 15 of the rare earth elements, which were grouped as a single entry on the list. NioCorps Elk Creek ore body in southeast Nebraska is known to contain rare earth elements as well, although the Company has no current plans to produce rare earth commercial products. The proposed Critical Minerals list published in the Federal Register was developed in response to President Trumps Executive Order of December 20 entitled Presidential Executive Order on a Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, "Mark Smith Mark Smith Executive Chairman, CEO, and Director Qualified Persons: Scott Honan, M.Sc., SME-RM, of NioCorp Developments Ltd., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has read and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Source: NioCorp Developments Ltd. @NioCorp @realdonaldtrump $NB $NIOBF $BR3 #Niobium #Scandium #ElkCreek For More Information: Contact Jim Sims, VP of External Affairs, NioCorp Developments Ltd., 303-503-6203, jim.sims@niocorp.com About NioCorp NioCorp is developing a superalloy materials project in Southeast Nebraska that will produce Niobium, Scandium, and Titanium. Niobium is used to produce superalloys as well as High Strength, Low Alloy ("HSLA") steel, which is a lighter, stronger steel used in automotive, structural, and pipeline applications. Scandium is a superalloy material that can be combined with Aluminum to make alloys with increased strength and improved corrosion resistance. Scandium also is a critical component of advanced solid oxide fuel cells. Titanium is used in various superalloys and is a key component of pigments used in paper, paint and plastics and is also used for aerospace applications, armor and medical implants. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this document. Certain statements contained in this document may constitute forward-looking statements, including but not limited to potential future production at the Elk Creek Project, anticipated products to be produced at the Elk Creek Project, the future critical and strategic nature of niobium and scandium, anticipated costs of production at the Elk Creek Project being competitive, and anticipated competitive advantages. Such forward-looking statements are based upon NioCorps reasonable expectations and business plan at the date hereof, which are subject to change depending on economic, political and competitive circumstances and contingencies. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause a change in such assumptions and the actual outcomes and estimates to be materially different from those estimated or anticipated future results, achievements or position expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause NioCorps plans or prospects to change include risks related to the Company's ability to operate as a going concern; risks related to the Company's requirement of significant additional capital; changes in demand for and price of commodities (such as fuel and electricity) and currencies; changes in economic valuations of the Project, such as Net Present Value calculations, changes or disruptions in the securities markets; legislative, political or economic developments; the need to obtain permits and comply with laws and regulations and other regulatory requirements; the possibility that actual results of work may differ from projections/expectations or may not realize the perceived potential of NioCorps projects; risks of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in development programs; operating or technical difficulties in connection with exploration, mining or development activities; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of reserves and resources; and the risks involved in the exploration, development and mining business and the risks set forth in the Companys filings with the SEC at www.sec.gov. NioCorp disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Auckland International Airport, New Zealand's biggest listed company by market value, says it can't rule out an equity capital raising to help fund its biggest-ever spending programme - $1.8 billion on infrastructure over five years. Chief executive Adrian Littlewood said the airport company is keeping watch on the take up of its reinstated dividend reinvestment programme, which he expects will see 20-to-25 percent of shareholders electing to take their dividends as shares. He said the company will also raise funds from the agreed sale of its 24.6 percent stake in North Queensland Airports for A$370 million and remains "very active" in the debt capital markets, having launched its Australian medium-term note programme last year with two sales of longer-term bonds totalling A$260 million. Total borrowings rose to $2.2 billion as at Dec. 31 from $2.1 billion six months earlier. Interest costs rose about 5 percent to $38.6 million in the first half from a year earlier. "It's too early to say does that change the potential need for a little bit of equity," Littlewood told BusinessDesk. "There are many different scenarios. We're very active in the debt capital markets. We're raising money very effectively compared to our peer group." The nation's busiest gateway today posted a 17 percent gain in first-half profit to $165.9 million and said its strong performance gave it the confidence to tighten the range of its full-year guidance for underlying earnings. Full-year underlying profit would be in a range of $250 million to $257 million, a narrower range than the $248 million-to-$257 million estimate it gave at the time of its 2017 results. First-half revenue climbed 6.9 percent to $332 million, which it said reflected a 2.7 percent increase in aeronautical revenue "driven by passenger growth and increasing runway movements" partly offset by a decrease in international and regional aeronautical prices. Retail income grew 10.2 percent to $88.9 million and investment property rentals rose 16 percent to $37.8 million. Traditional airport services grew slower - airfield income rose 1.2 percent to $59.9 million and passenger services charge income rose 3.7 percent to $89.1 million - still the biggest source of revenue. Auckland Airport's share of underlying profit from associates rose 47 percent to $11.2 million, with strong growth from Queenstown Airport, its share of the Novotel hotel and contribution from North Queensland Airports. The spending programme, gearing the airport company up to cope with increased passenger and airline flows in coming decades, provides three more contact gates for international aircraft, a new domestic jet terminal, expanded border processing and public arrivals space, an upgraded international check-in area and investment in public transport, roading, and walking projects. It also plans to take steps in the next five years toward opening a second runway it currently expects to be required by 2028, including a planned lift in landing charges. Chairman Henry van der Heyden said the company is investing "more than $1 million every working day on our core airport infrastructure and there are now 53 aeronautical projects underway across the airport each in excess of $1 million." The company will pay a fully imputed interim dividend of 10.75 cents a share on April 5 with a record date of at the close of business on March 20. The payment is up 7.5 percent from a year earlier. Auckland Airport shares rose 2.3 percent to $6.43 and have declined 4.2 percent in the past 12 months while the NZX 50 Index climbed 14 percent. "It appears to be managing a very busy period of development activity relatively well," said Shane Solly, a director at Harbour Asset Management. "They continue to have to work through the aeronautical pricing review." Domestic airline capacity rose 5 percent in the first half and load factors grew while international airline capacity was up 5 percent after it welcomed four new airlines. International aircraft movements rose 1.8 percent while domestic grew by 5.3 percent. Volumes through January "were broadly consistent with the first half" although Littlewood sees some softening in the second half, reflecting the withdrawal of Emirates from the Tasman routes. Littlewood wouldn't offer any public speculation about the Commerce Commission's review of the airport's FY18-22 aeronautical pricing decision announced last year. The regulator is focussing on profitability, pricing efficiency (including the runway land charge) and investment, the company said today. It expects a draft decision in April and a final decision in September. "This regime has been through a number of cycles - we understand the areas of focus," he said. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 15th September 2021 Morning Report Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Announces Further Kiwifruit Acquisition Briscoe Group Limited (NZX: BGP) Half Year Results Announcement 14th September 2021 Morning Report Stride Property Ltd & Stride Investment Management Ltd (NZX: SPG) Office Fund Established and Conditional Acquisition Third Age Health Services Limited (NZX: TAH) Announces Acquisition of Belmont Medical 13th September 2021 Morning Report Infratil Limited (NZX: IFT) Commits to Development of Renewables in Asia 10th September 2021 Morning Report Synlait Milk Limited (NZX: SML) Sale and Leaseback of Synlait Auckland Premises Renaissance Brewing's creditors face a $611,000 shortfall after the craft beer maker was sold for $620,000 following a slump in sales and an "ill-fated" distribution agreement that pushed it into administration. The Nelson-based brewer's creditors were owed about $1.2 million, of which lender ANZ Bank New Zealand was owed $812,000 as a secured creditor, the first liquidator's report by Jessica Kellow of Shephard Dunphy shows. The boutique beer brewer was sold by voluntary administrators last month to Sahara New Zealand, trading as Brandhouse, after it faced cash flow problems while operating too many product lines. The administrators kept the brewery operating since their appointment in October last year in the hopes of finding a buyer, which the liquidator's report shows generated wage, tax and creditor costs of about $59,000, and was advanced another $150,000 by ANZ through the period. "The company was suffering from cash flow difficulties as a consequence of significantly reduced sales revenue," Kellow said in her report. "Approximately 12 months prior the company had entered into a new distribution agreement which, in hindsight, was ill-fated." Renaissance was the first company to raise money under the country's equity crowdfunding regime, securing its $700,000 target in just a week and a half. Since then, craft beer has grown at a faster pace than regular beer brewers, prompting the big liquor companies to buy some of their boutique rivals. The sale to Brandhouse settles on Feb. 19, and included fixed assets, inventory and intangible assets, and combined with $23,000 of cash on hand and $140,000 of accounts receivable, raised estimated funds for repaying creditors of about $783,000. Preferential creditors include employee entitlements of $30,000 for seven staff, $17,000 in excise tax and another $12,000 to the Inland Revenue Department, with unsecured creditors made up of a further $2,000 to IRD, $182,000 to trade creditors, and $129,000 in the shareholder beer allocation, which was part of the equity crowdfunding offer pitching a selection of special brews to investors who bought 1,000 shares. Some 52 of those shareholders didn't consent to waive the beer allocation. Kellow also said $12,000 in the current account won't be recovered on the basis that it would to the secured creditor. Brandhouse supplies liquor and wine to the hospitality industry and has exclusive distribution of Croizet Cognac. The company is owned by members of the Dellaca family, which founded clothing retailer Postie Plus. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: 15th September 2021 Morning Report Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Announces Further Kiwifruit Acquisition Briscoe Group Limited (NZX: BGP) Half Year Results Announcement 14th September 2021 Morning Report Stride Property Ltd & Stride Investment Management Ltd (NZX: SPG) Office Fund Established and Conditional Acquisition Third Age Health Services Limited (NZX: TAH) Announces Acquisition of Belmont Medical 13th September 2021 Morning Report Infratil Limited (NZX: IFT) Commits to Development of Renewables in Asia 10th September 2021 Morning Report Synlait Milk Limited (NZX: SML) Sale and Leaseback of Synlait Auckland Premises VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velocity Minerals Ltd. (TSXV:VLC) (Velocity or the Company) reports the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held on February 15, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia. All the motions presented to the shareholders were approved. Votes representing 35,527,965 shares were cast, representing 58.06% of the issued and outstanding shares at the record date. A summary of the meeting results is outlined below. Motion Votes for the Motion Percentage of Votes in Favour Number of Directors 35,527,965 100 % Keith Henderson 35,527,965 100 % Mark Cruise 35,527,965 100 % Gordon Doerksen 35,527,965 100 % Daniel Marinov 35,527,965 100 % Appointment of Auditor 35,527,965 100 % Ratification and Approval of Stock Option Plan 35,527,965 100 % About Velocity Minerals Ltd. Velocity is a gold exploration and development company focused on eastern Europe. The Companys management and board includes mining industry professionals with experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas as employees of major mining companies as well as founders and senior executives of junior to mid-tier public companies. The team's experience includes all aspects of mineral exploration, resource definition, feasibility, finance, mine construction and mine operation as well as a track record in managing publicly listed companies. On Behalf of the Board of Directors "Keith Henderson" President & CEO For further information, please contact: Keith Henderson Phone: +1-604-484-1233 E-mail: info@velocityminerals.com Web: www.velocityminerals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 16 February 2018: Borregaard ASA ("Borregaard", OSE ticker: BRG) Borregaard intends to repurchase up to 300,000 shares of its outstanding common stock. The shares will be used for employee incentive programmes. Borregaard's Board of Directors was given authority by the shareholders at the Ordinary General Meeting held on 20 April 2017 to repurchase up to ten percent of the outstanding shares. According to the proxy, the highest price to be paid is NOK 250.00 per share. The repurchase of shares will be conducted in a period from 19th February up to and including 11th April 2018 at the latest. All shares will be purchased in the regulated market (OSX). Borregaard has appointed DNB Markets to carry out the repurchase programme according to the rules and regulations of Oslo Brs (see Circular No. 2/2008). Contact Lotte Kvinlaug, Investor Relations Officer, +47 922 86 909 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Nayantharas character was originally written for a male protagonist. I was skeptical with the double hero subject, so I tweaked one of the roles, which gave a unique emotional flavor to the film, said Ajay, who was careful to not include over the top action sequences for Nayanthara. Ajay Gnanamuthu who impressed us with his debut horror thriller filmis back with an action thrillerstarring Lady Superstar Nayanthara, Bollywoods acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap and Atharvaa. There are a few physically demanding sequence for Nayanthara like operating guns and chasing down the criminals but nothing will be over the top. In fact, Nayanthara told me that we shouldnt end up attempting comedy in the name of action. Nayanthara plays an intelligent investigative officer in the film, added the director. Anurag Kashyap plays a deadly villain named Rudra in the film. Ajay said: I had only two optionsGautham Menon and Anurag Kashyap. As Gautham sir was busy with his directorial commitments, I approached Anurag Kashyap who has done an impeccable job and exactly replicated what I wrote on the paper. Ajay also spoke high about his hero Atharvaa. Even before my first film, Atharvaa was aware of Imaikkaa Nodigal. He has given his heart and soul to the script. We filmed a racy chase sequence in which heavy vehicles hit his bicycle but Atharvaa was brave enough to take such risks for the sake of the film. In the recent action thriller films, romance sequences are lamely written and it tests the patience of the audience. I can guarantee that Imaikkaa Nodigal will be an emotional thriller and the romantic sequences will not stick out of the screenplay, promises the director. Generally, young directors dont prefer to work with senior writers but Ajay worked with Pattukotai Prabakar in Imaikkaa Nodigal. We broke the ice on our first meet itself. I clear told Prabakar sir that there will be heated arguments for the film but nothing is personal. Although I wrote the entire screenplay and Prabakar sir only contributed dialogues, his inclusion has changed a lot of scenes, added Gnanamuthu. For Imaikkaa Nodigal, Hiphop Tamizha has composed music in Germany. Hiphop Tamizha adds so much positivity to our team. His songs and rerecording are a big boost to the film, said the director who shot major portions of Imaikkaa Nodigal in Chennai and Bengaluru. As per the storyline, we needed two nearby cities. Although Tamil filmmakers shot in Bengaluru before, they havent fully explored all the locations. My cinematographer RD Rajasekar and I captured many beautiful places of Bengaluru for the film, thanks to my college days, smiled the director. The first look poster of the film itself was interesting with Anurag Kashyap, Nayanthara, and Atharvaa carrying the mask featuring the faces of adjacent ones. We only released a minimum number of posters but each one will convey a story. My team and I would brainstorm before locking any publicity content, said Ajay. Ajay has successfully completed the shoot of Imaikkaa Nodigal, he is waiting for the technical department to hand over the final copy. Once the censor process gets completed, the team will make an official announcement on the release date. - Rajasekar S There were reports that Superstar Rajinikanth will kick-start his political tour in April but the actors publicist has denied it as a rumor. Rajinikanth is currently busy meeting office bearers of his Rajini Makkal Mandram from various districts of Tamil Nadu to discuss his further political move. Meanwhile, Raju Mahalingam, former Creative Head of Lyca Productions has been appointed as the secretary of Rajini Makkal Mandram. On the film front, Superstar Rajinikanths gangster film Kaala is all set to release on April 27 in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The session Pariksha Par Charcha was be aired in all CBSE-affiliated schools. : Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an interactive session with school and college students today to discuss the importance of stress-free exams. PM Modi insisted that the students should not be worried while answering exams and even charted a guide for students on how to approach exams like a warrior. Modi's interaction was broadcast live on Doordarshan, All India Radio, YouTube and various government websites, which students have been asked to watch, NDTV reported. "I would like to thank my teachers for whom I am still a student. They inspired me to keep student in me alive," PM Modi said. "Keep yourself in mind while sitting for exams. You decide your future not others. Self confidence comes by challenging ourselves and working hard. We should always think of bettering ourselves.In addition to the right skills and the means, what a student needs is self-confidence." he added. "Saraswati is worshipped regularly but still on the day of examination we remember Hanuman ji, why? Because we fear," Modi stated. "I have read Vivekanand, Aham Brahmasavi. they say don't think your self any less. they inspired self confidence. the thing he always said is there 33 crore gods and goddess, They will bless you," Modi said. When asked about how to maintain self-confidence, he said, "Self-confidence is very important. It's not a pill or herb. There is no tablet that can be consumed for instant confidence. We have to build it every day." PM Modi, who was "happy to see the wide range of comments and questions" tweeted, "Students, parents and teachers are also sharing their experiences, which is wonderful. Do keep writing on MyGov or the Open Forum on the NM Mobile App." The book is a collection of anecdotes from the prime minister's growing up years. The event comes days after the launch of PM Modi's book 'Exam Warriors' that talks about staying motivated during examinations and tackling exam-related stress. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was also be present along with MoS in the HRD Ministry Upendra Kushwaha. All set for #ParikshaPeCharcha. Several students to interact with PM @narendramodi during the programme, which will begin shortly. pic.twitter.com/FufdrTfV1P February 16, 2018 In last years Mann Ki Baat, his first for 2017, he asked students to treat exams like festivals and urged them not to take too much stress. A happy mind is the secret of a good mark sheet, he had said. He also cited the example of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who had once revealed that he had tried to join the Air Force and failed, but that did not stop him from becoming a brilliant scientist. Pompano Beach, FL, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioStem Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: BSEM) (BioStem or the Company), a global life sciences corporation, providing innovative technologies with a concentration in Pharmaceuticals and Regenerative Medicine, announced today that it has completed its application to uplist on OTCQX, a higher tier Over The Counter (OTC) market overseen by OTCMarkets, Inc. OTCQX is a segment of the OTC marketplace reserved for publicly traded companies that have: (a) attained specific quantitative and qualitative financial standards; (b) passed management reviews; (c) issued timely information to the public; (d) remained current on required disclosures, and (e) consistently shared pertinent updates with investors. OTCQX companies are more widely quoted across the electronic and retail brokerage markets. Henry Van Vurst, CEO of BioStem Technologies, stated, "Weve been aggressively preparing for this uplist for months now, meeting all financial reporting obligations and completing the submission of all application documents required by OTCMarkets, Inc. We expect the uplist to add value for our shareholders by enabling our stock to be quoted and traded by a much wider range of brokerages, particularly retail brokers. The stocks of approximately 10,000 companies are traded daily in the multi-tiered OTC Markets, but only companies in the top tier qualify to trade on the OTCQX. Those companies are characterized by operational excellence and consistent reporting diligence. BSEM is certainly qualified for that top tier, and we expect our application to be quickly approved, added Mr. Van Vurst. About BioStem Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: BSEM): BioStem Technologies, Inc. is a global life sciences corporation, providing innovative technologies with a concentration in Pharmaceuticals and Regenerative Medicine. The Companys mission is to discover, develop and produce the most effective Pharmaceutical and Regenerative Medicine products in the world. The Company is comprised of a diverse group of scientists, physicians, and entrepreneurs who collaborate to create innovative products. These technologies improve the Quality of Life for our patients and, as a result, drive shareholder value. Forward-Looking Statements: Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "future," "plan" or "planned," "expects," believe" or "projected." These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. These risk factors include, among others, limited operating history, difficulty in developing, exploiting and protecting proprietary technologies, intense competition and additional risks factors as discussed in reports filed by the company with OTC Markets. VANCOUVER, B.C., Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa British Columbia recently hosted their Financing a Major Repair Project educational seminar at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Vancouver BC. The 80 people in attendance were provided information on how finance options can help owners overcome their financial constraints, help complete their projects on time and how a maintained building means taking care of your investment and building up your equity. The speaker also shared information on what it is like to face a major repair project and a shortage in reserve funds and how a strata loan can help ensure the project gets underway as soon as possible. The seminars are seeing more and more owners, council members, trades, developers and realtors in attendance, which is a clear indication of the need to bridge all aspects of property management, stated Laszlo Antal, Associa British Columbia director of business development. We want to provide our audiences with all the information they need to service their communities successfully. With more than 180 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com. Stay Connected: Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c31ad8f8-f5ae-409c-a224-dfe91e1d5a4c Mount Pleasant, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iowa Wesleyan University contributes a $55.1 million annual economic impact in Southeast Iowa, according to a new study recently completed by Hanover Research of Arlington, Virginia. The new study details the immense impact IW makes on the region in many ways including: delivering educational programming that impacts the community and region as suppliers of a well-educated labor force, the direct university economic impact through its operations, as well as generating sales for local business and by drawing students and visitors to Southeast Iowa, as well as the added income generated by alumni who remain in Southeast Iowa after graduation. Global competition is increasingly regional in nature, and rural regions with comprehensive regional universities are uniquely advantaged, said Charles W. Fluharty, IW Board of Trustee and President and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI). Beyond the obvious economic impacts this study highlights, Iowa Wesleyan University is building the human, social and cultural capital of this region, and is poised to enhance these unique contributions to regional competitiveness. This region would be wise to assure these benefits are acknowledged and supported. With new student enrollment at Iowa Wesleyan up 162% over the last three years, the region is benefitting from the universitys growth each year. We are extremely grateful to the local community and region for their continued support as we have successfully completed a five year strategic plan in three years. We are now embarking on a new and ambitious vision. IWs U.S. News rank has soared from the 69th top college in the Midwest in 2015 to the 54th in 2017. By 2025, IW will rank among the top 25 colleges in the Midwest, said Steve Titus, President of Iowa Wesleyan University. We are aware that there is a direct correlation between the educational attainment of a community and the economic health and competitiveness of a community. IW remains committed to an excellent and affordable university education and we continue to work with our local and regional partners to provide opportunities for students of all ages and circumstances throughout the region. Key factors of the study include gross output, labor income, employment impact, annual earnings potential, alumni earnings potential, critical education programs addressing labor shortages, and community engagement, participation and civic involvement. For more information on Iowa Wesleyan University, please visit www.iw.edu. Iowa Wesleyan University - As Southeast Iowas regional comprehensive university, Iowa Wesleyan University is a transformational learning community whose passion is to educate, empower and inspire students to lead meaningful lives and careers. Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/93573ebe-132b-436a-9c50-e1d52e458dd3 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Grace Gaffney is the first female to join the Boy Scouts New York City. And the 9-year-old is darn proud of it. This spunky fourth grader from New Dorp joined Pack 88 of St. Charles Church in January, attending her first official Greater New York Councils of Boy Scouts meeting on Thursday afternoon. "I wasn't nervous going to the meeting, I was just being myself," Gaffney tells SILive. Gaffney got her start as a Daisy -- the youngest group of Girl Scouts for children in kindergarten and first grade-- and worked her way up. (She is maintaining a role in both Boy and Girl Scout troops.) "My favorite part is going on camping trips," Grace says. "We normally go camping at Camp Pouch [William H. Pouch Scout Camp in the heart of the Greenbelt]." Grace is in the same group as her little brother Chris, 7, and says even though she is the only girl, she gets treated with the same amount of respect as the other pack members. All she has learned has come from her parents, Joe and Therese, who are both active in the Scouts. "It's always been a thing in my life," says Joe, a Pack 88 Cub Master. "It teaches them a lot of life lessons but the most important, in my opinion, is leadership." As a student at St. Charles School, Gaffney says her pack continues to participate in service projects for the church. Inviting girls to join in the Boy Scout experience is designed to "enable full families, both boys and girls, to experience the life-changing moments offered in the Boy Scout programs." "It's always been a family thing," Joe says. "The girls would always be following along -- but now, they can earn the awards, same as the boys." Grace is the same girl on and off camera: She loves helping her family, serving her community and proving that girls, can indeed, run the world. "For all the girls who want to become Boy Scouts," Grace says with a smile. "I'd say, 'Don't be afraid to do what boys do.'" WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump responded Thursday morning to the Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead a day earlier. A series of Associated Press stories appear below (all times local): One of the victims, a 15-year-old girl, had ties to Staten Island. Meanwhile, a former borough resident who lives near the school discussed Wednesday's tragedy. ___ 12:05 p.m. President Donald Trump says in the wake of the Florida school shooting, his administration will tackle what he's calling "the difficult issue of mental health." Trump isn't mentioning gun control in his remarks at the White House. He's urging Americans to "create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life that creates deep and meaningful human connections." He says the administration is working with state and local leaders "to help secure our schools" and focus on the issue of mental health. Authorities have said the suspected shooter was getting treatment at a mental health clinic for a while, but hadn't been there for more than a year Trump says making schools safer will be a main issue during upcoming meetings with governors and attorneys general. ___ 11:36 a.m. President Donald Trump says he'll visit Parkland, Florida, the site of Wednesday's shooting that killed 17 people. Trump said from the White House he's making plans to meet with families and local officials, and to continue coordinating the federal response. Trump called on Americans to "answer hate with love, answer cruelty with kindness," after a troubled 19-year-old former pupil gunned-down students and teachers at the school. He tweeted early Thursday that the suspect appeared to be "mentally disturbed," but he has not mentioned guns. Trump said, "To law enforcement, first responders, and teachers who responded so bravely in the face of danger, we thank you for your courage." Trump had been planning on spending the weekend in Florida. The White House says the timing of the visit has yet to be finalized. ___ 11:30 a.m. President Donald Trump says Wednesday's mass shooting turned a Florida school into a "scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil." Trump is addressing the nation a day after the shooting that killed at least 17 people. The president was silent on the issue of gun control. Earlier Thursday, he suggested the suspect was "mentally disturbed." Trump says the entire nation "with one heavy heart" is praying for the victims and their families. An orphaned 19-year-old with a troubled past and his own AR-15 rifle was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday morning following the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in five years. US eyes heavy tariffs on China, Russia to counter steel, aluminum glut Washington, Feb 16 (AFP) Feb 16, 2018 The US Commerce Department on Friday recommended imposing heavy tariffs on China, Russia and other countries to counter a global glut in steel and aluminum which it says threatens national security. The move gives President Donald Trump the opportunity to strike a highly public blow for his "America first" trade policy, but raises the prospect of retaliation from countries targeted and was sure to stoke fears of a trade war. In two reports submitted to the president last month and made public on Friday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross laid out an array of possible options, including a tariff of at least 24 percent on all steel imports worldwide, and a similar tariff on aluminum imports from China, Russia and three other countries. Other options would impose either high tariffs or quotas on steel and aluminum imports. Ross told reporters the principal question was whether cheap imports impaired US national security by making domestic production unviable. "I have determined that they do," he said. Ross said typical US trade actions against dumping and illegitimate subsidies had failed to address market oversupply, particularly by China, because "Serial offenders can evade these orders by transshipment through another country, with or without additional processing." Trump has until mid-April to decide what remedies to impose, if any, and Ross acknowledged that any US action is likely to be challenged by exporting nations in the World Trade Organization, Ross said. The recommended steel and aluminum sanctions address long-standing concerns about Chinese overproduction, but take the extraordinary tack of framing them in terms of national security and defense. The administration of former President Barack Obama also sought to tackle the subject but emphasized trade talks with China rather than punitive measures. And these proposals could hurt other countries more than China, which is the world's largest steel producer but provides less than one percent of US imports and sells only 10 percent of its wrought aluminum abroad. - Jacking up steel prices? - The report found 10 US steel furnaces have closed since 2000, causing a 35 percent drop in employment, while global excess steel capacity is seven times greater than US demand, largely due to China. And since 2013, six aluminum smelters have been shuttered as well, with only two of the remaining five operating at capacity. For steel, Ross recommended three possible options: a 24 percent tariff on all steel from all countries; a 53 percent tariff on imports from 12 countries, including China, Russia and Brazil; or a quota on steel from all countries. For aluminum, he recommended either a 7.7 percent tariff on the metal from all countries; a quota for all countries; or 23.6 percent tariffs on imports of aluminum from China, Russia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Venezuela. US industries have urged the administration to exercise care since high import tariffs would raise the cost of supplies. But Commerce said the goal of the measures was to boost domestic aluminum and steel production. Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a noted trade expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the steel report failed to address the costs to the US economy of higher steel prices which could rise by as much as 20 percent as a result of the trade sanctions. "GE, Caterpillar, Emerson, anybody who builds a bridge, they're all going to pay more money," Hufbauer told AFP, noting the proposals come as the White House is trying to spur a major renewal of US infrastructure. "There's no talk about that burden," he added. "You're going to have high-cost steel in this country relative to other countries." Hufbauer also said the Commerce Department used an broad definition of "national security" that included industries and products not traditionally considered crucial to defense, in order to justify the need for such steep tariffs on steel. "You're politically committed to the steel industry but you're doing it under color of national security and that's what I consider a hoax, really." Page Content The news of the arrest of Member of Parliament Frans Richardson has the attention of Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin; she stated, It is regrettable that as a young country we find ourselves in this situation once again, where the integrity of the highest body (Parliament) is being tested. However I have confidence in our Countrys legal system and am convinced that the truth will eventually emerge from the investigations by the Justice Department. The Prime Minister urges persons in the community not to rush to judgement, as this case is still under investigation. As Prime Minister I stand for the rule of law and I believe the legal process must run its course, she said while on her working visit to the Netherlands and Belgium. Construction union boss Dean Hall has quit after eight years at the helm of one of Canberra's most powerful unions. The secretary of the ACT branch of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union tendered his resignation and informed the membership of his decision on Friday morning. CFMEU secretary Dean Hall leads construction workers in a march at the National Day of Mourning march in 2012. Credit:Jeffrey Chan His retirement will take effect in April. Deputy secretary Jason O'Mara - who Mr Hall is expected to endorse as his successor - will fill the role thereafter until formal elections can be held. The ACT government is set to review territory's overarching planning strategy for the first time since it was first drawn up in 2012, Planning Minister Mick Gentleman says. Mr Gentleman outlined plans to review the key planning policy document in a speech to the Legislative Assembly this week, saying it was one of his key priorities for 2018. Planning minister Mick Gentleman will announce a review of the ACT's planning strategy this year. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos While the 2012 plan was a key outcome from the government's Canberra 2030 plan only five years, Mr Gentleman's spokesman said that "major changes" had occurred since it was released including the light rail and urban renewal program. "The review will consider these changes and ensure the planning strategy remains consistent with its main aim to promote orderly and sustainable development across Canberra," he said. New York, New York, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getting local marketers to use your brands marketing assets can be hard, and increasing the effectiveness of their local marketing through a local marketing platform shouldnt make your job any harder. Thats the promise behind Pica9s SaaS platform, CampaignDrive, which has been growing rapidly in the enterprise marketing space. With an entire range of traditional and digital marketing tools brought together into one application, CampaignDrive makes life easier for everyone in the local marketing value chain from franchisee to corporate marketer. In the most recent software update, Pica9 has made two notable enhancements to CampaignDrive that continue the products reputation for constantly improving functionality and the experience for the user. In this update, CampaignDrive customers will now be greeted with an entirely new Campaign Management module that brings a refreshed look, intuitive design and deeper functionality than before. Like all updates, this new and improved feature is now automatically available to all CampaignDrive customers. Using the latest technology made popular in progressive web apps, the new tile-based design for campaign management is more intuitive and easier to navigate. Marketers also benefit from the drag-and-drop style menu used to prioritize campaigns. CampaignDrive is now streamlining the administrators experience by helping them to manage their campaigns with fewer clicks. To further the level of brand marketing control provided in this update, CampaignDrive has also been updated with a new Content Management feature. Now, administrators on CampaignDrive will be able to recommend groups of assets for their end-users to use within marketing templates. When an admin suggests an asset or group of assets, field users will now be able to choose between all of those options all at once making it much easier for them to choose the right product shot or design element for their ads. With franchisees and dealers now having a much simpler experience for updating branded templates, getting their marketing done is easier than ever. No matter what industry youre in or where you market, CampaignDrive has the tools your local partners need to effectively promote your brand, and the easy-to-use interface means that they will never get lost along the way. *Pica9s CampaignDrive is a fully self-service SaaS platform designed to power the last mile of marketing for the worlds biggest brands.* ### Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/91fa02bc-42ff-42d6-8fd5-8976644b2c6b Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7c027e50-fe12-4e62-b7d0-2897ee7316d3 Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/554e7375-9f32-4ece-961d-93a0d59874d1 Enlighten is back and there is more to see this year. While its focus is still on the Parliamentary Triangle, two new precincts have been added this year: the Australian National University and Canberra City. The National Arboretum and National Zoo and Aquarium are also hosting events. The Sleep Keepers and their world of bedtime stories and lullabies will also be at Enlighten. The festival is from March 2 to 18, heralding in Canberra's arguably most glorious season, autumn. The Enlighten illuminations, including the stunning projects on to the walls of Old Parliament House and the like, run from March 2 to 11. When three men went to Canberra's abortion clinic last year it was in a "public act of protest rather than a private act of prayer," prosectors told a court on Friday. But their defence barrister said what the three men did on February 3 was only silent prayer, and not a protest by any means. The three men accused of protesting outside Canberra's abortion clinic. From left, Kerry Mellor, John Popplewell and Ken Clancy. Credit:Megan Gorrey Anti-abortionists Kerry Mellor, 76, John Popplewell, 76, and Ken Clancy, 79, have faced a hearing in the ACT Magistrates Court over their actions that day. The three men had for years been part of a pro-life group that gathered outside the abortion clinic in the ACT Health building on Moore Street on Fridays, one of the days staff performed abortions at the clinic. Finance sector workers could face the prospect of tougher exams as a way to lift standards, after the new chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, James Shipton, used his first public appearance to throw his weight behind the idea. Mr Shipton told a parliamentary committee into the oversight of ASIC on Friday that he was supportive of Australia bringing in a regime like that in the United Kingdom, United States and Hong Kong, where financial planners take intensive, high-level exams to obtain and retain their qualifications. Currently financial planners in Australia are required to take tests to obtain their qualifications but critics argue the standard is inferior to the tests taken by financial services workers in other countries. Under legislation introduced in 2016, all financial planners both new and existing will be required to undertake continuing professional development from January 2019 and will have to pass an exam by January 1, 2021. When the new chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, James Shipton, was told at a joint parliamentary committee hearing there was a perception that the corporate regulator wasn't feared, the response spoke volumes about Shipton's approach. "I want ASIC to be taken seriously by the sectors we regulate and I want ASIC to be highly regarded by the community and public," he replied. "We will be serious and we will be stern where necessary." New ASIC chairman James Shipton gives evidence at the Parliamentary hearing on Friday. Credit:Wolter Peeters He avoided using the words 'tough' or 'feared', preferring to say he would take a strategic approach, which raised a few eyebrows. Given the breach of trust running through the financial services sector following a series of scandals, a strategic approach might not be enough to turn the tide. Goodman group is preparing to launch a range of initiatives for new-look vertical warehouses across Sydney and Melbourne in coming months. Speaking at the half year results on Wednesday, chief executive Greg Goodman said areas such as South Sydney, and parts of inner Melbourne, where land values are high, lend themselves to vertical industrial properties. He confirmed Goodman is working in a ''number of initiatives'' which are expected to be announced in the next six to nine months. Goodman already has extensive multi-storey sites across Asia. Goodman multi-storey warehouse, Qingpu, China ''Increasing urbanisation, rising consumerism and changes in technology, are creating increased competition between residential, higher density industrial, e-commerce and data centre uses, driving rents and land prices in areas where supply is already constrained,'' Mr Goodman said. Leon Worth was a big name in hosiery from the 1950s through to the 1970s. His revolutionary pantyhose replaced the old-fashioned stockings and garters. Strateas Carlucci's new showroom and office is in an East Brunswick former pantyhose factory. While Worths name, with an accompanying pair of shapely legs, is no longer on billboards, his original warehouse, in East Brunswick, still remains. The red brick 1940s building, with its steel-framed windows, is now home to a collective of designers: lighting designer Volker Haug, Moth Design an interior retail, hospitality and exhibition fit-out, together with fashion designers Strateas Carlucci. Peter Strateas, who trained in visual communications at RMIT University, and Mario Carlucci who graduated in industrial design, also at RMIT, have not only made a name for themselves on the world stage of high fashion, but have made their own indelible mark on what was once Worths showroom and warehouse. One of Americas oldest clothing retailers, Brooks Brothers, will open a second flagship store in Melbournes Collins Street as the citys retail sector defies broader industry trends. Brooks Brothers will open in the historic InterContinental Hotel building. Brooks Brothers is set to display its upmarket apparel in a 100 square metre shop in the historic InterContinental Hotel building at 495 Collins in a space vacated last year by collapsed retailer Rhodes & Beckett. CBRE's Zelman Ainsworth, Samantha Hunt and Tan Thach brokered the lease. Customers now expect an omnichannel experience in retail, where brands operate seamlessly between online and brick-and-mortar stores, Mr Ainsworth said. Elon Musk wants Australia to change its power grid to get ready for more big batteries. Having deployed the world's largest battery in South Australia and shot a Tesla Roadster into space, the US billionaire's company now wants to change the face of Australias National Electricity Market. Tesla has called for the nation's outdated electricity network to evolve and prepare for a transition to a new power system as part of the Australian Energy Market Commissions review into the grids reliability. In its submission, the electric car and solar battery maker outlined how when coal-fired power stations have failed for example during Loy Yang power station generator's recent outages batteries were able to put power back into the grid and return it to normal operation in less than 200 milliseconds. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's new code of conduct banning relationships between ministers and their staff is tougher than you would find in most workplaces. A complete ban on relationships is virtually unheard of in offices outside parliament. But many workplaces have disclosure policies to address a potential conflict of interest, including between a boss and subordinate employee. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Peter Wilson, head of the Australian Human Resources Institute, said the common approach was for co-workers to declare a relationship to an independent party. Riley Wilson says that gun proponents have blood on their hands but until they give a damn nothing will change ("Wake up from deadly American dream", February 16). Absolving themselves is as easy as using terms such as "evil", "thoughts" and "prayers". The prayers have had no discernible effect, no matter how hard they thought. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. Alan Baird, Rose Bay My orientation as a foreign graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania Law School included a mandatory safety talk conducted by a local police officer. We were reminded not to bring our guns to school. My class comprising 120 lawyers from 35 countries all laughed at this comment. The officer stood there affronted, thinking we were making light of gun violence. It wasn't until one of my peers finally stood up and explained to the officer that we weren't laughing at him; we were laughing at the absurdity of us carrying weapons. We're not American, she explained. We don't believe in guns. Stephanie Favotto, Alexandria If taking away a US citizen's right to bear arms is too hard, perhaps never giving it to them in the first place would be possible. By this I mean raising the lower age limit for a person to own and use a gun by one year, every year. Nobody would be forced to give back their gun and in a few short years there would be no mixed-up young people allowed access to them. We should seriously consider this in Australia too. Young people can't drive their friends home late at night, but they can buy a gun. Chris Whitfeld, Summer Hill While many Americans including their President seem to think their safety depends on building walls and keeping certain foreign people out, it may be safer for the rest of the world if their walls also worked to keep their own people in. Mark Pearce, Richmond Dear USA, my poor lost country: how many children have to die before gun laws are enacted? You are killing your own. Valerie Levy, Woollahra Train network derailed Julie Apps (Letters, February 16) complains about waiting for half an hour for a train at Circular Quay at 11.15pm. On that same night at Town Hall Station, I caught a Hornsby via Macquarie University train at 7.45pm destined to reach Beecroft at 8.30pm in time for me to arrive (late) for an appointment. At St Leonards the guard announced the train was instructed to re-route to Hornsby via Gordon and all passengers for the Macquarie University line must get off at Chatswood and wait for another train on platform 3. Waiting passengers were then barraged with announcements that the next train on platform 3 would be the Hornsby via Macquarie University. The excuse shown on the indicator board was the morning fire at Circular Quay! One whole hour later the train arrived! In the meantime four other trains had arrived on platform 4 and continued on their way to Gordon and Hornsby. Under Minister McConstanceface, the very reliable Sydney Trains network has become a chaotic mess. Barry Willis, Beecroft Everyone who uses the train network has multiple stories to tell. Cancelled trains, crowded platforms, late trains and dirty trains. We, the taxpayers, don't pay peanuts but still get monkeys. We need a higher quality of politician and bureaucrat if we are going to save Sydney. Eric Sekula, Mount Colah Spotlight on pantomime donkey of a Coalition Listening to Barnaby Joyce's fighting words at his press conference yesterday "We [the Nats] are our own independent political unit, we make our own decisions" and calling out Malcolm Turnbull for being "inept" and "causing further harm", perhaps the logical conclusion now is for the Nats to finally divorce the Coalition and create an even playing field for all political parties again ("Open warfare: Barnaby Joyce launches extraordinary attack on 'inept' Malcolm Turnbull", smh.com.au, February 16). Patrick McGrath, Potts Point It is now essential that the coalition agreement between the Liberals and the Nationals is made public. Australians, if we are to fully understand the current situation, need to know just how much power Malcolm Turnbull has ceded to Barnaby Joyce. It would seem that the ministerial code of conduct has very little force if Malcolm is unable to sack Barnaby or any other National Party minister. Allan Morris, Cooks Hill Barnaby, Barnaby, altogether too precious! How do the guilty lash out so. Fred Veerhuis, Woonona What a petty response to an ethical issue: a ban on sex! ("The end of the affair", February 16).The issue is not that a senior parliamentarian has sex with a staffer, but the manner in which he subsequently dealt with it. That he thought it was OK to hide the truth about his real value around marriage, and his level of respect for the electorate and his family, shows quite clearly that Joyce does not deserve to be anywhere near legislators. That there was a cone of silence from parliamentarians and the media to support this deceit is even worse. And the response from the PM is about having sex, something many agree is nobody's business but the consenting adults. Does he really think this will be seen as dealing adequately with this? Jeanette Berman, Armidale So the PM has banned "sexual relations" between his ministers and their staff. Phew. Thank goodness that is now settled. Ian Harrison, Edgecliff Seriously? A sex ban for our supposedly mature, adult, responsible and "honourable" politicians! What's next, a curfew? Chaperones? Grounding? Not allowed to use the car? Once again our PM and his government is making us an embarrassment on the world stage. Nick Sharp, Warrawong When I was employed in public hospitals around the state I was required to observe the 'code of conduct'. Failure to do so could result in dismissal. Turnbull has now secured a reason to fire wayward ministers if he chooses. Glenda Taylor, Stanwell Tops Hasn't Turnbull ever heard of King Canute? Richard Spear, Mittagong What about existing affairs? John Lewis, Port Macquarie Who cares who they have sex with? What we do care about is what they help themselves to out of the public purse. Chartered planes, first-class tickets on commercial flights (no one needs that degree of luxury), out-of-home allowances for days not at work, jobs for the boys and girls without proper selection processes, and so on and so on. Let's reduce their annual salary to the level of a high school principal. Then maybe the folks who stand for office will be in it for they good they can do, not for the money they can make. Elizabeth Brister, Erskineville Remember it is the rorting not the rooting that is the issue. Are we really in a position to tell people who they should bed down with, especially after spending millions on a same-sex marriage survey? This is a democracy and we are entitled to choose who we want unless it involves people who are under-age. Prime Minister, you are living up to the last four letters in your surname! Sheila Taylor, Elizabeth Bay Did I just hear the slam of a stable door closing? Dear Prime Minister, it is not the sex, or the infidelity, it is the misuse of taxpayer's money. Were the rest of Matt Canavan's staff found jobs with other National members at wages equivalent or more than they were earning? Thought not. Scilla Rosenberg, Kenthurst As Peter Hartcher reports, Turnbull finds the need to ban sex between government ministers and their staff member because, as Turnbull says, most ministers and bosses in parliament are men ("Reverend Turnbull's sermon from on high", February 16). Now why is that, Prime Minister? If Turnbull is concerned about the gender perspective, he would address the gross gender inequality in his own government. How about a 50 per cent female target? But perhaps it is a bridge too far for conservative rulers to contemplate sub-ordinance to the fairer sex? Charmain Brinks, Newcastle Stop, stop, stop, enough is enough. Please think about the real people who are really suffering in this episode. Not you, the man on the street. Please remember: Don't judge = happy, Forgiveness = happier, Love = happiest. Natalie Joyce is suffering; The Joyce girls are suffering. The partner of Barnaby Joyce is suffering; Joyce is suffering. But above all our thoughts should be for the life of the child to come into this world. Who would want to come into this society in Australia of 2018? What do our children and teenagers make of all this? Who are we to say when a child is to come into the world, with whom and under what circumstances. Back off, everyone, and let this child be born in peace. Lenette Allen, Dubbo Regardless of whether the employee is male or female, never mind in a relationship with the boss, why should someone who advises a minister on how to look good in front of the camera be paid three times the salary of the people who teach kids to read and do maths? Don Firth, Wooli Drain Lake Burley Griffin. Roger Bell, Greenwich Several proverbs come to mind when reflecting on Joyce's predicament. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Let he who is without sin caste the first stone. There but for the grace of God go I. Barbara Butt, Newport What would Tony do? Trevor Russell, Lindfield Grading doctors is risky Stephen Duckett of the Grattan Institute pleads for hospital complication rates to be made public ("Lift veil of secrecy to take patients out of dark", February 16). I support transparency, so long as it is forensically specific. As Professor Jerry Muller (The Tyranny of Metrics) points out, doctors and hospitals that agree to necessary but high-risk surgery on patients with significant co-morbitities will have more complications. An averaged complication rate across the entire hospital or worse still, between doctors is unable to give the granular data necessary to make informed decisions. Just because it is measurable, doesn't make it meaningful. Niall McKay, Hamilton I'll never understand why America is opposed to universal healthcare. I went to my GP last week, he sent me to get an X-ray. Within an hour of leaving his office, I'd had the X-ray and the lady at the front desk of the clinic said those magic words: "That's been bulk-billed, nothing for you to pay." What's not love about that? Michael Jones, Wahroonga Divorced from reality Oh dear! Nasser Sultan from Married at First Sight should have taken note of the fallout from holding a very public wedding as occurred with Salim Mehajer ("MAFS star hit with new claims of rip-offs", February 16). Sally Spurr, Longueville Postscript Norwalk, Iowa named site for new pre-cooked egg manufacturing and distribution facility Creation of 100-150 jobs anticipated Construction to start in summer 2018 ST. LOUIS, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST), a consumer packaged goods holding company, announced plans for its Michael Foods business to build a 150,000 square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Norwalk, Iowa. Construction on the $85 million project is targeted to begin in summer 2018. The plant, which will process eggs and pre-cooked egg products, will be completed in 2019. The facility is expected to create 100-150 new jobs initially, ranging from entry-level to skilled in management, operations, finance and production. We looked at numerous locations in the Midwest, and Norwalk had many advantages. We look forward to Michael Foods becoming a preferred employer in the area and being part of the community, said Steve Schonhoff, senior vice president of integrated supply chain. We are delighted that the internal growth at Michael Foods supports this expansion, said Rob Vitale, president and chief executive officer of Post Holdings, Inc. We believe it will further enhance our position as the nations leader in valued added egg products. Michael Foods is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The companys foodservice brands include Papettis and Simply Potatoes. Michael Foods is the largest processor of value-added eggs in the United States. Forward-Looking Statements Forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are made throughout this press release. These forward-looking statements are sometimes identified from the use of forward-looking words such as believe, should, could, potential, continue, expect, project, estimate, predict, anticipate, aim, intend, plan, forecast, target, is likely, will, can, may, or would or the negative of these terms or similar expressions elsewhere in this release. All forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. These factors and risks include, but are not limited to, unanticipated developments that prevent, delay or negatively impact the building of the new facility and other financial, operational and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Post Holdings, Inc.s cautionary statements contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent Post Holdings, Inc.s judgment as of the date of this press release. Post Holdings, Inc. disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. About Post Holdings, Inc. Post Holdings, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a consumer-packaged goods holding company operating in the center-of-the-store, foodservice, food ingredient, refrigerated, active nutrition and private label food categories. Through its Post Consumer Brands business, Post is a leader in the North American ready-to-eat cereal category offering a broad portfolio including recognized brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Great Grains and Malt-O-Meal bag cereal. Post also is a leader in the United Kingdom ready-to-eat cereal category with the iconic Weetabix brand. Through Michael Foods, Post supplies innovative, value-added egg and refrigerated potato products to the foodservice and food ingredient channels. Through its refrigerated retail business, Post is a leader in the refrigerated side dish category offering potato, egg, sausage and cheese products through the Bob Evans, All Whites, Bettern Eggs, Simply Potatoes and Crystal Farms brands. Posts Active Nutrition platform aids consumers in adopting healthier lifestyles through brands such as Premier Protein, PowerBar and Dymatize. Posts Private Brands business manufactures private label peanut butter and other nut butter, dried fruit and nut, pasta and granola products. For more information, visit www.postholdings.com. Contact: Media Relations Lisa Hanly lisa.hanly@postholdings.com (314) 665-3180 Investor Relations Brad Harper brad.harper@postholdings.com (314) 644-7626 The Murray-Darling Basin Authority omitted evidence from a report on satellite monitoring technology that apparently showed water bought by taxpayers for environment purposes was being sucked up by a downstream irrigator, a former senior staffer said. The discovery of the diversion of water in the first half of 2016 was "by accident", as the authority was testing Data Cube remote sensing developed by Geoscience Australia, said Maryanne Slattery, a former director of environmental water policy at the authority. The release involved about 9 billion litres let out by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, with the area of interest from the satellite imagery centred between Boorooma, where the Macquarie River flows into the Barwon, and the town of Brewarrina. Joyce also appears to face zero consequences under the ministerial code of conduct, because the Prime Minister accepts, however reluctantly, that Joyces pregnant lover was not technically his partner at the relevant times of her employment in ministerial offices, including his own. Loading There is no doubt Joyce is suffering great humiliation and distress. It is written on his face. Its probably a good thing he has a week of (one assumes paid) leave to gather himself. One New England voter put it well this week when she told Fairfax Media reporter Michael Koziol: You have to live with the choices you make. But for women it is still the case, even in the pro-feminist 21st century, that they also live with the choices their men make. Women pay the consequences for mens failures and weaknesses far more often than the reverse is true. Lets compare the toll on the women in Joyces life to the toll on him so far. Vikki Campion left her job as a political staffer after it became impossible to deny her relationship with Joyce. It is a sigh-inducing, common pattern: when two employees have a scandalising affair, whether or not any professional misconduct is involved, the woman almost never continues in her job. The man, usually the more powerful or important employee, often does. Its hard to imagine Campion going back to any political staffers job following her maternity leave. Its equally difficult to imagine her returning to journalism at The Daily Telegraph, which has pursued her with such vigour and published her image across its front page. This week the Tele published a 2016 photograph of Campion in a short skirt, with Joyce, sitting next to her, apparently ogling her legs. It was a shocking image, and one which managed to dehumanise Campion as the subject of Joyces (seemingly) lascivious gaze, while inviting everyone else to join in. What was she doing wearing such a short skirt to work anyway, right? Coverage of Campion this week has included bountiful references to her physical appearance. While some have attested to her skills as a media adviser, those skills didnt make her indispensable to the National Party. But Joyce? Well, they cant do without him. And what of Natalie Joyce? She gave up paid work to be a full-time mother and wife, supporting her husbands career, only to be abandoned (so its been reported) when it had reached its zenith. She no longer receives a taxpayer-funded spousal allowance. No doubt Joyce is worth his $416,000 a year salary - politicians work very hard. They endure long hours and arduous travel. But you know what would be even harder? Raising four children without much gap in their ages while living in rural and remote locations, virtually as a single mother (by Joyces own admission). The toughest thing about that gig would be its unrelenting nature, its lack of recognition, its absence of taxpayer-funded staff. For Mrs Joyce, there was no Qantas Club lounge to unwind in at the end of the gruelling day. There was barely anyone to make her a cup of tea. Even News Limited columnist Andrew Bolt, not known for his feminist leanings, thundered this week about the women left behind after helping their husbands build their lives and careers. They perform those thousands of trivial tasks, Bolt wrote, from the washing and the cooking to paying bills - that keep their family life ticking smoothly, but which will never make them famous and never feature on any CV. Any questions? demands Malcolm Turnbull, Australias first Calvinist prime minister, sweating from the most animated sermon of his life. Just a small one, ventures a young advisor, edging out from behind a large pot plant. How do we enforce the new rule? And I have to say, Prime Minister, brave and brilliant rule it is. Although I always loved Love Actually. Dreamy Hugh Grant as PM, he and his staffer fantasising, then snogging Never seen it. But well put a stop to that sort of thing, snaps the PM, henceforth to be known as Elder Malcolm. Beijing: Former spy boss Allan Gyngell has backed a call for politicians to avoid demonising people of Chinese heritage, and for intelligence agencies to prove claims of foreign intereference by the Chinese government. The submission to a review of the Turnbull Government's foreign interference bill calls for an independent assessment of the proposed law by experts, who could publicly examine the intelligence evidence. Experts say its time to end the "demonisation"of Chinese students in Australia. Credit:Reuters Australia's first ambassador to China, Stephen Fitzgerald, has also endorsed the submission, which says Australian citizens "object to being perceived as less 'Australian' if they are immensely proud of their Chinese heritage and admire the accomplishments of the [People's Republic of China] over the past decades". "Australians of Chinese heritage should not have to fear being looked upon by their colleagues, neighbours or society at large as 'stooges' of the Communist Party of China ... if they also feel proud of China's rich cultural heritage," the submission says. Malcolm Turnbull's withering public assessment of the Barnaby Joyce affair has successfully distinguished Turnbull from Joyce on questions of personal morality, but it came well after the main damage was already done and at the heavy cost of sending the Coalition into a tailspin. Following days of unedifying black-letter lawyerisms about what constituted a "partner" in the ministerial code of conduct, Turnbull flipped suddenly to draw a line in the sand. Illustration: Matt Golding The Prime Minister's belated moral decree went perilously close to being, in its own right, a decree absolute - the legal document that formally ends a marriage. People spend more time at work than they do at home. Relationships of every conceivable kind are forged in the workplace. Friendships are made. Friendships are broken. Whether sex is involved or not, sometimes it gets messy. Affairs of all descriptions occur. Sometimes they evolve into marriage and babies. Sometimes they end badly. The insanity of puritanical attacks on consensual sex is underlined by a range of workplace data that shows many of us (me included) met our partners at work. A Relationships Australia survey last year found that 40 per cent of people aged 35-50 met their partner in the workplace. Barack and Michelle Obama met at a Chicago law firm where they were both employed and Bill and Melinda Gates met at Microsoft. It is possible that in 10 years' time, Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion will be living happily together with multiple children. Malcolm Turnbull's proposed bonking ban, preventing ministers from having sex with their staff, is a panicked and irresponsible reaction to the scandal that has engulfed Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. And it is part of a broader and misplaced crackdown on sex in workplaces that must be checked. When employees sign an employment contract, they should not be asked to relinquish their humanity. The critical line that must not be crossed is consent. It is imperative that employers not only prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace but police that prohibition forcefully. The fact that workplace sexual harassment claims are increasing means that true gender equality is a long way off. Barnaby Joyce reacts on Friday to Malcolm Turnbull's remarks. But where a relationship between adults is clearly consensual, as was the relationship between Joyce and Campion, extreme caution is required. Certainly, a consensual relationship between an employee supervising another can raise conflict of interest issues. But this can be managed by sensible policy requiring disclosure and alternative supervision arrangements to be put in place. One of the largest sources of information on the topic is the Vault Office Romance Survey, compiled by a US-based careers and jobs intelligence company that offers rankings of business organisations. In their latest poll, 57 per cent of respondents said that they had had a personal relationship with a workmate - ranging from a quick fling to an ongoing long-term relationship - and 60 per cent of them said they would be happy to do it again. The reason workplaces are cracking down on consensual sex has little to do with the welfare of their workers, it's all to do with their own brand - and Turnbull is no different. His response must be seen as a reaction to the media pile-on and moral panic that ensued after Joyce's relationship with Campion was made public. It also serves a blatantly political purpose - as a distraction from real the issues of financial probity surrounding Joyces actions. Nationals MPs have launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's sex ban, describing the move by the senior Coalition partner as "bonkers". The response of furious Nationals MPs built up to an extraordinary response from Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce on Friday, who labelled Mr Turnbull's comments as "inept" and only "caused further harm". Maverick MP George Christensen became the latest National to criticise the move on Friday, claiming no one cares about "who is shagging who" in Canberra. "The bonk ban is bonkers," he said. "And it shows that the whole attack on Barnaby Joyce is driven by one thing: sex." Bill Shorten has said there is a "full blown crisis" in government and called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to sack Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce . Mr Shorten's was speaking in Melbourne after Mr Joyce held a press conference to defend himself and launch an extraordinary attack on Malcolm Turnbull. "The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are now at war with each other," Mr Shorten said. "Yesterday, Mr Turnbull declared war on Mr Joyce, today Mr Joyce has declared war on Mr Turnbull." "This crisis cannot be allowed to continue. Premiers in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia have ruled out matching Malcolm Turnbull's ban on sexual relations between ministers and their staff. The state's leaders have no appetite to follow the prime minister's formal ban, put in place because of Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce's affair with former staffer Vikki Campion. Premiers Gladys Berejiklian (NSW) and Annastacia Palaszczuk (Queensland) will not follow Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's lead. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had no plans for a sex ban either, saying her ministers know the rules. "My ministers know the public has high expectations of them and I expect them to meet those expectations," the Labor leader said on Friday. Turnbull demolished Joyce's scant remaining protection - his claim to a right to privacy. Consensual behaviour between adults had long been considered a private matter, Turnbull told the media, but no more. And the elephant? Irritated by all the bluster, it walked under a low branch on Friday to give the rider a bit of a scare, reminding him of its independence, as it makes its way back towards the path at its own pace. Loading The Prime Minister's remarks had been "inept" and "unnecessary". And the intrusion into his private affairs been hurtful. All he'd done was "pull the scab off for everybody to have a look at". Joyce told the press that he had no intention of considering his position. He was the leader of the Nationals, "an independent political unit". If anything, Turnbull's intervention had "locked in" Joyce's supporters in the Nationals. Joyce at least did the Prime Minister the courtesy of letting him know he was planning a press conference. Turnbull is still cross but he can't do anything about it but hang on. His impotence has been exposed. He has tried to assert leadership but he's been humiliated. Remember the last time he was on top? It was Barnaby who refused to follow Turnbull's lead on climate change. He led the Coalition in a revolt, and Tony Abbott took the opportunity to lead the Liberals in joining the revolt. On that occasion, the elephant threw the rider off and trampled him underfoot. The elephant that the Prime Minister rides has different moods, different personas. Sometimes it's Barnaby and the National party. Sometimes it's his conservative Liberal colleagues who take him off in unwanted directions. His most passionate beliefs, the causes he fought for all through his public life, whether the republic, climate change or same sex marriage, he had to shelve as the price of his accession to the leader's job. Sometimes it's a strong and determined minister. Peter Dutton almost invariably gets his way in the Turnbull cabinet, for instance. Congratulations on rearranging the government to create your new super-ministry, Home Affairs Minister. Kevin Rudd laughs as he speaks with an elderly man after giving a speech at a breakfast in the NSW State Parliament ahead of the 10th anniversary of the National Apology to indigenous people. Credit:AAP Kevin Rudd returned to Australia for a few days this week. It's fair to say that he was not impressed with Turnbull's leadership skills. "Turnbull has demonstrated himself to be a leader's arse," the former prime minister told me. "A guy who always wanted to be Caesar, but not the faintest idea about advancing Australia into the future. That is the tragedy of his political leadership for us." As for the Prime Minister's assertion of moral leadership and his ban on sex between ministers and staff, Rudd's acid suggestion: "He should contract it out to the Saudi Religious Police." Rudd is no admirer of Barnaby Joyce yet on this matter he sympathises. He laments the disappearance of any rights to privacy: "I'm no defender of Barnaby on public policy matters. I regard him as the worst Australian populist. But his family deserves privacy. "The benchmark for evaluating all of us engaged in public life continues to be raised to the extent that there is no longer any public-private divide." He reserves his toughest criticism for Turnbull: "The bottom line is that the core debates about our country's future continue to fall by the wayside. The essence of political leadership is to lead and not to follow. Turnbull's failure to lead on Aboriginal reconciliation, on climate change, on same-sex marriage, and let them all simply slide away is not inevitable. "He should dare his party to remove him, given their parliamentary circumstance" of a one-seat majority. Turnbull has said that, if he were no longer leader, he would retire from Parliament. So his party dare not move against him for fear that it would lose government. "He should dare them on the back of having courageous positions on Indigenous reconciliation or climate change action. "Instead, we see him behaving as a slightly more elegant version of Barnaby Joyce in sliding down the populist road." Turnbull's overarching achievement is to survive, hanging on at any cost. Of course, Rudd, too, was thrown and trampled by his own party before remounting as leader years later. It's no easy feat to manage an elephant. True, he concedes, but he draws this contrast: "People may have loved me or loathed me in 2007, but I advanced debate. Whether it was our future beyond being China's quarry, infrastructure for the 21st century, climate change or Indigenous reconciliation. "It seems that all these serious debates disappear into the sand when the latest piece of titillation arrives. It's no surprise that the people feel a deep alienation from the political system - we've been through nine months of politicians talking about themselves, whether it's citizenship or Barnaby Joyce." He blames Turnbull for failing to sustain the big debates, but Labor is hardly blameless here. "Australians want us to stop taking about ourselves and start talking about them," Bill Shorten intoned to reporters on Thursday morning, pretending to take the high road even as his party prepared to take the low road of a stunt on the floor of the House to keep everyone talking about Joyce. The opposition confected outrage at every opportunity over even the smallest, most trivial detail of Joyce's situation while pretending that its only concern was for public administration. One example - Chris Bowen asked Joyce in question time whether he'd seen a real estate agent's video advertising the Armidale house that Joyce was living in. Irrelevant drivel, but any excuse to keep the story running. In truth, Labor was thrilling in the bloodsport of trying to bring down a member of the opposing tribe. And of course it couldn't have done this without the excited help of a very enthusiastic media. The whole episode was launched by The Daily Telegraph's new low for Australian media standards - the paper took paparazzi-style photos of Joyce's new partner, pregnant, as she crossed a road, and plastered her picture across its front page, knowing full well the pain that the intrusion was about to inflict on her, on Joyce's wife Natalie and their family. And, once the Tele broke the story, it was picked up energetically by all the rest. Big matters, big debates, big stories fell by the wayside. For instance, the national effort to try to recover from the early colonial slow genocide waged on Australia's first peoples. This was the week of the annual Closing the Gap report into policies to bring Indigenous Australians out of the Third World-living conditions they've endured. And the 10th anniversary of the apology to the stolen generation. The grim news was that only three of the seven key metrics were on track to meet the bipartisan national goals. And there was much more besides. But this debate, these stories were soon overwhelmed and eventually buried by the pseudo-debate over Barnaby Joyce's marital woes. It might sound like a pretty solid performance that there were 4226 mentions of Aboriginal affairs across all TV and radio stations this week, plus 213 references in print and another 2254 in online media, based on data from media monitoring firm Isentia. But this was dwarfed by 43,969 TV and radio references to the Joyce affair, more than 10 times the number, plus 964 print mentions and another 8017 in online media. Under the blare of coverage of Joyce, a series of troubling Indigenous policy developments were lost. One was the fact that the longstanding and admirable bipartisan approach to Aboriginal reconciliation was lost. Labor asked that the government persist with the proposal for an "Indigenous voice", a council or committee of Aboriginal representatives to make recommendations to the federal government on indigenous matters. But Turnbull refused, ruling it out as an exclusionary "third chamber" of Parliament. It would have no power of lawmaking, so this is misleading. Yet rather than the leaders seeking a quiet compromise, Shorten demanded. Turnbull then escalated, promising to make it an election issue if Labor persisted. Progress to Indigenous reconciliation died on the floor of the Parliament this week, largely unnoticed and unmourned in the frenzy over Joyce. Another vital national matter came perilously close to the same fate this week - water supply to Australia's food bowl. When the Senate voted down the government's latest plan for water allocations in the Murray-Darling river system, some of the states threatened to abandon the scheme. Can Australia sustain an equitable water sharing plan, allowing enough water to be pumped out for agriculture and also enough to remain to sustain the river's many ecosystems? This remains in perilous balance. Again, it got scant interest and scant coverage in the all-consuming excitment over Joyce. English French 2017 Annual Results Market upswing and robust results Highlights Rebound in orders on core business: 21 new units recorded in 2017 vs. 5 in 2016 4 new orders since 1 st January 2018 Entry in LNG fuel market First order of nine LNG-powered container vessels Numerous industrial and commercial partnerships Acquisition of Ascenz in Singapore Key figures for 2017 Consolidated Revenue of 232 million Tight control of operating costs Proposed dividend of 2.66 per share Outlook for 2018 Consolidated revenue target: between 235 million and 250 million Consolidated EBITDA target: between 145 million and 155 million Dividend target in respect of 2018: at least equal to the dividend amount paid for the past three years Paris, 16 February 2018 - GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) - an engineering company specialised in the design of membrane containment systems for maritime transportation and storage of liquefied gas, hereby presents its results for 2017. GTT Chairman & CEO Philippe Berterottiere made the following statement: "2017 was marked by a clear rebound in orders of LNG carriers and the boom in FSRUs - confirming our vision of market requirements - as well as our entry into the emerging market of LNG as a fuel. The growth in LNG demand recorded in 2017, in particular in Asia and in new importing countries, shows that the LNG market is continuing to grow. With the emergence of LNG as a fuel, the global LNG market should start to benefit from the consumption of LNG by merchant vessels. The first order of nine ultra-large container vessels was both significant and emblematic of our ability to meet the requirements of shipping companies in this area. The partnerships we have formed with major industry players will be crucial in ensuring the development of GTT in this new ecosystem. Beyond the benefits for GTT, the use of LNG as a fuel for merchant vessels is a major step forward to reduce polluting emissions. The acquisition of Ascenz - a company specialised in "smart shipping" - will enable us to accelerate our development in services by offering new solutions. Thus, 2017 has enabled us to demonstrate our ability to implement the strategy we have laid down: solid core business, entry into the market of LNG as a fuel, targeted external growth, and acceleration of our service activities. Concerning our outlook for the year in progress, given our healthy order book in 2017 and for the beginning of 2018, we expect our 2018 consolidated revenue to be between 235 million and 250 million, with consolidated EBITDA between 145 million and 155 million, and the dividend maintained at the same amount for 2018." Business activity Main "vessel" business With 21 ship orders in 2017, GTT recorded a significant rebound in its commercial activity compared to 2016. 12 orders for LNG carriers, including 8 from South Korean shipyards and the other 4 from the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard in China. Most of these orders are intended for natural gas liquefaction units under construction, in particular in the United States. All of the vessels will be equipped with GTT's recent technologies (NO 96 GW, including 8 from South Korean shipyards and the other 4 from the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard in China. Most of these orders are intended for natural gas liquefaction units under construction, in particular in the United States. All of the vessels will be equipped with GTT's recent technologies (NO 96 GW, NO96-L03+ and Mark III Flex), 8 orders for FSRUs announced in 2017. These orders reflect the great interest for these regasification vessels which represent a highly flexible and very economical solution, in particular for new LNG importing countries, 1 FLNG order. This order, placed in early 2017, concerns a vessel with a total capacity of 238,700 m3, built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea for the gas company ENI, and equipped with the Mark III technology. LNG fuel activity With the booking of its very first order concerning LNG as a fuel, GTT demonstrates its ability to meet the requirements of major merchant vessels operators. A first order of 9 container ships. In November 2017, GTT was selected by the Chinese shipyard Hudong Zhonghua and the CMA CGM shipping company for the design of the cryogenic storage tanks of 9 LNG-powered container ships. For GTT, this order is the result of over four years' development and marks its entry into this emerging market. Major industrial and commercial partnerships to speed up the development of LNG as a fuel. GTT signed several cooperation agreements with major players in the LNG fuel market in order to speed up the deployment of solutions that will benefit shipyards as well as shipping companies: With the Wartsila Group (Finland) in the aim of exploring new market opportunities in the maritime sector, focused on LNG storage, the methods for supplying LNG fuel to engines, and related services, With DSEC (South Korea) to meet the requirements of customers who want to adapt LNG membrane containment systems to all types of vessels (ocean liners, container ships, bulk carriers, ro-ro ships, etc.), With Cosco Shipping Industries (China), notably for the construction and renovation of LNG-powered ships and small LNG carriers. "Services" business GTT now offers shipping companies a comprehensive range of services , making it possible to reduce vessel dry-dock time, assist ship crews during operations, and optimise costs. In this respect, in February 2017, GTT signed a comprehensive technical assistance contract with Teekay for the whole of its fleet (i.e. 23 ships). This contract includes assistance and servicing, as well as the operational assistance service (HEARS), In December 2017, GTT and Chevron signed a five-year global service agreement under which GTT will assist Chevron with the maintenance and operation of 10 LNG carriers. This agreement provides for on-site technical assistance during inspections, as well as maintenance, repairs, Thermal Assessment of Membrane Integrity (TAMI TM ) tests, GTT's assistance in training Chevron's crew members and superintendents, and access to the HEARS hotline. In October 2017, GTT announced the signing of a service agreement with Shell for the FLNG Prelude membrane cargo containment system. This covers engineering, inspection, maintenance and testing related to the containment system. Order book Since 1 January 2017, GTT's order book - which comprised 96 units at the time - has changed as follows: 21 new orders: 12 LNG carriers, 8 FSRUs and 1 FLNG 28 deliveries: 24 LNG and ethane carriers, 3 FSRUs and 1 FLNG At 31 December 2017, the order book comprised 89 units, of which: 71 LNG carriers 13 FSRUs 2 FLNGs 2 onshore storage tanks 1 barge Financial performance This year, GTT is presenting consolidated financial statements for the first time. The consolidated subsidiaries are the following: Cryovision, Cryometrics, GTT Training, GTT North America and GTT SEA. All of these subsidiaries are wholly owned by GTT and fully consolidated. In order to facilitate the reading of the 2017 IFRS consolidated financial statements, the Group presents the 2016 comparatives in a proforma consolidated form. Change in consolidated revenue in 2017 (in thousands) Proforma 2016 2017 Change Revenue 237,029 231,591 -2.3% Of which royalties (newbuilts) 227,286 218,381 -3.9% Of which services 9,742 13,211 +35.6% Consolidated revenue amounted to 231.6 million in 2017, compared to 237.0 million in 2016, representing a slight decline of 2.3% over the period. Revenue from royalties amounted to 218.4 million in 2017, down 3.9% compared to previous year, due to a difficult market environment in 2016 which resulted in a low level of new orders. Royalties on LNG carriers amounted to 191.5 million, while royalties on FSRUs increased by 5.4% to 22.3 million. The other royalties, which totalled 3.6 million, stemmed from FLNGs, onshore storage tanks, the barge and LNG fuel. Revenue from services increased sharply (+35.6%), mainly due to the increase in maintenance operations, studies undertaken, and the training delivered under the Tote agreement in the United States. Analysis of 2017 consolidated income statement (in thousands, except earnings per share) Proforma 2016 2017 Change Revenue 237,029 231,591 -2.3% EBITDA 146,388 142,096 -2.9% EBITDA margin (on revenue, %) 61.8% 61,4% Operating income (EBIT) 142,147 138,353 -2.7% EBIT margin (on revenue, %) 60.0% 59.7% Net income 119,868 116,245 -3.0% Net margin (on revenue, %) 50.6% 50.2% Net earnings per share (in euros) 3.24 3.14 -3.1% Net income reached 116.2 million in fiscal 2017, down 3.0% compared to the previous year. The net margin rate remains at a level comparable to that of 2016, above 50%. The change in income compared to 2016 is mainly attributable to a provision for tax risk of 15.2 million, including penalties. Following an audit by the French tax authorities, the Group was notified of a proposed rectification in which the authorities called into question an exemption from withholding tax in respect of dividends paid to a former non-resident shareholder. Contesting the grounds for the reassessment, and not having benefited itself from this exemption, the Group intends to take all appropriate measures to preserve its rights. Excluding this provision, the net result would amount to 131.5 million in 2017 (+ 9.7% compared to 2016) and the net margin would increase from 50.6% to 56.8% (+ 6.2 points). In 2017, the Group continued to strictly control its operating costs. As a result, external costs were reduced by 17% and staff costs by 5%. In addition, a research tax credit (CIR) was recognized following claims made for the years 2009 to 2011, 2013 and 2014 for an amount of 3.8 million. Other 2017 consolidated financial data (in thousands) Proforma 2016 2017 Change Capital expenditure (acquisitions of fixed assets) (4,521) (3,434) -24.0% Dividends paid (99,654) (98,592) -1.1% Cash position 78,209 99,890 +27.7% At 31 December 2017, the Company's net cash position amounted to 99.9 million. To this amount can be added 3.2 million in investments classified as financial assets. Note that 10.7 million in investments sold or having reached maturity were reclassified as cash and cash equivalents. Dividend in respect of 2017 On 16 February 2018, after approving the financial statements, the Board of Directors decided to propose the payment of a dividend of 2.66 per share for 2017, payable in cash, subject to approval by the General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 17 May 2018. As an interim dividend of 1.33 per share was paid on 29 September 2017 (in accordance with the Board decision of 20 July 2017), the payment of the outstanding balance, i.e. 1.33 per share, will take place on 31 May 2018 (ex-dividend date for the remainder of the dividend: 29 May 2018). The proposed dividend corresponds to a payout ratio of 86% of distributable profits. Moreover, in accordance with the indications given by the Company upon its IPO, an interim dividend should be paid out in September 2018 in respect of FY 2018. Outlook The Company has visibility as regards its revenues from royalties out to 2021 based on its order book at the end of 2017. In the absence of any significant order delays or cancellations, this corresponds to a revenue of 393 million for the 2018-2021 period (225 million in 2018, 124 million in 2019, 38 million in 2020 and 6 million in 2021). On that basis, the Group: announces a target of 235 million to 250 million in consolidated revenue for 2018, announces a target of 145 million to 155 million in consolidated EBITDA for 2018, aims to distribute a dividend amount, in respect of FY 2018, at least equal to that paid for 2015, 2016 and 2017 and, in respect of FY 2019, a dividend payout ratio of at least 80% of net income available for distribution. *** Presentation of results for 2017 Philippe Berterottiere, Chairman & CEO, and Marc Haestier, CFO, will comment on GTT's annual results, and will answer questions from the financial community during a conference call in English on Monday 19 February 2018, at 8.30 a.m. Paris time. To participate in the conference call, please dial one of the following numbers five to ten minutes before the start of the conference: France: + 33 1 76 77 25 06 United Kingdom: + 44 330 336 9411 United States: + 1 323 794 2551 Confirmation code: 9385562 This conference call will also be broadcast live on GTT's website (www.gtt.fr) in listen-only mode (webcast). The presentation document will be available on the website. Financial agenda 2018 first-quarter results: 12 April 2018 (after the close of trading) General Meeting of Shareholders: 17 May 2018 Payout of the remainder of the dividend (1.33 per share) for FY 2017: 31 May 2018 Publication of the 2018 half-year results: 26 July 2018 (after the close of trading) 2018 third-quarter results: 26 October 2018 (after the close of trading) About GTT GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) is an engineering company expert in containment systems with cryogenic membranes used to transport and store liquefied gas, in particular LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). For over 50 years, GTT has been maintaining reliable relationships with all stakeholders of the gas industry (shipyards, ship-owners, gas companies, terminal operators, classification societies). The Company designs and provides technologies which combine operational efficiency and safety, to equip LNG carriers, floating terminals, and multi-gas carriers. GTT also develops solutions dedicated to land storage and to the use of LNG as fuel for vessel propulsion, as well as a full range of services. GTT is listed on Euronext Paris, Compartment A (ISIN FR0011726835 Euronext Paris: GTT) and is notably included in the SBF 120 and MSCI Small Cap indexes. Investor relations contact: information-financiere@gtt.fr / +33 1 30 23 20 87 Press contact: press@gtt.fr / +33 1 30 23 42 26 / +33 1 30 23 47 31 For further information, please consult www.gtt.fr/en and, in particular, the presentation to be uploaded online for the conference call of February 19, 2018. NOTE GTT's full-year IFRS financial statements have been audited, and the auditor's report will be issued before the company's registration document is filed with the AMF (scheduled for end-April 2018). Important notice The figures presented here are those customarily used and communicated to the markets by GTT. This message includes forward-looking information and statements. Such statements include financial projections and estimates, the assumptions on which they are based, as well as statements about projects, objectives and expectations regarding future operations, profits, or services, or future performance. Although GTT management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and GTT shareholders should be aware that such forward-looking information and statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties that are generally difficult to predict and beyond the control of GTT, and may cause results and developments to differ significantly from those expressed, implied or predicted in the forward-looking statements or information. Such risks include those explained or identified in the public documents filed by GTT with the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF - Autorite des Marches Financiers), including those listed in the "Risk Factors" section of the GTT Registration Document (in French) registered with the AMF on April 27, 2017 under number R.17-030, and the half-yearly financial report released on July 20, 2017. Investors and GTT shareholders should note that if some or all of these risks are realised they may have a significant unfavourable impact on GTT. Appendices (Consolidated IFRS financial statements) Appendix 1: Consolidated balance sheet In thousands of euros Proforma December 31, 2016 December 31, 2017 Intangible assets 1,008 1,097 Property, plant and equipment 18,137 17,483 Non-current financial assets 5,863 3,240 Deferred tax assets 1,737 1,520 Non-current assets 26,746 23,341 Customers 78,150 101,056 Income tax assets 22,952 18,975 Other current assets 6,110 5,098 Financial current assets 7,669 - Cash and cash equivalents 78,209 99,890 Current assets 193,089 225,018 TOTAL ASSETS 219,835 248,359 In thousands of euros Proforma December 31, 2016 December 31, 2017 Share capital 371 371 Share premium 2,932 2,932 Common shares -1,765 -3,728 Reserves -644 20,585 Net income 119,868 116,245 Equity 120,762 136,405 Non-current provision 4,626 3,967 Financial liabilities - non-current part 616 244 Deferred tax liability 261 222 Non-current liabilities 5,503 4,433 Current provision 1,864 15,604 Suppliers 8,970 10,574 Income tax liabilities 6,427 6,194 Current financial liabilities 488, 379 Other current liabilities 75,820 74,771 Current liabilities 93,569 107,521 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 219,835 248,359 Appendix 2: Consolidated income statement In thousands of euros Proforma 2016 2017 Revenue from operating activities 237,029 231,591 Goods purchases -2,042 -1,830 External charges -44,324 -36,788 Personnel expenses -43,248 -41,162 Taxes -4,357 -4,183 Depreciations, amortisations and provisions -6,929 -16,807 Other operating income and expenses 6,800 7,927 Impairements of assets -782 -394 Operating profit 142,147 138,353 Financial income 1,319 423 Profit before tax 143,466 138,777 Income tax 23,598 22,532 Net income 119,868 116,245 Basic earnings per share (in euros) 3.24 3.14 Diluted earnings per share (in euros) 3.23 3.13 In thousands of euros Proforma 2016 2017 Net income 119,868 116,245 Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss: Actuarial Gains and Losses - Gross amount -271 300 - Deferred tax 40 -45 - Total amount, net of tax -231 255 Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: Conversion differences 7 -59 Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax -224 196 Total comprehensive income 119,644 116,441 Appendix 3: Consolidated cash flow statement In thousands of euros Proforma 2016 2017 Group profit for the year 119,868 116,245 Cancellation of income and expenses with no effect on cash-flow: Allocation (Reversal) of amortisation, depreciation, provisions and impairment 7,162 17,095 Proceeds on disposal of assets 205 273 Financial expense (income) -1,319 -423 Taxe expense (income) for the financial year 23,598 22,532 Free shares 885 830 Cash-flow 150,399 156,551 Tax paid out in the financial year -22,576 -18,685 Change in working capital requirement: - Trade and other receivables 542 -22,906 - Trade and other payables 322 1,604 - Other operational assets and liabilities -33,702 -38 Net cash-flow generated by the business (Total I) 94,984 116,525 Investment operations Acquisition of non-current assets -4,521 -3,434 Disposal of non-current assets - - Financial investments -768 -2,864 Disposal of financial assets 12,534 13,260 Treasury shares -415 -3,005 Net cash-flow from investment operations (Total II) 6,830 3,957 Financing operations Dividends paid to shareholders -99,654 -98,592 Change in FSH advances -538 -488 Interests paid -36 -21 Interests received 783 366 Net cash-flow from finance operations (Total III) -99,445 -98,736 Effect of changes in currency prices (Total IV) 309 -65 Change in cash (I+II+III+IV) 2,678 21,681 Opening cash 75,531 78,209 Closing cash 78,209 99,890 Cash change 2,677 21,681 Appendix 4: Consolidated revenues breakdown In thousands of euros Proforma 2016 2017 Revenues from operating activities 237,029 231,591 Royalties (newbuilt) 227,286 218,381 - LNG carriers/VLEC 201,487 191,541 - FSRU 21,024 22,262 - FLNG 2,105 2,631 - Onshore storage 1,956 1,511 - Barges 713 370 - LNG Fuel 0 66 Services 9,742 13,211 Appendix 5: 10 year order estimates In units Order estimates (1) LNG carriers/VLEC 225-240 FSRU 30-40 FLNG 5-10 Onshore storage 5-10 (1) Over 2018-2027. The Company points out that the number of new orders may see large-scale variations from one quarter to another and even one year to another without the fundamentals on which its business model is based being called into question. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has all but called on Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce to quit, telling him publicly to "consider his position". But owing to the peculiarities of Coalition politics, the PM is essentially powerless to dump his deputy. The Coalition is held together by an enduring but often testy bond between the Liberal Party and the National Party, the two major parties of the centre-right. The leader of the Liberals, as the dominant partner, becomes the prime minister when the Coalition is in government. The leader of the Nationals becomes the deputy prime minister and accordingly sits in the cabinet. That arrangement is set in stone by the highly protected but essentially straightforward "Coalition agreement", among other matters. The two leaders are elected by their own party rooms, and neither party is able to remove the other's leader. Illustration: Matt Golding By convention, the deputy Nationals leader and the leader of the Nationals in the Senate also sit in the cabinet alongside a number of other Nationals' positions as set out in the Coalition agreement, and determined by the number of seats won at the election. Those spots are the domain of the Nationals' leader. 1. For the jam, peel the pineapple, remove core and chop flesh into roughly 4-5cm pieces (you should have around 700g). Pulse pineapple flesh in a food processor to form a coarse puree. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, but do not press down on the puree; the aim is simply to remove excess juice. 2. Combine the pineapple puree, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium, bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes with a wooden spoon. You may need to lower the heat a bit, and stir more frequently as the mixture thickens, to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan. It will be ready when it is a thick golden paste (thicker than regular jam) and holds its shape when spooned on to a plate. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Store in the fridge (for up to two weeks) until ready to assemble the tarts. 3. For the pastry, sift together the flour, icing sugar and salt and place in a food processor. Add the butter and lime zest, then pulse a few times until the mixture is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Lightly whisk together the egg yolk and water, and add this to the mix, pulsing just to combine. 4. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface it will be quite wet and sticky. Dust your hands lightly with flour, and press or pat gently to form a ball, then divide the pastry into two. Wrap each half loosely in cling film and press gently to form two flattish discs. The dough will be soft and must be chilled for at least an hour (and up to 3 days) before using. (You will only be using one disc for these tarts. Freeze the other for another time.) 5. Brush the moulds of a 12-hole patty pan lightly with melted butter and set aside. I love a sunburnt country and a charred, fat-tailed lamb chop, and the lightly blackened skin of a sausage. I love the burnt, gnarly bits on a roast leg of lamb, and the way the long tail of a quartered parsnip blackens and becomes wizened in the oven, until it's as chewy as a sweet, tooth-sticking caramel. Charred octopus tentacles over charcoal, yes. And bacon is there any point in eating bacon that isn't darkly crisp? You may as well eat ham. Or pale toast. Illustration by Simon Letch. At one of London's priciest restaurants, the unmistakable hint of burnt toast used to pervade the dining room at regular intervals. It happened so consistently that it must have been deliberate; a clever way of nudging nostalgia and playing with your senses. It always worked for me, and made me order more. Even pastry chefs know the power and magic of going for the burn. The fruit tarts in the windows of the humblest little baker in a French village will be as bubbled, pocked and singed as the finest pizza crust in Naples, bringing both textural and flavour contrast to the party. The Portuguese tarts of Belem, on the outskirts of Lisbon, are all sweet and custardy inside like melting sunshine, with the pastry base so darkly toffeed and caramelised, scorched and smoky that it is almost savoury. Roxy Jacenko is working on her relationship with her estranged sister Ruby Davis, who a temporary AVO was taken out against in 2008 after Ruby allegedly punched Roxy in a Kings Cross nightclub. The AVO was never pursued. And while that incident is almost water under the bridge, Roxy, 37, told Fairfax Media at a lunch for her new line of Roxy Tan in conjunction with Skinny Tan this week that she will never reconcile with her father, Nick Jacenko, and his partner, Lisa Ho, a former fashion designer. "I would like to resurrect my relationship with my sister Ruby for my mother and for me as I'm getting older and it would be nice to have a family member, but with my dad, I will never forget the position he has put myself and my mother in," she said. "I think what is going on is totally unacceptable from a father. A father is supposed to back you and build you and support you, but he didn't do that for me. He found someone else and he moved on, which is all well and good but you also have to remember what you had no matter whether they are [aged] 37 or three. Your kid is still your kid. So no, I don't see any building of bridges." Salim Mehajer on the Vaucluse balcony in early January. Credit:JAMIE FAWCETT It's believed the fall out occurred not long after Roxy's mother Doreen Davis and Nick split in 2013 and a bitter divorce ensued, in which they had to carve up their impressive empire that included a factory in Sri Lanka, a Capitol Clothing business that generated upwards of $13 million a year and a property portfolio. Nick and Ho began a relationship not long after administrators were called in to the closure of her clothing business in 2013. Mary Mehajer in Salim's bathrobe. Credit:JAMIE FAWCETT They both accuse Roxy and Doreen of assaulting them in Woollahra on May 14, 2016, but both women deny the claims. Meanwhile, in her promotion of Roxy Tan, Roxy took a leaf out of Kim Kardashian-West's book and sent the self-tanning product to her perceived haters, listing the names for all to see on her Instagram story on colourful Post-It notes. Lizzie Buttrose with her aunt, Ita Buttrose, in 2010. Credit:Sahlan Hayes Her father and his partner, who Jacenko calls "The Ho and Nicky Boy", were included in the gift-giving that came in a chocolate smash cake. "My biggest detractors are always my biggest motivators, so it was a bit of a f--- you. You don't like me so much, so you can enjoy my tan," she laughed. The Bachelor host Osher Gunsberg, ambassador for Yoobi. Credit:Hipster Mum Earlier in the day, Roxy appeared on KIIS 1065's Kyle and Jackie O Show alongside her husband, who opened up for the first time about his experience in jail. The one topic that the publicist had asked the presenters not to broach was her relationship with millionaire property developer Nabil Gazal, while Curtis was inside. But to her surprise, it was Curtis who raised the issue. "It is absolutely disgusting. What sort of human being moves in on a man's wife while in jail?" Curtis said on air. "Let me tell you, I wouldn't want to run into him on the street. Or he wouldn't want to run into me." Roxy continued to Fairfax Media: "Oli voluntarily brought up that time in my life. I think he just really wanted to get it off his chest and credit to him and good on him. He said what he needed to say. But I really didn't think he was going to say it and I was like, 'where is the mute button?'" However, she wasn't best pleased with him speaking about the first time they had sex post-Cooma. "His blue balls reference was something very unique. I came over all hot just thinking about it," she laughed. Mehajer ordered to vacate Vaucluse mansion It's just one thing after another for Salim Mehajer. The former Auburn deputy mayor, 31, has been given 21 days to vacate the rental Vaucluse mansion he had been living in before he was put behind bars or pay $18,000 in outstanding rent. The order was granted at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Friday morning after the colourful businessman failed to make the payments on the luxurious property in upmarket MacDonald Street, overlooking Diamond Bay. Two cars, a Rolls Royce and a BMW, which Mehajer was often seen driving around in, have already been removed from the garage at the home by the owners of the vehicles. It means his youngest sister Mary, best remembered as the controversial Miss Lebanon, will have to move back to Lidcombe. She had moved into the eastern suburbs abode been left vacant for the past four weeks by her brother, who has been in custody since he was refused bail at Waverley Local Court in late January over allegations he staged a car crash to avoid appearing in court for an assault trial. The UTS law and business student, 19, was spotted this week on the balcony of the home wearing the same gleaming white bathrobe worn by Mehajer and his girlfriend Melissa Tysoe just five weeks before. It's believed that Tysoe, a Central Coast business graduate, has not given up on her other half, despite his incarceration, taking to Instagram on Valentine's Day to share a throwback picture of him lifting weights with the caption: "Happy V day baby (sic)". It's not the first time Mehajer has been accused of failing to pay his creditors. Two weeks ago, Mehajer's lawyer Brett Galloway abandoned his case in which he is accused of assaulting and robbing a taxi driver, saying he had an "ethical dilemma". Mehajer said the lawyer had been forced to withdraw because his money is frozen and he was unable to pay his legal representatives. He still owes $1 million for a lavish marble staircase in his ostentatious Lidcombe home. It's been a busy week for the property developer, whose father is now trying to look after his affairs. On Thursday, two brothers and their wives appeared in court all facing charges for allegedly conspiring to stage a car crash involving Mehajer in an attempt to cheat and defraud Insurance Australia group (also known as NRMA). On Wednesday, the Auburn Warriors rugby league club announced it has been forced to fold after 65 years because Mehajer allegedly reneged on a sponsorship arrangement worth $100,000. Last week, he unsuccessfully argued he should be given another chance to apply for bail because two newspapers printed "embarrassing" claims about him that would lower his reputation within the prison system. Fairfax Media have contacted the Mehajer family for comment. Buttrose moves out after controversial track record as a neighbour The neighbours in Vaucluse's Hopetoun Mews are hoping there will be some peace and quiet after Lizzie Buttrose and her partner Zoran Stopar moved out on Thursday afternoon. Buttrose, 48, a former Sydney It girl and niece of Ita Buttrose, sold the four-bedroom, 873 square metre property in December for an estimated $4 million. It had been a welcome sale for some of those in the vicinity after her controversial track record as a neighbour, including regular, noisy disputes with her on-again, off-again fiance Stopar, allowing her mastiff dogs run through posh Vaucluse, and assaulting a police officer during a drunken argument with Stopar about her dogs on October 13, 2016. Rose Bay Police were called to the home more than a dozen times last year as the private issues often spilled on to the street. In August, she was arrested outside her door for high-range drink driving, resisting arrest and behaving in an offensive manner in public. An AVO was taken out against Stopar but it hasn't stopped the pair from planning their upcoming nuptials. One of Buttrose's two teenage sons sought an interim AVO against his mother in 2016 before dropping the matter last year. Buttrose did not want to comment when approached by Fairfax Media. The Bachelor is 50% effective but Gunsberg says there's more to it Out of the eight couples who have starred on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette Australia in the past five years, just half of them are still an item, but the show's affable host Osher Gunsberg says that there's more to it than love. "We work so hard on helping them find love and while some of them might not remain together, when they leave us they have changed for the better," Gunsberg told Fairfax Media. "I saw that change happening with Sophie [Monk]. She sticks up for herself now, she never used to do that. I try and focus on the benefit we brought to their lives." He remained tight-lipped about the upcoming spin-off The Bachelor in Paradise, which stars old favourites including Laurina Fleure, Michael Turnbull, Leah Costa, Jarrod Woodgate and Keira Maguire although everyone and their mother knows that the latter two are now an item. "All I can tell you is all of the things that you loved about the characters in previous seasons are even better in paradise," he said. Gunsberg headed back to school this week to deliver a truckload of Yoobi school supplies to children in need in South Sydney. "There are 1.1 million children and young people in Australia living in poverty," he said. Loading "We have heard stories of kids sharing a pen to do their homework. Can you imagine how easy it is to fall behind when they don't even have the proper tools they need? Illustration: Matt Golding On Friday ALH lodged a Victorian Supreme Court appeal to challenge a local government decision to block one of its pubs from installing 40 machines in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Today it has machines in 81 of its 82 pubs. Its aggression in the industry prompted the Reverend Tim Costello, director of the Alliance for Pokie Reform, to criticise Woolworths directly "I am appalled that ALH has decided to go to the Victorian Supreme Court in an attempt to force pokies into the Commercial Hotel in South Morang," he said. "Woolworths is already the nation's biggest pokies operator, with annual losses on its 12,000 machines approaching $2 billion of the world-record $13 billion a year lost on pokies in Australia." So how did the Fresh Food People become the single largest pokie owner in Australia? It is a story that begins with a turf war with Coles in Queensland in the early 2000s. At the time Coles and Woolies were slugging it out in the race to corporatise the nation's high streets. They battled over the business once conducted by butchers and greengrocers, bakers and petrol stations. Then they began competing over bottle shop sales. The problem was that in Queensland, to be licensed to own a bottle shop you needed to first own a pub. Even better, once you owned a pub, you got the right not only to open up a liquor barn on site, but three bottle shops within a 10-kilometre radius. Soon the sunshine state was crawling with suits from down south looking for pubs to buy. One veteran of the pub wars, a former retail executive, recalls both parties were neck and neck for the first year or so, closing in on around 20 pubs each, most of them selected as having a suitable footprint for retail sales rather than having high-yielding gaming rooms. Coles couldn't have known then that Woolworths had an advantage. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney the then Woolworths boss Roger Corbett enjoyed a chance meeting with Bruce Mathieson, a Melbourne-based pub baron who had been one of the first in the industry to recognise how much money could be made from the pokie machines that were then starting to spread through the nation's local pubs. Corbett and Mathieson cut a deal and created a joint venture Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group (ALH) to take over pub businesses in Queensland. ALH bought the Foster's pub business, and in one move took over 131 pubs around the country. By 2004 Coles had been beaten cold. Under the deal Woolworths would provide the corporate might and hold a 75 per cent share of the business, Mathieson would keep 25 per cent and provide the pub and pokie industry expertise that Woolies lacked. (Today Forbes pegs Mathieson as Australia's 42nd richest man, with a personal fortune of almost $1 billion.) By comparison, says the former retail executive, Coles did not at first fully understand the business it had bought into. He recalls leading senior staff on a tour of the company's new Queensland acquisitions. They seemed unimpressed, he says, until they returned to Melbourne and, a short time later, saw a month's worth of figures from the pubs. "They rang up and said they thought we had made a mistake. We hadn't." Suddenly gaming was making real money for the retailers. Coles reported in 2009 that it grown its hotel portfolio to a total of 85 hotels on new sites in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Today Woolies, via ALH, owns 330 licensed venues and more than 12,000 pokie machines, far more than Star City or Crown Casino. By 2016 ALH pubs and clubs across Australia made an estimated $1.1 billion in net revenue from poker machines, while Coles' appetite for gaming revenue had waned and its return on about 3000 machines was much lower around $185 million. With about 1460 machines in NSW, the annual net profit from gambling in ALH group hotels could be estimated at close to $140 million in 2016-17 and was put at $108 million in a 2012 study by Charles Livingstone, a researcher with Monash University's school of public health and a vocal opponent of the pokie industry. But the move into gaming did not come without some discomfort. Australian adults lose on average twice as much as those in any other Western nation to gambling. According to research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies published last November, 1.4 million Australians gamble on the pokies. People dependent on welfare play pokies at a higher rate than most and those with a gambling problem account for 17 per cent of regular punters, the study found. Problem gamblers account for more than half of all spending on pokies. (In response to questions from Fairfax Media, Woolworths said surveys it had seen suggested less than 1 per cent of Australians were problem gamblers.) Other research suggests that around 20 per cent of the world's pokies can be found in Australia and 10 per cent in NSW, though Clubs NSW disputes these figures, saying they do not include other popular forms of electronic gaming around the world. None of this sits easily with Woolworths' sunny public face, nor according to some reports, with the views of some of its most senior executives. Time and again over the years following the ALH deal Corbett himself was asked how his devout Anglican ideals accommodated the expanding gambling business Woolworths controlled. In 2006 he told AAP in response to a question along these lines, "My greatest obligation is to do what I'm employed to do by the shareholders and that is to do my very best in their interests at all times, and that was the overriding principle," he said. "So you never considered walking away?" "I wouldn't say that," he replied. It is not clear how much brand damage the company's pokies interests is causing Woolworths, though public sentiment appears to be turning against the industry. Two Essential polls in 2012 found there was 67 per cent support for pokie reform, while other polls suggest 80 per cent of Tasmanians now support a Labor policy to remove the machines from the state's pubs and clubs. In 2012 the activist group GetUp! campaigned to have both Coles and Woolworths agree to stop expanding their gaming portfolios, reduce gaming hours and impose $1 bet limits, in line with a 2010 Productivity Commission report. Woolworths declined. When a group of shareholder activists brought forward anti-gambling resolutions at an annual general meeting they were defeated by a resounding 97.5 per cent. Soundly beaten in the race to dominate the sector, Coles has embraced many of those measures and is calling for Woolworths to join it. Some analysts have suggested Coles is simply seeking to curtail its competitor's bottom line. Asked in 2016 if this was the case, the then boss of Wesfarmers, which owns Coles, Richard Goyder, denied this. "That's way too Machiavellian this is something we've been thinking about for a while," The Australian Financial Review reported him as saying. Woolworths rejects the characterisation of ALH as a pokies business. In a statement it told Fairfax Media that its ALH venues "offer a diverse hospitality experience including sports bars, bistros, restaurants, cafes, electronic gaming, retail liquor, accommodation, nightclubs and wagering" and that it employed 16,000 staff. The shareholder activist and journalist Stephen Mayne, who also works with the anti-pokies group the Alliance for Gambling Reform, rejects this outright, and uses the group's aggression in the sector in Victoria as an example. "This is not a pub business, it is a pokies business," he says, citing ALH's legal battle to have pokies installed in all of its pubs in Victoria, a state where just 18 per cent of pubs overall have pokies. Any qualms Corbett might have once had in taking a key role in gambling he appears to have overcome. Corbett left the helm of Woolworths in 2006 and later served as a consultant to the group. In 2016 he took over as chairman of ALH. Total revenue from ALH hotels in 2017 was $4.25 billion, with profit after tax of $206.8 million, in 2016 it was $4.1 billion with profit after tax of $122.8 million, according to the Woolworths annual reports. In 2015 it was $3.95 billion with profit after tax of $158.8 million. An email warned the building's public servants - who moved into the new offices opened last September - to tell bosses if they were "experiencing discomfort" and encouraged them to take short breaks away or move from areas that smelled. After alerting the agency, staff heard it had found a problem and located the worst of the foul odour in the $172 million building's Quadrant D. Public servants feeling sick and complaining of sore eyes and the smell of poo at the Department of Social Services' new Tuggeranong offices have learnt that grey water vapours have entered their air conditioning. The Social Services department said it had moved staff, and that it had "floor walkers" at the national headquarters checking on them. It has relocated thousands of its staff into its expensive new Tuggeranong digs at Athllon Drive, Greenway, but the problem with its grey water system has emerged as an early teething problem for the building. A department spokesman said it began investigating the complaints about the odour immediately this week, and had told staff of the problem right away. He said remediation work was finished by Friday. "The cause of the odour was traced to a grey water ventilation pipe in the vicinity of an air intake vent on the impacted part of the building," he said. But a source close to the agency said to The Canberra Times that staff made numerous complaints to the department before it told them the cause of the problem. Illustration: Simon Letch This is a horror story. I hope it scares you, because just telling it scares me. Its about public trust, emotive coercion, human futures and how all these sit at the mercy of tired, old neoliberal groupthink. Its not about our cat Diesel, but thats where it begins. Diesel died. Burmese and much beloved, he was the kind of feline who liked to make eye contact, have a chat, touch your face gently until you did. At 16 he was still glossy and chipper, still capable of kitten-style vertical take-off. But when we moved house he became quite suddenly sick, developed diabetic ketoacidosis and died over a week of hospitalisation, despite dozens of scans, tests, drugs and procedures. Apparently Burmese are genetically inclined to diabetes. Plus, you do have to die of something. But when I was a kid, animals died at home. You grieved, got over it. Now they die in hospital. Every day another thousand dollar scan or test is offered. Love kicks in. Whos gonna say no? Dont try it. Eventually you take out a second mortgage. But they still die. This moral dilemma is an ironic result of miraculous modern medicine. And its going to get worse. Much worse. Police said they were investigating a fight that broke out between several men after an argument. No-one has been charged yet. The Carnival Legend is scheduled to make port in Melbourne on Saturday morning after cutting short the cruise due to the incidents. Male passengers are escorted off the cruise ship to waiting bus in Eden. Credit:Courtesy of Eden Magnet A 21-year-old female passenger who did not want to be named told Fairfax Media on Friday afternoon she was relieved to know the situation was under control after "a rough time". She said she believed the violence had all been instigated by one large family group of at least 20 people who "came onto the boat wanting to fight people" and were using any excuse to start trouble. Travelling with her partner and another couple, she said their group became targeted two days ago after one member accidentally brushed past a member of the "violent" family. "Yesterday the friend we were travelling with was subjected to a large violent outburst ... he was essentially thrown to the ground, it was completely unprovoked," she said, adding she believes the violence may have been triggered when her friend made eye contact with the group as they were chasing down another passenger. "They had him by the neck and they were punching and kicking him," she said. An image taken from mobile phone footage of the violent brawl. Credit:Neil Mitchell, radio 3AW The woman and her partner spent the past two days hiding in their cabin and were looking forward to getting on with what was left of their holiday. Another passenger identified only as Zac had told Neil Mitchell on Melbourne radio station 3AW he was going to be removed from the ship on Friday after being locked in his room by security overnight. Zac claimed the drama between his family and another party on the ship started following a misunderstanding over a thong. "This is all over a thong, not a foot, a thong being stepped on and being instantly apologised for. What happened there and then was apologised for," he said. "My nephew was threatened as he was returning a soccer ... when four or five blokes walked up to him and said 'Don't worry we're gonna get ya.' " A bleeding passenger after a brawl on the Carnival Legend cruise ship. Credit:David Barkho via Neil Mitchell's program on 3AW Zac also claimed security guards followed his family at "every possible moment" and suggested they further aggravated the situation. "The first hit was thrown by security towards, not just my daughter and my sister-in-law, but my wife as well," he said. When the brawl broke out, Zac further claimed security guards assaulted him and his son, "taking turns pounding us in the face with knuckle dusters and steel-cap-boots". "We're basically standing here, thanking the lord above that we survived it," he said. Mobile phone footage appears to show security guards kicking a passenger during the fight. Credit:Neil Mitchell, radio 3AW Confronting footage of the brawl obtained by 3AW shows security guards were involved in the melee, although it does not show who instigated the fight. Several guards and at least one staff member can be seen kicking a passenger while he is on the ground. People can be heard crying and screaming in the background. Concerned father David Barkho told 3AW his son George called him crying from the ship about 1am on Friday. His son said "a lot of people are bleeding, a lot of people down". "He has a head injury," he said. "He said: 'Please, Dad, please Dad, call the federal police. "I could hear a lot of kids crying, women screaming, swearing." One passenger, known only as Michael, told 3AW he was kicked while lying on the ground, and received cuts and bruising to his face, back and legs. Injured passenger Michael. Credit:Neil Mitchell, radio 3AW Melbourne mother Kellie Petersen is on board with her husband and three children, aged 11, nine and six. She told 3AW she and her husband had been threatened by the large and aggressive family group responsible for the chaos. "Fights have been going on for a few days now," she told the radio station. "We're scared. We've been told to watch our backs by this group so we're scared to go anywhere alone in the ship. "We can't wait to get off." Ms Petersen said some violent incidents had occurred in front of children in the pool. "People are walking around with cut heads and hands, bandages everywhere," she said. Other passengers said they refused to leave their cabins as they were scared for their safety. Carnival general manager Jennifer Vandekreek said there was "limited and isolated events with the family in question" in the lead-up to the brawl. "Disembarking a family from a cruise is an unprecedented incident," she told reporters in Sydney on Friday. "It is always our last resort. We felt it was the best course of action for the safety and security of our guests and our crew." An internal investigation into the incident has now been launched, Carnival president Sture Myrmell said. He would not be drawn on the actions of staff or passengers until it was complete but said "excessive behaviour" was not tolerated by the company. Carnival has dispatched a "care crew" to support the remaining passengers who are completing the final days of their cruise. The ship is due to berth in Melbourne on Saturday. The incident comes after seven people were off-loaded from a P&O Cruises ship in Sydney Harbour on Sunday after another violent incident at sea. A 37-year-old Russian woman allegedly struck a 21-year-old man with an empty wine bottle, causing a cut to his head, during a fight about 1am. Six men were subsequently released without charge while the Russian was charged with reckless wounding and affray. The Carnival Legend in a file picture. Credit: James Morgan The brutal shooting murder of former bikie boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi was far from the first time gang-related violence had descended on the Fitness First gym in Rockdale. Fairfax Media can reveal bikie gang violence at the gym was so bad as far back as 2008 that the Australian Federal Police advised the gym that a working personal trainer with Comanchero links was not to be dismissed because "it would put people in danger". Rockdale Fitness First, where Mick Hawi was shot at close range. Credit:Peter Rae Edward Rosier was a regional personal training manager for Fitness First between 2008 and 2009, a period he still remembers well. "The day I took over Rockdale, as one of the clubs I would oversee, was literally days after a massive brawl had taken place in the gym ... between the Comancheros and a rival bikie gang," he said, referring to an incident on December 12, 2008. NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Young Jewish Professionals (YJP) hosted one of the largest gatherings of C-level executives in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries during its 2018 CEO Healthcare Symposium. The two-day conference was held on February 12-13, 2018 and took place in Manhattan. The 2018 CEO Healthcare Symposium brought together leaders in the healthcare industry from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, insurance, hospital, and post-acute care sectors to discuss current medical trends and the future of healthcare. "Our YJP CEO Healthcare Symposium convened a group of industry-leading executives, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and investors to explore solutions to the most pressing problems in today's healthcare marketplace such as reducing the time and cost of drug development, the social determinants of health and under-served populations, and achieving the triple aim of care, health, and costwhile celebrating the advancements currently being made and encouraging the healthcare leaders of tomorrow," said Gabrielle Petrosino, Development Director - Healthcare Division for YJP. "This symposium provided a unique opportunity to candidly share knowledge and engage in innovative problem-solving that we hope will stimulate positive change within the healthcare industry." More information about the 2018 CEO Healthcare Symposium can be found here. Speakers at the YJP 2018 CEO Healthcare Symposium included: Andrew Olanow , Co-Founder of Priority Private Care , Co-Founder of Priority Private Care Andrew Ritter, Co-Founder & President of Ritter Pharmaceuticals Co-Founder & President of Ritter Pharmaceuticals Anish Bhatnagar, CEO of Soleno Therapeutics CEO of Soleno Therapeutics Anthony Spero, President of Ascend Health President of Ascend Health August J. Moretti, CFO of Depomed, Inc CFO of Depomed, Inc Barbara Walczyk Joers, CEO & President of Gillette Childrens Specialty Healthcare CEO & President of Gillette Childrens Specialty Healthcare Bonnie Anderson, CEO & Chairman of the Board at Veracyte CEO & Chairman of the Board at Veracyte Carl Spana, President & CEO of Palatin President & CEO of Palatin Charles P. Theuer, Director, President, & CEO of TRACO Pharmaceuticals Director, President, & CEO of TRACO Pharmaceuticals Christian Seale, Founder & General Partner of Startup Boot Camp Founder & General Partner of Startup Boot Camp Chris Xu, Chairman & CEO of Cesca Therapeutics Chairman & CEO of Cesca Therapeutics Cindy Bo, Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer at Nemours Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer at Nemours Claus Bo Svendsen, CEO of Forward Pharma CEO of Forward Pharma Daniel Blum, President of Phelps Hospital Northwell Health President of Phelps Hospital Northwell Health Daniel Greenleaf, President & CEO of BioScrip President & CEO of BioScrip Daniel Murray, CEO of Transformant Healthcare Solutions CEO of Transformant Healthcare Solutions Daniel Teper, CEO of Cytovia, Inc. CEO of Cytovia, Inc. David Mack, Co-Founder, President, & CEO of PMV Pharma Co-Founder, President, & CEO of PMV Pharma Doug Fambrough, CEO of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals CEO of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Dunston Almeida, EVP, Strategy & Business Development at EviCore Healthcare EVP, Strategy & Business Development at EviCore Healthcare Eddie Moradian, CEO of MD Biosciences CEO of MD Biosciences Fatima Paruk, CMO of Allscripts Analytics CMO of Allscripts Analytics Fred Parietti, Co-Founder & CEO of Multiple Labs Co-Founder & CEO of Multiple Labs Garry Pezzano, Senior VP of Clinical Practice at Genesis Rehab Services Senior VP of Clinical Practice at Genesis Rehab Services Gary M. Cohen, Executive VP of Becton, Dickinson, & Co. Executive VP of Becton, Dickinson, & Co. Geert Cauwenbergh, President & CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation President & CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation Gregory Solometo, CEO & Chief Caregiver of Alliance Homecare CEO & Chief Caregiver of Alliance Homecare Harel Gadot, CEO, President, & Chairman or Microbat Medical Inc. CEO, President, & Chairman or Microbat Medical Inc. Harry Leider, Chief Medical Officer of Walgreens Chief Medical Officer of Walgreens Ilan Danieli, CEO of Precipio CEO of Precipio Imran Andrabi, President & CEO of ThedaCare President & CEO of ThedaCare Jacob Chacko, CFO of Ignyta, Inc. CFO of Ignyta, Inc. Jaime Wesolowski, President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio President & CEO of Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio James Dentzer, CEO & Chief Administrative Officer of Curis CEO & Chief Administrative Officer of Curis Jan M. Lundberg, EVP, Science &Technology, President, Lilly Research Laboratories at Eli Lilly EVP, Science &Technology, President, Lilly Research Laboratories at Eli Lilly Jason Michael ORourke, CEO & Founder of Quotient Health CEO & Founder of Quotient Health Jay Campbell, VP, Business Development & Investor Relations at Immutep Limited VP, Business Development & Investor Relations at Immutep Limited Jeff Abbey, CEO of Argos Therapeutics CEO of Argos Therapeutics Jeffrey Wolf, Founder & CEO of Heat Biologecs Founder & CEO of Heat Biologecs Jim Shmerling, President & CEO of Connecticut Childrens Medical Center President & CEO of Connecticut Childrens Medical Center Jose Baselga, CMO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center CMO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Kenneth Garay, Chief Medical Officer / Senior VP at Jersey City Medical Center RWJ Barnabas Health Chief Medical Officer / Senior VP at Jersey City Medical Center RWJ Barnabas Health Kevin Churchwell, EVP Health Affairs / COO at Boston Childrens Hospital EVP Health Affairs / COO at Boston Childrens Hospital Kurt Newman, President & CEO of Childrens National President & CEO of Childrens National Lan Huang, Co-Founder, Chairman, & CEO of BeyondSpring Pharma Co-Founder, Chairman, & CEO of BeyondSpring Pharma Larry Kaiser, President & CEO of Temple University Health System President & CEO of Temple University Health System Laura Lande-Diner, Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering Leila Pirhaji, Founder & CEO or ReviveMed Founder & CEO or ReviveMed Lester Schindel, EVP & Chief of Provider Services at Visiting Nurse Service of NY EVP & Chief of Provider Services at Visiting Nurse Service of NY Lishan Aklog, Chairman & CEO of PAVmed Chairman & CEO of PAVmed Lois Cormack, President & CEO of Sienna Senior Living President & CEO of Sienna Senior Living Mark Wagar, President of Heritage Medical Systems President of Heritage Medical Systems Martha Schram, President of Aegis Therapies President of Aegis Therapies Matthew Zachary, Founder & CEO of Stupid Cancer Founder & CEO of Stupid Cancer Matt Murphy, President & CEO of Griswold Home Care President & CEO of Griswold Home Care Matt Plaud, CEO of SOTIO, LLC CEO of SOTIO, LLC Michael Castagna, CEO of MannKind Corporation CEO of MannKind Corporation Nadav Kidron, CEO & President of Oramed Pharmaceuticals CEO & President of Oramed Pharmaceuticals Niels Riedemann, Co-Founder & CEO of inflaRx Co-Founder & CEO of inflaRx Orsula Knowlton, President, Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc. President, Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc. Pauline Corso, Operational VP & COO of Nemours Operational VP & COO of Nemours Preston Brice, Managing Director at MBF Healthcare Partners Managing Director at MBF Healthcare Partners Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC CEO of IGC Randy Oostra, President & CEO of ProMedica Health System President & CEO of ProMedica Health System Richard Daly, Chairman & CEO of Neuralstem Chairman & CEO of Neuralstem Richard Peters, President & CEO of Merrimack President & CEO of Merrimack Rick Mangat, CEO & President of NOVADAQ Technologies CEO & President of NOVADAQ Technologies Risa Stack, General Manager, New Business Creations at GE Ventures General Manager, New Business Creations at GE Ventures Robert Blum, President & CEO of Cytokinetics President & CEO of Cytokinetics Robert E. Ward, Chairman & CEO of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Chairman & CEO of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Robert L. Gershon, Former CEO & Director of Bovie Medical Corporation Former CEO & Director of Bovie Medical Corporation Rodney Reider, CEO of Saint Alphonsus Health System CEO of Saint Alphonsus Health System Roelof Rongen, Co-Founder & CEO of Matinas Biopharma Co-Founder & CEO of Matinas Biopharma Sabrina Martucci Johnson, Founder & CEO of DARE Bioscience Founder & CEO of DARE Bioscience Sam Srivastava, CEO of Magellan Healthcare CEO of Magellan Healthcare Shantanu Gaur, Co-Founder & CEO of Allurion Technologies Co-Founder & CEO of Allurion Technologies Steve Allen, CEO of Nationwide Childrens CEO of Nationwide Childrens Steven A. Kriegsman, Chairman & CEO of CytRx Chairman & CEO of CytRx Steven Krein, Co-Founder of Startup Health Co-Founder of Startup Health Steven Stein, CMO of Incyte CMO of Incyte Stuart Rose, CEO of Paizabio CEO of Paizabio Szilard Voros, Founder & CEO of Global Genomics Group Founder & CEO of Global Genomics Group WaEl Hashad, President & CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals President & CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals Wolfgang Sohngen, Founder & CEO of PAION AG Founder & CEO of PAION AG Zack Irani-Cohen, Chairman & CEO of Biomerica About Young Jewish Professionals (YJP): The YJP Organization is the worlds largest community of business leaders, executives, and investors to teach, mentor, and invest in the new generation of Jewish business leaders. Our community of leaders, executives, and professionals are dedicated to combining their efforts to make the world a better place through Goodness & Kindness. Contact: Gabrielle Petrosino Development Director - Healthcare Division Young Jewish Professionals 646-202-1685 Gabrielle@yjpnewyork.com Editor's note: All charges against seven co-accused were dropped in February 2020. Four people accused of abusing young boys at a circus west of Sydney will remain behind bars until April. Paul Cook, 52, Therese Ann Cook, 58, Yyani Cook-Williams, 29, and Clarissa Meredith, 23, were arrested on February 5 when detectives from the Child Abuse Squad swooped after a months-long investigation. Therese Ann Cook is one of the seven people who have been charged. Credit:Facebook A 17-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were also arrested but cannot be named as they were juveniles at the time of the alleged crimes. Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was shot near Penrith on Saturday morning. Officers were called to the house on Hillcrest Road, Emu Heights at 4:35am following reports shots had been fired at the house. When they arrived police found a man aged in his 30s with a minor gunshot wound to his leg. Paramedics treated the man at the scene before transporting him to Nepean Hospital where he is in a stable condition. After establishing a crime scene at the home, police determined two other houses had been struck. She suffered severe burns to 25 per cent of her body, including her leg, arm, back, chest, neck and face that required months of hospital treatment and multiple surgeries. Ms Mandelson, 35, was chatting with friends at a child's first birthday party when a man poured gel fire starter on a small coal barbecue metres from where she stood in a Clontarf reserve on Sydney's northern beaches two years ago. Renee Mandelson wants to use her injuries and recovery to raise awareness of fire safety. Manly woman Renee Mandelson feared she would be burned alive when a fireball from a barbecue shot into her back and engulfed her arm in flames. "Unfortunately the person who was tending to the barbecue used some accelerant and that resulted in a fireball shooting towards me that hit me in the back, she said. "It felt like I'd had a punch in my back." The flames flared and within seconds she noticed her left arm was on fire. In a desperate attempt to put out the blaze she dropped to the ground and rolled, not realising it had spread to the grass beneath her and she was rolling in fire. "I was screaming 'help, help' but it was a massive fire. I was alight." At first, she didn't feel the pain. "In that moment it was shock, adrenaline and fear. The facial expression of a would-be terrorist talking about killing as many innocent people as he could was "like he was planning a picnic", according to a Sydney judge. Tamim Khaja, 20, who has pleaded guilty to doing an act in preparation for, or planning a terrorist act, had been to scope out potential target buildings in Sydney including the Parramatta District Court precinct and Timor Army Barracks. Tamim Khaja (right) was arrested by counter-terrorism police in May 2016. Credit:Facebook At his sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court at Parramatta on Friday, Justice Desmond Fagan referred to surveillance footage of Khaja speaking with two undercover police officers. "He is filmed talking to people he thought were of the same ideology as he directs them to Timor Barracks at Dundas, and his facial expression when talking about killing as many innocent people as he could was very much like he was planning a picnic," the judge said. Three people have died and two have been injured in a car and truck crash in Sydney's south-west. Five people were in the car when it collided with the semi-trailer then crashed into a fence at Bow Bowing, near Campbelltown, about 11.20am on Friday. Police said the cause of the crash was unknown but it appeared the car had veered into the truck's path. NSW Ambulance Inspector Stephen Fulton said 11 ambulance units, including two rescue helicopters, arrived at the scene at Campbelltown and St Andrews roads to find a distressing" incident. An unlicensed NSW builder accused of defying permanent bans from the industry has been arrested and faces extradition from the Gold Coast. Matthew Rixon has been nabbed by police on the Gold Coast. Credit:Newcastle Herald Matthew Rixon, 33, was nabbed at a Bundall office on Wednesday morning after police received information from a member of the public. He was the subject of a warrant issued in NSW on January 12 after he failed to appear in the NSW Supreme Court. The 33-year-old appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday and is now being extradited to Newcastle, Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean confirmed on Friday. The state government has sacked Fraser Coast Mayor Chris Loft after ruling he was unfit for office due to a string of misconduct findings. Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe dismissed Cr Loft on Friday morning, blaming "serial" and "flagrant" breaches of local government principles. Fraser Coast Regional Council mayor Chris Loft has been dismissed. Credit:Facebook Cr Loft did "not understand his legislative responsibilities and is not truly remorseful for his past behaviour", the minister said, in a statement on Friday morning. Mr Hinchliffe said there had been 11 findings of misconduct against the former mayor including breaches of the councillors code of conduct, using his position to influence an employee of a council-controlled entity to covertly provide financial information and improper disclosure of confidential council information to a third party. In his haste to distance himself from Barnaby Joyce our Prime Minister has invoked the mantra of best workplace practice. Clearly these are desperate times. Malcolm Turnbull wants Joyce out, but with his hands tied all he could do was denounce Joyces "shocking error of judgement in having an affair with a young woman working in his office" and outlaw the behaviour that got the Deputy Prime Minister into this particular pickle in the first place. "It is not acceptable for a minister to have a sexual relationship with somebody who works for them," Turnbull told reporters on Thursday. "It is a very bad workplace practice. And everybody knows that no good comes of it." Bangkok: An international student who allegedly stabbed a Melbourne man in a terror attack last week had planned to marry a suspected Islamic State terrorist which was known to Bangladesh authorities. Momena Shoma, 24, who is facing terror-related charges, was also refused visa to travel from Bangladesh to Turkey in 2014, counter terrorism officials in Bangladesh say. Momena Shoma. Bangladeshi woman Momena Shoma, 24, has been charged with terrorism after an alleged Islamic State-inspired stabbing in Melbourne on February 10. Photo: Supplied The revelations raise serious questions about why Australias Border Force granted Shoma a students visa to come to Australia. If there has been an outbreak of violent crime in Victoria, it isnt apparent in the latest official figures. The annual Australia-wide count of victims released by the Bureau of Statistics on Friday shows 2.4 per cent of Victorians suffered physical assault in 2016-17, the same proportion as nationally, and slightly less than the 2.5 per cent recorded in 2015-16. Victoria had 117,700 victims of physical assault in 2016-17. It follows bureau figures released last week that showed Victorias offender rate was down for the fourth successive year to Australias second lowest, after the Australian Capital Territory. The count shows Victoria had 117,700 victims of physical assault in 2016-17, little changed on the 118,800 in 2015-16, but well up on the number in 2013-14 and 2014-15. It was well below the recent peak of 134,900 in 2011-12. NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital currency exchange Bitstamp announces that it has selected Onfido to help it scale and onboard new customers. Onfidos full-stack identity verification platform is now live, helping Bitstamp manage a massive amount of customer signup requests. Bitstamp experienced an unprecedented increase in new customers that began in December. The company was receiving more than 100,000 new customer requests daily, and its customer base doubled in just a few months. Bitstamp the longest standing global digital currency exchange and the EUs largest by volume now has more than 3 million registered customers on its platform. While some other exchanges responded to the increased cryptocurrency demand by closing their platforms to new customers, Bitstamp remained committed to meeting the needs of both new and established customers, despite trading volumes that increased by an incredible 1,384% in 2017. Onfidos powerful machine-learning technology has allowed us to automate our new customer identity verification process, and still maintain our high standards when it comes to KYC, said Bitstamp CEO, Nejc Kodric. Were already seeing positive results when it comes to speeding up our verification process. Bitstamp has also quadrupled its staffing level to meet growing customer demand. As consumer interest in cryptocurrency surges, so do calls for increased regulation. Some countries, such as Japan, have implemented KYC (Know Your Customer) regulations for cryptocurrency exchanges already. Other countries, including the UK and South Korea, are currently working on amending existing or establishing new legislation for ICOs. Onfido CEO and co-founder Husayn Kassai said, We are quickly becoming the go-to provider for KYC in this space, and are helping make it more secure. We now work with 15 cryptocurrency companies, allowing them to scale customer onboarding smoothly, and be more vigilant as the digital currency industry faces more scrutiny and regulation. About Bitstamp Founded in 2011, Bitstamp is a leading global digital currency exchange and the EUs largest in volume terms. Currently offering trading between BTC, BCH, ETH, XRP, LTC, USD and EUR, the exchange favours caution over extravagance, care over profligacy and quality over quantity. Bitstamp provides its individual and institutional clients with an intuitive and engaging environment for trading and custodial services. And with its focus on prudence and oversight, Bitstamp is uniquely positioned to serve as a stepping stone between the traditional financial and digital currency worlds. Safe, simple and secure to use, Bitstamp always puts its customers first, which is why it gets the stamp of approval from over 3 million traders throughout world. For more information about how Bitstamp exchanges information, ideas and trust, visit bitstamp.net. About Onfido Onfido builds trust in an online world by helping businesses digitally verify peoples identities. Using machine learning technology, Onfido validates a users identity document and compares it with their facial biometrics. The identity can then be cross-referenced against international credit and watchlist databases. Founded by three entrepreneurs from Oxford University, Onfido has received over $60m in funding from investors including Microsoft Ventures, Salesforce Ventures and Idinvest Partners. We carry out checks in 192 countries for global customers including Zipcar, Revolut and Square. Media Contacts: Frank Wolff, Uproar PR for Bitstamp: fwolff@uproarpr.com, (321) 236-0102 x237 Kaja Ribnikar, Head of Marketing, Bitstamp: kaja.ribnikar@bitstamp.net A young man will stand trial over the death of a respected Melbourne heart surgeon who he is accused of punching at Box Hill Hospital during a dispute about smoking last year. Joseph Esmaili, 23, is accused of felling surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann with a single punch in the hospital's foyer on May 30. Mr Pritzwald-Stegmann, a 41-year-old father of two, died about four weeks later. Surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann. Mr Esmaili has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including seriously and recklessly causing injury and manslaughter. Police are searching for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at Sorrento Beach on January 31. The woman, who is in her 50's, was approached by the man about 8:15pm to 8.30pm on the beach where he then sexually assaulted her. The man spoke with a Scottish accent and had a sleeved tattoo down his left arm. He is described as 28 to 33 years of age, fair skinned, 175cms tall, with a medium build, a shaved head and light brown stubble. The man spoke with a Scottish accent and had a sleeved tattoo down his left arm. The reported deaths of 2400 sheep during a live export voyage from Western Australia will be investigated. Figures showed a mortality rate of 3.76 per cent on a journey from Fremantle to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in August, which was above the reportable mortality level of two per cent. There might be a seasonal correlation between heat and animal welfare. Credit:Jessica Shapiro WA Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan instructed the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to investigate. She said there might be a seasonal correlation between heat and animal welfare. A transgender sex worker who passed on HIV when she had unprotected sex with a man in Perth has been jailed for six years. Clayton James Palmer, who identifies as a woman and is known as CJ, was sentenced in the WA District Court on Friday for causing grievous bodily harm. Police escort Clayton James Palmer, who identifies as Sienna Fox, from Perth Airport. Credit:Nine News The 40-year-old must spend at least four years behind bars at Casuarina male prison before she is eligible for parole. Palmer, who wept during proceedings, had many supporters in court who gasped when the sentence was handed down. Shanghai: Skits on China's widely-watched Lunar New Year gala on state television that featured Chinese actors made up to appear African have provoked accusations of blackface and racism online. In one skit, actors joked about Chinese-built high-speed rail in Kenya. In another skit, actress Lou Naiming appeared on stage in colourful garb with her face and arms coloured brown, carrying a fruit basket on her head, and accompanied by someone costumed as a monkey. The television show aired a skit depicting the opening of a Chinese-built high-speed rail in Kenya. Credit:AP A black woman playing her daughter declares that she wants to study in China but is worried her mother will not agree. The US Federal Bureau of Investigations has made a stunning admission that it missed a vital warning in January that Florida gunman Nikolas Cruz could potentially carry out a school shooting. Cruz, 19, visited his former high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, just before the end of the school day on Valentine's Day and opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle that he legally owned. He killed 17 people before dropping his gun and backpack and running from the school along with swarms of students evacuating. He was arrested nearby about an hour later. Cruz has been described by those who knew him as a troubled, aggressive, depressed orphan who flaunted guns and knives on his social media profiles and tortured small animals. The police were called on him numerous times, including when he shot at his neighbour's chickens. Parkland, Florida: The suspect in one of the deadliest school shootings in modern US history confessed to police that he "began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds" once on campus, according to a police arrest report released on Thursday. Nikolas Cruz, 19, carried a black duffel bag and a black backpack, where he hid loaded magazines, the report said. He arrived at the school in Florida in an Uber at 2.19pm on Wednesday and made his way into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where he pulled out a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, according to details described by authorities at a news conference on Thursday. A video monitor shows school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, centre, making an appearance before Judge Kim Theresa Mollica in Broward County Court on Thursday. Credit:SUSAN STOCKER Cruz shot people in the hallways and inside five classrooms on the first and second floors of the freshman building. He eventually discarded the rifle, a vest and ammunition in a stairwell, blended in with fleeing students and got away, authorities said. After leaving the school, Cruz walked to a Walmart and bought a drink at a Subway. He also stopped at a McDonald's. He was arrested by police without incident as he walked down a residential street at 3.41pm. Johannesburg: South Africa's newly-elected president has pledged to take on corruption in his first speech since his scandal-hit predecessor was forced to stand down. Cyril Ramaphosa said he would try "not to disappoint" the people of South Africa as he was sworn in as the nation's fifth president since since the end of apartheid in 1994. Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as South African President. Credit:AFP On Wednesday, a defiant Jacob Zuma, the former president, bowed to pressure from his ruling African National Congress party and handed in his resignation after nine years that saw voters' faith in government plummet amid multiple corruption allegations. "Issues of corruption, issues of how we can straighten out our state-owned enterprises, and how we deal with state capture are on our radar screen," said Ramaphosa during a 15-minute address to parliament in Cape Town. "South Africa must come first in everything that we all do." Emma Rees on the hustings. In Australia, the Labor party is looking at Rees and her colleagues progress and wondering whether to be impressed or scared. Emma Rees co-founded Momentum in October 2015 in the aftermath of Corbyn's successful tilt at the Labour leadership. One of the other founders was Jon Lansman, a 50-something Labour stalwart who had been "chief fixer" for Tony Benn in the early 1980s a highly divisive far-left figure. But Rees says her eyes were on the future, not the past. She was 28 and had volunteered for that extraordinary, unexpected campaign, and felt it shouldnt and wouldnt stop there. They wanted to build it into a mass movement for change, Rees says. From that moment, sitting in her classroom at lunchtime, when she clicked on a news story about Corbyn (who was at that time not yet nominated for the leadership race) she has been a believer. Momentum. Elections and political parties usually come and go without most people paying too much attention. But what we saw was lots of people joining the party a wave of hope and optimism for a different kind of politics. Momentum was really about building on that energy and that enthusiasm for the campaign into a movement that would help the Labour party be elected but with a transformative platform that Jeremy had stood for. He very much represented a departure from politics as usual, business as usual. She rejects the "Trotskyist" tag regularly hurled at Momentum members. In the 2017 election, 40 per cent of the voting population of this country voted for (Corbyns) manifesto, she says, adding with a laugh: With no intended disrespect to Trotskyist organisations, I dont think they make up 40 per cent of the British population. She also disputes the cliche that Momentum are young, naive idealists. The last time she did the sums (though it was before another recent surge in membership) Momentums average age was just four years younger than the Labour Party. Momentum on the hustings. For older Momentum members, Rees says, Jeremy gave people a sense that they can have their Labour Party back". "[They are] people who have been involved in the Labour Party or the labour movement on the left for many years but have previously been quite marginalised. It counts around 31,000 full members and several hundred thousand supporters. It campaigned vocally and influentially in last years general election, which Theresa May had called expecting to put Labour out of power for a generation. Instead she lost the Commons majority. This year Momentum is continuing to flex its muscles. In January it won three new posts on the Labour Partys national executive committee (NEC), and chairmanship of a key disciplinary panel. Its growing in influence at the local level, too. In the north London borough of Haringey the safely Labour council has seen 17 councillors replaced with pro-Momentum candidates. After the May council elections, Momentum will control the council and its 800 million ($A1.4 billion) budget. Trouble from left field: Jeremy Corbyn. They are almost certain to block a 2 billion plan to redevelop the boroughs troubled council estates in a joint venture with Australian developer Lendlease opposing on principle the transfer of public land into private hands. According to the Times, they are also considering policies to cut salaries of anyone at the council earning above 60,000 (including, for example, head teachers at state schools) and raise council tax for large homes. Clare Kober, the councils leader, announced her resignation last month. She complained in her resignation letter that political issues are rarely binary; solutions are not simply good or bad a potshot at her Momentum opponents and said politics should use all the tools available to solve problems rather than sticking to a rigid ideology. But it wasnt just that Kober found herself a pragmatist at a time when Labour was rediscovering its principles. The sexism, bullying, undemocratic behaviour and outright personal attacks on me as the most senior woman in Labour local government has left me disappointed and disillusioned, she said. The behaviour and actions of certain individuals at certain times met the test of both sexism and bullying and politically intimidating behaviour. Kober told the BBC that last summer Momentum called a demonstration to protest against a motion opposing anti-Semitism. She was screamed and shouted at in that meeting that cant be an acceptable part of political debate. The Times reported that Momentum activists sat in the public gallery hurling abuse and threats, then spat on councillors as they left, chanting well see you in your constituency Labour parties. A senior Haringey Labour member told the newspaper that hateful anti-Semitic material is being shared on the Tottenham Labour Facebook forum. A new set of norms has been created in the Haringey Labour Party, they said. There is clearly a nasty element within Momentum, or at least people associated with it. The question is whether this is a genuine problem with the movement, or is it simply that every movement has its bad eggs and Momentums are being seized on to discredit the whole operation. Those who argue the former point to female Labour MPs who have repeatedly complained to the party over abuse they believe was coming from Momentum supporters. Those who argue the latter point to the case of Momentum vice-chair Jackie Walker, who told a Holocaust Memorial Day event at the 2016 Labour conference I still havent heard a definition of antisemitism that I can work with and questioned why Jewish schools needed security. Momentums steering committee voted to remove her, calling her comments ill-informed, ill-judged and offensive. Rees insists that Momentum has always condemned all forms of abuse. Complaints are always investigated thoroughly, she says. More generally, she says, political abuse is not just an issue for the left its something everybody needs to work together to stamp down on. She points to the fact that prominent Corbyn ally Diane Abbott receives more abuse than all the other MPs put together much of it sexist and racist (research by Amnesty last year found that Abbott received almost half the abusive tweets sent to female MPs in the run-up to the 2017 general election). This month, on the 100th anniversary of womens suffrage in the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May said she worried that our public debate is coarsening, that online platforms had become places of intimidation and abuse and that the abuse was being disproportionately targeted at women, black and gay people. Rees says social media has been a key tool for Momentum, but all its communications were always very much about fostering the spirit of inclusivity. We grew out of Jeremy Corbyns leadership campaign and he more than anyone has very much popularised the idea of politics being about having discussion and disagreement on ideas but it not being personal, she said. They use social media first and foremost as a mobilising tool, she says to bring people together and to point them at campaign resources. During the election, a website located a persons nearest marginal electorate and gave them the tools to go canvassing. The idea is to reduce as many of the barriers as possible to participation, Rees says. They also use the web as a broadcast medium: taking Labour Party messages and putting them in videos that are funnier, riskier, edgier and often viral. In the 2017 election this was phenomenally successful. By the time of the vote one in three of all the Facebook users in the country had seen a Momentum video all by "organic reach", people sharing with their friends. We spent something crazy like 2000 on Facebook advertising, total, Rees says. One of the videos was seen by more than 7.9 million people. It is the reach, influence, and energy of Momentum that makes it interesting to other political movements especially those seeking to attract or motivate young people. And this is why Rees was recently in Germany. The centre-left SPD is in serious trouble. In last years election it polled 20 per cent, its worst result since World War II. It resigned itself to rebuilding in opposition, but instead was persuaded to agree to a "grand coalition" with Merkels centre-right. In the latest opinion poll it scored just 16 per cent, its lowest level since 1887 apart from elections rigged by the Nazis. The last hope for those opposed to coalition is a nationwide poll of the 464,000 SPD members. And thats where Momentum comes in. Kevin Kuhnert, the 28-year old head of the Young Socialists, the SPD youth wing, went on a recruiting drive, charging 10 euros for new members to join the party temporarily to block the coalition deal (slogan: "tenner against the GroKo"). More than 24,000 people joined the SPD between the start of the year and the February 6 deadline to be allowed to vote on the deal. Clearly the Jusos (Young Socialists) and NoGroKo crowd are trying to take a page out of Jeremy Corbyns and Momentums book, Michael Broning, a political analyst at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, told The Times. Xia Dongnan and her family have hauled four dining chairs up the stairs of the pedestrian overpass to Beijing station. She, her husband and daughter have only two seat tickets between them for the 11-hour slow train journey home to Anhui province. "The chairs will be useful to sit in the aisle," she says. Xia Dongnan and her husband and daughter take a rest on the overpass near Beijing Railway Station. Credit:Sanghee Liu Her daughter attends school in Beijing, but their son lives in the south. "Spring Festival is our special reunion time," she says. Touts selling small folding stools for 10 Chinese yuan ($2) at Beijing Station do a brisk trade, up to 200 a day, to travellers who missed out on seat tickets. Around 390 million people will travel by train. Last Sunday alone, February 11, China Railways recorded 9.5 million passengers. China's large fleet of bullet trains, which can travel at speeds of up to 250 to 300 kilometres an hour, has cut the journey times for the 65 per cent of Spring Festival travellers lucky enough to have snapped up a seat online. Passengers heading towards check-in at Beijing Railway Station. Credit:Sanghee Liu Street nut vendor Gao Jianjiang and his wife He Jian are wrangling a baby's cot wrapped in sacking. They have bought it for their new granddaughter, born in Hangzhou province. The couple came to work in Beijing in 1998 and travel home once a year, at Spring Festival, to see Gao's 80-year-old father, their daughter, and a son who is in the army. Struggling under the weight. Credit:Sanghee Liu "Beijing is the cultural capital, but for a living environment, our home town is better," he says. Construction worker Chen Jianlin, 51, sits on an old rice sack bulging with his possessions, clutching a mobile phone, waiting to make his annual journey. He is heading home to see his wife and son in Yuncheng, in Shanxi province. He has a bullet train ticket but no seat for the 15-hour journey. Beijing migrant worker Chen Jianlin will join his family in Yuncheng City. Credit:Sanghee Liu The train station concourse is a social leveller at this time of year. A few metres away is Wang Xuejiao, 25, who works in the semi-conductor industry. It the first time she has travelled home to Changchun, in Jilin province, since she graduated from university 18 months ago. "There are better career opportunities in technology in Beijing," she says. Wang Xuejiao (left), who works for a semi-conductor company, on her way home for new year. Credit:Sanghee Liu The Spring Festival migration, or "Chunyun", reflects the huge change in China's economy since Deng Xiaoping's "reform and opening up" policy began 40 years ago. Back then, 80 per cent of Chinese worked in the countryside and had to stay there. As construction and factory workers poured into the cities under the economic reforms, there were 500 million trips made during Spring Festival in 1984, double that number a decade later, and 3 billion by 2012. China now has an estimated 287 million migrant workers - a third of the workforce. But structural social problems created by this mass movement of people from the countryside to the cities for work persist. Chinese television talk shows this week debated the heartache underlying "chunyun" - the millions of children and elderly "left behind" in villages. In 2010, a survey found there were 61 million children left behind in rural villages, as their parents moved to the city for work, or 38 per cent of all rural children. Most lived with their grandparents. Intent on getting home. Credit:Sanghee Liu China's "hukou" system, which ties education rights and welfare to the place a person's parents were born, continues to impact heavily on Chinese rural families. Only one in five migrants move to cities as a family group, where children of low-paid workers enrol in unlicensed migrant schools. Less than half (41 per cent) of Chinese hold an urban "hukou" or residence permit. The Chinese government has committed to a goal of granting urban hukou to 100 million migrant workers by 2020. But at the same time, Beijing has recently announced it will cap its population at 23 million, and began demolishing migrant schools and shanty housing used by migrant workers to drive away the "low end population". Beijing's population of 21.7 million even fell slightly in 2017, for the first time in 20 years. Rushing to the check-in counter. Credit:Sanghee Liu Priority for switching hukou is often given to the well-educated with jobs in the city, who can show a history of paying tax and have bought a house. Vancouver, BC, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LifeLabs, Canadas leading medical laboratory, celebrates Thursdays announcement that the British Columbia-led Digital Technology Supercluster was one of the five winners of the Innovation Supercluster Initiative. LifeLabs is a proud member of the Digital Technology Supercluster, which is part of the Government of Canadas initiative that positions Canada as a global centre for innovation. As a leader in diagnostics and health care technologies, LifeLabs is proud to be part of a BC-led initiative that will significantly impact Canadas health care system and economy at large, says Jennifer Cudlipp, Vice President of British Columbia for LifeLabs. Canadians depend on our ability to be leaders in innovation, working together to build a healthier Canada. What better way to achieve this than through the collaboration of industry expertise strengthened by government support. The Digital Technology Supercluster is a consortium of top industry players, academia, and non-profits, working together to boost Canadas competitiveness through the use of technology and Big Data. The group aims to develop economic opportunities and address Canadas biggest challenges around productivity, precision health care, and sustainability. It is an exciting time for innovation in Canada. The Digital Technology Supercluster is a generational opportunity one that holds significant promise for companies in BC and across Canada, says Bill Tam, Co-Chair of Canadas Digital Technology Supercluster consortium. Now the important work begins with the vision to collaborate across sectors to unlock the power of data and digital technology in new ways, such as mixed reality, which can digitally transform companies, solves industry problems and advance economic opportunities throughout BC, Canada and the world." LifeLabs is not foreign to the concept of innovation, especially when it comes to technology. LifeLabs wholly-owned subsidiary Excelleris Technologies, a Canada Health Infoway award winner, developed the first patient portals that currently provide more than two million Canadians with online access to their lab results. Through collaboration, the Digital Technology Supercluster will be able to develop life-changing advancements for Canadians, in areas like genomics and digital health technology solutions, says Joby McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Business Development at LifeLabs. LifeLabs is excited about the role we will play in contributing to this Superclusters success. As an active member in the Digital Technology Supercluster, LifeLabs is furthering their vision to building a healthier Canada. ## About LifeLabs: www.LifeLabs.com LifeLabs is a Canadian-owned company with over 50 years of experience providing laboratory testing services to help health care providers diagnose, treat, monitor and prevent disease in patients. In communities across British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario, LifeLabs delivers cost-effective, convenient access to laboratory testing services essential for optimal outcomes in health care. LifeLabs employs approximately 5,700 professionally trained staff and delivers over 100 million laboratory tests, supporting over 19 million patient visits annually. LifeLabs is the largest community laboratory in Canada. LifeLabs is indirectly owned by OMERS Administration Corporation, whose interest is managed by OMERS Infrastructure. In addition to being the first community lab to conduct non-invasive prenatal testing in Canada, LifeLabs is the first lab to provide online appointment booking for patients, non-fasting protocols and secure, online access to lab results for patients. For more information about LifeLabs, visit: www.LifeLabs.com. Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbfc1dab-a6dc-45e4-9bfe-20e7ba0ce648 DEN HAAG:--- It was a great meeting were the sentiments of Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin and Minister of Finance Michael Ferrier following their meeting with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte on Thursday morning in Den Haag. Prime Minister Rutte greeted the two Ministers from Sint Maarten warmly at his Cabinet where they discussed a wide range of topics including the progress of the ongoing recovery of Sint Maarten, the reconstruction Fund, progress of arrangements with the World Bank, French & Dutch cooperation on St. Maarten and the overall urgency to address the needs of the people of Sint Maarten. Minister Ferrier took the opportunity to briefly express his frustrations with the fact that regular, lengthy processes must be followed in order for Sint Maarten to eventually access the fund that will be managed by the World Bank. While it is understandable that Sint Maarten must comply with international World Bank and IMF standards, it is obvious that this too will cause delays. Any delay translates into more waiting for relief by persons in dire need of assistance. Getting the processes completed in a timely fashion, will prevent persons from falling between the cracks. Prime Minister Romeo-Marlin made special mention of the ongoing efforts to complete the setting up of the Integrity Chamber and Border Control, the two conditions set by Holland in order for Sint Maarten to receive the promised financial aid. The meeting which started on a light note with both Ministers belatedly congratulating the Dutch Prime Minister on his 51st birthday, which he celebrated on Valentines Day, ended on the same light note with a hug of PM Romeo-Marlin by her colleague Rutte. GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Interested persons, business owners, community councils/leaders, institutions, and organizations, are invited to a Community Stakeholders Meeting for Health, Recovery & Development, on Tuesday, February 20, to share views with respect to the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue. The objective is also to rebuild and strengthen normal vector activities and surveillance operations for the benefit of protecting the local citizens and preventing current and future public health challenges as it relates to mosquito-borne diseases. The community stakeholders meeting will take place in the Conference Room at the Government Administration Building from 7.00PM to 8.30PM. The opportunity is being provided for community stakeholders to share their views regarding the recovery and development of Sint Maarten. The meeting is also relevant for healthcare providers, agriculturists/farmers, contractors, travel agencies, tourism, and hospitality sector businesses, the media, garbage contractors/collectors, pest exterminators, and tire repair shops and garages. Everybody has a part to play in building Sint Maarten into a stronger, smarter, and a more collaborative community where it concerns the fight against mosquito-borne diseases. The stakeholders meeting is a collaborative effort of the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) from the Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport, and VectorStars. Persons, businesses, and organizations can also provide written feedback and suggestions via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by March 15, 2018. Feedback may be submitted also in hard copy to the offices of CPS at the W.G. Buncamper Road #33, Vineyard Building Office Park. For additional information, you can call: 542-1122, 542-1222, 542-1322 or 542-1570. Progressing on Commercialization and Technology TAMPA, FL, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arias Intel Corp. (OTC Markets: ASNT) (the "Company"), a technology, media and mobile gaming platform, today announced the issuance of a shareholder update letter from its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Gillespie. Dear Fellow Shareholders, We believe that the Company is successfully progressing on its business plan, as evidenced by our advancement on our commercialization strategy and technology milestones. In December 2017, we changed our corporate name from First Harvest Corp. to Arias Intel Corp. to better reflect both the evolution of the Company, as well as our vision for the future. The new name better articulates our plans to build a digital media platform for technology, media and gaming. We believe we will begin to generate revenue from our mobile apps over the next few months, and we are excited for what is ahead in 2018. We look forward to sharing our progress with you. Below are our plans for our lines of business in 2018. Ufly On-demand delivery app development completed and is in beta testing on the Apple Developer platform. The Ufly platform is similar to an UberEATS-style delivery app model, providing on-demand legal medical cannabis to qualified patients and recreational users in states where cannabis has been legalized. The logistics-based app connects an authorized user to a selection of local, legal cannabis dispensaries in designated cities using their smartphone to select and place orders. The Company has developed the Ufly app for integration with blockchain technology and a cryptocurrency payment system. The Company believes leveraging blockchain technology may solve payment and security issues, especially for legal cannabis dispensaries. The decentralized ledger within the blockchain may allow for greater compliance and may solve banking issues surrounding the cannabis industry. The Company believes this will allow dispensaries to operate in a safer environment without handling cash while increasing business and overall customer satisfaction. On-demand delivery app development completed and is in beta testing on the Apple Developer platform. The platform is similar to an UberEATS-style delivery app model, providing on-demand legal medical cannabis to qualified patients and recreational users in states where cannabis has been legalized. The logistics-based app connects an authorized user to a selection of local, legal cannabis dispensaries in designated cities using their smartphone to select and place orders. The Company has developed the app for integration with blockchain technology and a cryptocurrency payment system. The Company believes leveraging blockchain technology may solve payment and security issues, especially for legal cannabis dispensaries. The decentralized ledger within the blockchain may allow for greater compliance and may solve banking issues surrounding the cannabis industry. The Company believes this will allow dispensaries to operate in a safer environment without handling cash while increasing business and overall customer satisfaction. iNEO - Proprietary Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology Platform (iNEO). The Company plans to launch its iNEO coin or token in 2018 as a medium of exchange which will be used to fund the purchase and sale of products or services from others within the same ecosystem. iNEO will initially be integrated with the Companys portfolio of mobile games and apps. Additionally, iNEO will be developed with Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, and open-source interfaces for other developers to utilize and create additional revenue opportunities for the Company. - Proprietary Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology Platform (iNEO). The Company plans to launch its iNEO coin or token in 2018 as a medium of exchange which will be used to fund the purchase and sale of products or services from others within the same ecosystem. iNEO will initially be integrated with the Companys portfolio of mobile games and apps. Additionally, iNEO will be developed with Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, and open-source interfaces for other developers to utilize and create additional revenue opportunities for the Company. Hemp Inc - mobile gaming app which recently ranked as the #1 Strategy Game on the iTunes App Store in multiple countries. We are nearing release of an updated version of the game and anticipate making additional announcements regarding celebrity game-endorsements, intellectual property development and an expanded mobile gaming portfolio. - mobile gaming app which recently ranked as the #1 Strategy Game on the iTunes App Store in multiple countries. We are nearing release of an updated version of the game and anticipate making additional announcements regarding celebrity game-endorsements, intellectual property development and an expanded mobile gaming portfolio. SportXction - real-time, interactive software system which allows a user to make play-by-play wagers on a sporting event while the event is in progress. Wagering may be conducted online while viewing a live sporting event. SportXction accepts wagers not only on the outcome of the sporting event, but also on discrete parts of the event and on specific in-game situations for such sports as soccer, football, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, rugby, cricket, among many others. The Company believes this may be applicable to its mobile games under development, but may also have a large European market for legalized gambling. - real-time, interactive software system which allows a user to make play-by-play wagers on a sporting event while the event is in progress. Wagering may be conducted online while viewing a live sporting event. SportXction accepts wagers not only on the outcome of the sporting event, but also on discrete parts of the event and on specific in-game situations for such sports as soccer, football, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, rugby, cricket, among many others. The Company believes this may be applicable to its mobile games under development, but may also have a large European market for legalized gambling. Balance Sheet - In regards to our capital structure and financing needs, we have invested heavily to accelerate our commercialization and growth plans. More recently, an institutional convertible note holder converted to equity, which has reduced our debt exposure. We are also in negotiations to further reduce additional debt on our balance sheet. - In regards to our capital structure and financing needs, we have invested heavily to accelerate our commercialization and growth plans. More recently, an institutional convertible note holder converted to equity, which has reduced our debt exposure. We are also in negotiations to further reduce additional debt on our balance sheet. London Stock Exchange AIM Market (AIM) - To broaden our investor base, the Company intends to pursue a dual-listing, and has engaged a business development consultant in the United Kingdom for the proposed listing of the Companys common stock on the Standard Segment of the Main Market of London Stock Exchange PLC, or the LSE. (AIM) - To broaden our investor base, the Company intends to pursue a dual-listing, and has engaged a business development consultant in the United Kingdom for the proposed listing of the Companys common stock on the Standard Segment of the Main Market of London Stock Exchange PLC, or the LSE. Future Opportunities In addition to the foregoing, we are also exploring opportunities to expand a suite of mobile games and apps that may or may not be cannabis related, but target similar audience demographics as our existing apps. We may explore these opportunities through the acquisition of operating companies, asset purchases or internal development. We look forward to a successful 2018. All the best, Kevin Gillespie Chairman and Chief Executive Officer About Arias Intel Corp. Arias Intel Corp. is a digital media platform for tech, media, and gaming, which includes mobile apps and gaming, augmented and virtual reality, on-demand delivery, digital and social media, and e-commerce. The Company plans to generate revenue through in-app purchases, service fees, and cross-channel advertising. The Company's focus is on developing innovative technologies that leverage connectivity, distribution, and social networks. The Company intends to use its digital platforms to implement its unique marketing strategy that empowers viral and social mechanisms to reach a growing demographic that utilizes: (1) mobile apps and gaming, (2) social media, and (3) on-demand delivery. The Company believes its platforms are entertaining, convenient and scalable. The Company intends to use its platform to build its subscriber base and boost users' engagement within its digital platforms to gather analytics and target advertising directly to users based on their preferences. The Company is also exploring opportunities to expand a suite of mobile games and apps that target similar audience demographics. The Company may explore these opportunities through the acquisition of operating companies, asset purchases or internal development. For more information, please visit: www.AriasIntel.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are identified by the use of the words could, believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, expect, may, continue, predict, potential, project and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Press release Neuilly-sur-Seine, February 15, 2018 The Gaumont Board of directors, which met on February 15, 2018 under the chairmanship of Nicolas Seydoux, approved the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017. FULL-YEAR CONSOLIDATED RESULTS as of December 31, 2017 Key figures from operations (in millions of euros) 20171 2016 % change Consolidated revenue 177.0 188.7 -6.2% Operating income after share of net income of associates 133.1 23.2 473.4% Net income, Group share 123.0 18.9 548.5% Investments 113.4 116.7 -2.8% Key balance sheet figures (in millions of euros) December 31, 20171 December 31, 2016 % change Equity 308.0 280.3 9.9% Net borrowings 27.7 205.3 -86.5% 1 Audit procedures have been completed for 2017 and the audit report is being prepared. Two strategic events occurred in 2017: the sale to Pathe of Gaumont's 34% minority stake in Les Cinemas Gaumont Pathe completed on May 18, 2017 for 380 million. The gain recognized in the consolidated financial statements totaled 143.9 million, net of fees. Half of the sales price was paid on the date of the sale. The balance, accruing interest, was deferred over three years. On July 20, 2017, Pathe made an early payment of 63.3 million for the first deferred payment installment, initially set for June 29, 2018; the public share buyback offer conducted by Gaumont, the result of which was announced by the AMF (the French Financial Markets Authority) on June 30, 2017. Gaumont repurchased 1,284,112 of its shares at a unit price of 75. The share settlement took place on July 6, 2017 for 96.3 million. Gaumont's Board of directors, which met on July 25, 2017, decided to cancel the treasury shares purchased during the public share buyback offer. Following this cancellation, Gaumont SA's share capital is now composed of 3,119,723 shares. 2017 REVENUE Consolidated revenue for 2017 amounted to 177.0 million, versus 188.7 million in the previous year. Cinema production Revenue from the cinema production business amounted to 96.9 million in 2017, compared to 114.0 million in 2016: revenue from film distribution in French movie theaters stood at 30.7 million in 2017, compared to 30.9 million in 2016. The 13 films released in 2017 sold 12.2 million tickets, including 3 million for C'est la Vie !, 2 million for See You up There , and 1.3 million, 1.2 million and 1.6 million, respectively, for A Bag of Marbles , Step by Step and Santa & Co , which was still on release in 2018, selling a total of almost 2 million tickets. Of the year's films, 4 were nominated at the 2018 Cesars, with 36 nominations in total; revenue from video and video on demand distribution in France amounted to 11.6 million in 2017, versus 11.0 million in 2016. Physical video sales were stable, with almost 1 million video units sold. Digital sales (VOD and SVOD) rose, mainly due to the agreement signed with Netflix for around 20 catalog films; sales of broadcasting rights to French television channels amounted to 18.6 million in 2017, compared with 37.1 million in 2016. No pre-sales were recorded in 2017, compared with 12.3 million in 2016 for The Visitors: Bastille Day , Odd Job and Heartstrings . Sales of catalog titles to historical television channels were lower than for the previous year, which was an excellent year, while sales to digital channels increased. More than 200 films were sold during the year; international sales of rights stood at 30.9 million in 2017, compared with 30.3 million in 2016. This was mainly driven by Ballerina , which sold more than 10 million tickets outside France, followed by C'est la Vie ! , A Bag of Marbles, Santa & Co and The Death of Stalin, which enjoyed huge success upon its first global release in the United Kingdom last October. Sales of catalog films were in line with the previous period; sales of spin-off products, music rights and archive images amounted to 5.1 million in 2017, compared to 4.8 million the previous year. Television production Revenue from the production of television programs totaled 74.6 million in 2017, compared to 67.7 million in 2016. Sales of American series accounted for 67.8 million of revenue in 2017, versus 57.9 million in 2016. The 3rd season of Narcos and the 2nd season of F is for Family were delivered to Netflix for online release in September and May 2017 respectively. Revenue related to French television dramas and cartoon series came to 6.8 million in 2017, compared to 9.8 million in 2016, and includes sales of: the six-episode drama The Art of Crime , broadcast on France 2 in November 2017; the first episodes of the cartoon series Belle and Sebastian to M6 and Trulli Tales to Disney. 2017 RESULTS Gaumont's net income reached 123.0 million in 2017, compared to 18.9 million in 2016. It includes: operating income after share of net income of associates, which stood at 133.1 million in 2017, versus 23.2 million in 2016, consisting of: the gain on disposal of the 34% minority stake in Les Cinemas Gaumont Pathe for 143.9 million, operating income from cinema production and distribution, excluding overheads, which totaled 12.6 million in 2017, compared to 30.3 million in 2016, operating income from the television production business in France and in the United States, excluding overheads, which amounted to 9.9 million in 2017, versus 11.4 million in 2016, operating income from movie theater operations, which totaled 12.0 million in 2017, versus 23.8 million in 2016. This includes the 8.4 million contribution from Les Cinemas Gaumont Pathe prior to its sale, in addition to trademark royalties of 3.6 million; a net financial expense of 8.1 million in 2017, compared with a net expense of 5.3 million in 2016, including 4.5 million in unrealized foreign exchange losses on production activities in North America denominated in US dollars; a net deferred and current tax expense of 2.0 million in 2017, compared to net tax income of 1.1 million in 2016. EQUITY AND BORROWINGS Consolidated equity (Group share) stood at 305.1 million as of December 31, 2017, versus 277.3 million as of December 31, 2016. This net increase is the result of opposite effects: increases of 6.7 million from the exercise of stock options and 123.0 million from net income, including the gain on disposal of the stake in Les Cinemas Gaumont Pathe, offset by reductions due to a 3.1 million dividend payout and the repurchase of treasury shares for 97.0 million. The Group's net borrowings had fallen significantly to 27.7 million as of December 31, 2017, versus 205.3 million as of December 31, 2016. This mainly includes 83.7 million in cash, mostly from the partial payment received for Les Cinemas Gaumont Pathe, net of the disbursement for the public share buyback offer, the Gaumont SA bond for 60.0 million and self-liquidating production loans of 44.3 million, based on proceeds from pre-financing and the release of French and American series. The financial statements to December 31, 2017 include the balance of 128 million due from Pathe for the sale of Les Cinemas Gaumont Pathe, to be paid in installments until 2020. OUTLOOK Ten movies are scheduled to be released in theaters in 2018: Burn Out , directed by Yann Gozlan, starring Francois Civil and Manon Azem. Released on January 3, 2018, the film has generated 150,000 ticket sales to date; Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life , directed by Clovis Cornillac, starring Clovis Cornillac, Felix Bossuet and Tcheky Karyo, released on February 14; Rolling to You , directed by Franck Dubosc, starring Franck Dubosc and Alexandra Lamy, to be released on March 14; The Death of Stalin , directed by Armando Iannucci, starring Jeffrey Tambor, Steve Buscemi and Olga Kurylenko, to be released on April 4; Mr. Know-It-All , directed by Francois Prevot-Leygonie and Stephan Archinard, starring Arnaud Ducret, Alice David and Max Baissette de Malglaive; Raising Colors , directed by Helene Fillieres, starring Lambert Wilson, Diane Rouxel and Josiane Balasko; Tricky old Dogs , directed by Christophe Duthuron, starring Pierre Richard, Eddy Mitchell, Roland Giraud and Alice Pol; A Man in a Hurry , directed by Herve Mimran, starring Fabrice Luchini and Leila Bekhti; Ailo's Journey , a documentary by Guillaume Maidatchevsky; The Emperor of Paris, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, starring Vincent Cassel, August Diehl, Olga Kurylenko and Freya Mavor. Eight television series will be delivered in 2018: Narcos Season 4 , a 10-episode American drama produced by Eric Newman, to Netflix; Season 3 of F is for Family , a 10-episode American cartoon series, to Netflix; The Art of Crime Season 2 , a 6-episode French drama, to France 2; Nox , a 6-episode French drama, to Canal+; the last episodes of the cartoon series Trulli Tales to Disney Channel; the last episodes of the cartoon series Belle and Sebastian to M6; the cartoon series Furiki Wheels to France 3. DATES OF NEXT FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION A press release on the half-year consolidated results as of June 30, 2018 will be published on July 27, 2018. APPENDIX: Full-year and 2nd half consolidated revenue Consolidated revenue by business segment (in millions of euros) 2017 2016 % change Cinema production 96.9 114.0 -14.9% Movie theaters France 30.7 30.9 -0.6% Video France 7.7 7.7 0.6% Video on demand France 3.9 3.3 17.9% Television France 18.6 37.1 -49.7% International films 30.9 30.3 2.0% Other movie distribution income 1 5.1 4.8 7.0% Television production 74.6 67.7 10.3% American dramas 67.8 57.9 17.2% French dramas 3.6 2.3 56.5% Animated films and series 3.2 7.5 -57% Trademark royalties 3.6 3.8 -4.2% Other miscellaneous income 2 1.9 3.3 -42.9% GAUMONT GROUP 177.0 188.7 -6.2% 1Primarily includes spin-off products, music publishing and the Gaumont Pathe Archives business 2Primarily includes real estate lease agreements and miscellaneous services provided to third parties SAN DIEGO, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seacoast Commerce Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seacoast Commerce Banc Holdings (OTC Pink:SCBH) today announced the hiring of Dennis Vitt as Senior Vice President and Small Business Administration (SBA) Business Development Officer, who will be located in St. Louis, MO. Mr. Vitt has over 19 years of proven success in providing financing through the SBA loan programs. Mr. Vitt joins Seacoasts best in class SBA Division and will be helping small businesses facilitate the acquisition, development, and refinance of their commercial real estate properties. He was most recently with Midwest Regional Bank. Mr. Vitt is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp and a graduate of the University of Missouri. Dennis is an outstanding addition to our SBA Team and his deep roots in Missouri provide a terrific entry into the State. He has advocated for small businesses in the past and will continue to be very successful in working with small business owners who want to buy, construct, or refinance their own facility, stated Don Mercer Executive Vice President, SBA National Sales Manager. Dennis can be reached by email at dvitt@sccombank.com or at (314) 952-1205. About Seacoast Commerce Banc Holdings: Seacoast Commerce Banc Holdings is a bank holding company with one wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Seacoast Commerce Bank. Both the holding company and the bank are headquartered in San Diego, California, with the Bank having four full-service banking branches in San Diego and Orange County, California, and 17 loan and deposit production offices throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Houston, Texas, Utah and Washington. For more information on Seacoast Commerce Banc Holdings, please visit www.scbholdings.com; to learn more about Seacoast Commerce Bank, visit www.sccombank.com, or contact Richard M. Sanborn, President and Chief Executive Officer at (858) 432-7001. For more information on Seacoast Commerce Banks SBA lending platform, please contact David H. Bartram, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and SBA Division Manager at (858) 432-7002. Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the anticipated development and expansion of the Banks business, and the intent, belief or current expectations of the Bank, its directors or its officers, are forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the local and national economy, the Banks performance and regulatory matters. Qualcomm rejects $121 bn hostile Broadcom bid, again San Francisco, Feb 16 (AFP) Feb 16, 2018 US mobile chipmaking giant Qualcomm on Friday rejected for a second time a hostile $121 billion takeover bid from Singapore's Broadcom, but said it was open to "further discussions" on a tie-up. Two days after a meeting of top executives of the two computer chipmakers, Qualcomm chairman Paul Jacobs said the recently revised bid remained unacceptable. But he added that the Qualcomm board "is intensely focused on maximizing value for Qualcomm stockholders" and could reconsider if Broadcom revises its offer. "Our board is open to further discussions with Broadcom to see if a proposal that appropriately reflects the true value of Qualcomm shares, and ensures an appropriate level of deal certainty, can be obtained," Jacobs said in an open letter to Broadcom chief executive Hock Tan. Jacobs said the latest offer "has an unacceptably high level of risk," and noted that Broadcom had failed to allay concerns about whether the deal could get approval from antitrust authorities in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Broadcom, which made its first offer in November and last week sweetened the proposal, aims to put pressure on its US rival to accept a takeover bid which would be the largest-ever in the technology sector. If completed, it would create a powerful player in the booming sector fueled by growth in smartphones and an array of connected devices from cars to wearables. Broadcom is appealing to Qualcomm shareholders ahead of the California-based company's March 6 annual meeting, and is offering a slate of new directors for Qualcomm who would be favorable to the offer. Broadcom made its first offer on November 6 following a visit by its CEO to the White House, where he met President Donald Trump and announced plans to move the tech company back to the United States from Singapore The latest offer amounts to $60 per share in cash plus $22 in Broadcom stock, in a deal worth $121 billion, along with the assumption of $25 billion in Qualcomm debt. Qualcomm is the dominant maker of microprocessors for mobile phones, and has faced a series of antitrust investigations in several countries over its market power. Cyberattacks are costly, and things could get worse: US report Washington, Feb 16 (AFP) Feb 16, 2018 Cyberattacks cost the United States between $57 billion and $109 billion in 2016, a White House report said Friday, warning of a "spillover" effect for the broader economy if the situation worsens. A report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers sought to quantify what it called "malicious cyber activity directed at private and public entities" including denial of service attacks, data breaches and theft of intellectual property, and sensitive financial and strategic information. It warned of malicious activity by "nation-states" and specifically cited Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The report noted particular concern over attacks on so-called critical infrastructure, such as highways, power grids, communications systems, dams, and food production facilities which could lead to important spillover impacts beyond the target victims. "If a firm owns a critical infrastructure asset, an attack against this firm could cause major disruption throughout the economy," the report said. It added that concerns were high around cyberattacks against the financial and energy sectors. "These sectors are internally interconnected and interdependent with other sectors as well as robustly connected to the internet, and are thus at a highest risk for a devastating cyberattack that would ripple through the entire economy," it said. The report offered little in the way of new recommendations on improving cybersecurity, but noted that the situation is hurt by "insufficient data" as well as "underinvestment" in defensive systems by the private sector. The document was issued a day after US officials blamed Russia for last year's devastating "NotPetya" ransomware attack, calling it a Kremlin effort to destabilize Ukraine which then spun out of control, hitting companies in the US, Europe and elsewhere. It said Russia, China, North Korea and other nation-states "often engage in sophisticated, targeted attacks," with a specific emphasis on industrial espionage. "If they have funding needs, they may conduct ransom attacks and electronic thefts of funds," the report said. But threats were also seen from "hacktivists," or politically motivated groups, as well as criminal organizations, corporate competitors, company insiders and "opportunists." In an oft-repeated recommendation, the White House report said more data sharing could help thwart some attacks. "The field of cybersecurity is plagued by insufficient data, largely because firms face a strong disincentive to report negative news," the report said. "Cyber protection could be greatly improved if data on past data breaches and cyberattacks were more readily shared across firms." The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement SEIU Local 2 cleaners at Capilano University were set to walk off the job Monday in protest of poverty wages VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capilano University cleaners reached a tentative deal late Thursday with their Employer, Best Service Pros, as they began mobilizing for strike actions scheduled for Monday. We feel very proud and this truly is a victory for us that we all fought hard for, said Delia Tanza, who is a cleaner and member of the Bargaining Committee. Today was the first time after months of bargaining that Best started taking us seriously and were able to offer us something more than poverty wages. Last Tuesday, the cleaners unanimously voted yes to take strike action and returned to the bargaining table in a legal position to do so. The most rewarding part is the power we felt as workers knowing that we have the campus community behind us and that they were ready to stand next to us if we had to walk off the job, said Analou Espina, another member of the Bargaining Committee. Early Thursday, faculty and staff unions at Capilano University, including the Capilano Faculty Association, MoveUP and CUPE 1004, committed to standing in solidarity with the cleaners and honouring their picket line during a coordinating meeting set up by the BC Federation of Labour. "The Capilano Faculty Association stands in solidarity with SEIU Local 2 and calls on university management to implement a policy that supports Living Wages and Benefits for all direct and contracted workers on campus, as a broader Justice for all Campus Workers initiative," said Brent Calvert, President of the Capilano Faculty Association. The cleaners union drive with SEIU Local 2 and commencement of bargaining had also given rise to a larger campus-wide campaign calling for a Living Wage and Benefits for all direct and contracted workers on campus. The cleaners at Capilano University have been in first contract negotiations with their Employer, Best Service Pros, since September. There were definitely times when we felt tired and frustrated, but this all goes to show when workers come together and refuse to give up, we can make real gains for ourselves and our families, Tanza added. Last February, despite an anti-union boss fight and fear campaign, the cleaners at Capilano University voted to unionize with SEIU Local 2. Best Service Pros put up numerous legal objections at the Labour Board to prevent workers from joining SEIU, but their ballots were ordered unsealed in June after a positive decision from the BC Labour Board. SEIU Local 2 is engaged with organizing Best Service Pros workers across the province. SEIUs Justice for Janitors is a movement of workers that has successfully organized to improve wages, benefits, and job security for over 7,000 janitors across Canada. SEIUs goal is to organize all janitors in BC, so together, workers can raise industry standards and reverse the race to the bottom. For more information, please visit www.justiceforjanitors.ca The Service Employees International Union is the largest and fastest growing union in North America, with 100,000 workers in Canada and two million workers across Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico. Contact Information Christine Bro 778-996-4008, cbro@seiulocal2.ca FREEHOLD, NJ, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MEDIFIRST SOLUTIONS, INC. (OTC: MFST) (the Company or Medifirst), a provider of innovative laser technology with its FDA 510(k) cleared Infrared Time Machine TTML-8102000 Laser Thermal Therapeutic Device, is pleased to announce a business update. Medifirst recently announced that it was in negotiations to bring its FDA cleared Time Machine Laser to the China Market. With the recent addition of Life Science Quest, a medical device business development consulting firm, and the efforts and expertise of its founder Ruobing Xia, Medifirst will be meeting with a very prominent China-based medical organization to complete negotiations for a business venture that will involve exclusive rights to sell the Time Machine Laser for the entire country of China. While no assurances can be made that the Company will complete an agreement when they meet in the upcoming weeks, the Company is pleased that after initial negotiations, the medical organization from China will be flying in for a scheduled a meeting in New York with intentions to set forth the terms of an agreement with Medifirst. Commented Medifirsts President, Bruce Schoengood, We are very excited to meet with a company that has close business relationships with many of Chinas leading hospitals and medical organizations. Both parties believe that there is a huge market with great potential and a great need for all-natural pain treatments such as the Time Machine Laser for use in the China medical community. The Company recently presented its Infrared Laser at the Greater New York Dental Meeting held in the Jacob Javits Center. The Time Machine Laser has shown effective and immediate results for patients suffering from pain related to their temporomandibular joint (TMJ). We believe TMJ treatment provides Medifirst with a very strong, untapped, niche application for dental practitioners. Medical professionals are looking for safe alternative means of treating TMD/TMJ pain without harmful drugs or surgery. Medifirst and the Time Machine Laser have developed pain management programs for people suffering from TMJ. TMD/TMJ dysfunction patients have been the scourge and struggle of most dentists. Due to their pain and trismus (lock jaw), the patients cannot cooperate while dentists take their dental impressions. This prevents an accurate impression of the needed inter-cuspal relationships to fabricate functional bite splints and restorations. We believe that the Time Machine Laser provides a solution. Our FDA cleared TTML Infrared Laser is able to reduce TMD pain rapidly, and without drugs. This is a major benefit for the doctors and their patients. Most often, after just one session, patients usually have as much as a 50% decrease in pain, and as it breaks the muscle spasm, the trismus is often decreased up to one cm or more. The patient is now relaxed and pain free and the dentist can proceed to making the most successful bite splits, appliances and dental reconstructions possible. We believe TMJ treatment provides Medifirst with a very strong, untapped, niche application for dental practitioners. Medifirst is pleased to announce that it currently has five dental centers using the Time Machine Laser for TMJ pain and disorders. The company believes that these centers will serve as a model for growth and further applications of the lasers for the entire dental community. The Infrared Laser has recently been incorporated into the treatment protocols for a new major cutting-edge Sleep Apnea Program designed to treat patients in a less intrusive and more comfortably manner than the airway pressure machines with a variety of breathing masks which are the most widely used treatment for moderate and severe Sleep Apnea. Congress has been proposing legislation for city and states to test and treat transit workers, train engineers and truck drivers for Sleep Apnea as recent studies show that many workers suffer from this sleep disorder which can be the cause of accidents. Medifirst believes its Time Machine Laser will play a vital role in the treatment of Sleep Apnea. Medifirst is also considering a rental model which will include a Time Machine Laser marketing program directed to the dentists and specialists who use the laser. With this payment model, Medifirst will continue to have recurring monthly revenue and offer doctors the added value of driving new patients and business to their practice. Medifirst anticipates further announcements in the upcoming days and weeks on additional company developments. About Medifirst Solutions, Inc. Medifirst Solutions, Inc., in response to its Premarket Notification 510(k) submission for The Time Machine Series Laser, received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its infrared Time Machine TTML-8102000 Laser Thermal Therapeutic Device. The Time Machine Series Lasers Model TTML-8102000 - 810/830nm is intended for use in temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain, stiffness, minor arthritis pain, muscle spasm, temporary increase in local blood circulation and temporary relaxation of muscles by means of topical elevated tissue temperature from infrared spectral emissions. The hand-held laser device, with pin-point accuracy, often gives patients immediate results with no redness, swelling or down-time. This unique laser device offers medical professionals an affordable and effective tool to enhance their treatment protocols for their patients and provide new revenue streams for their practice. The laser division will be operated out of Medifirsts wholly owned subsidiary, Medical Lasers Manufacturer. Visit www.medifirstsolutions.com for more information. Follow on Twitter @Medi_First and for Facebook visit Medifirst Solutions. Forward-Looking Statements: The statements in this press release that relate to the companys expectations with regard to the future impact on the company's results from new products in development are forward-looking statements, and may involve risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. Such risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Since the information in this press release may contain statements that involve risk and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the company's actual results may differ materially from expected results. We make no commitment to disclose any subsequent revisions to forward-looking statements. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. Defying US, Paris and Berlin stand firm on EU defence pact Munich, Germany, Feb 16 (AFP) Feb 16, 2018 Europe must be able to stand on its own feet militarily, France and Germany said Friday as they made the case for a new EU defence pact that has rattled Washington. In opening remarks at the Munich Security Conference, French Defence Minister Florence Parly and her German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen said the EU plan posed no threat to NATO. But they stressed that the European Union needed the "autonomy" to respond to security threats, even while bolstering their commitments to the NATO alliance. "When we are threatened in our own neighbourhood, particularly to the south, we have to be able to respond, even when the United States or the (NATO) alliance would like to be less implicated," Parly said. Von der Leyen also took a swipe at Washington for cutting its aid and diplomacy budgets, reminding "our American friends" that they have "precious commitments beyond military means". The EU announced in December a permanent structured cooperation on defence agreement, known as PESCO, aimed at developing new military equipment and improving cooperation and decision-making. Senior US officials voiced doubts about the EU plan this week, fearing it could draw resources away from NATO or become a "protectionist" umbrella for European defence manufacturers. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has cautiously welcomed the EU's efforts to step up its defence initiatives, but warned that these must not undermine the transatlantic alliance or duplicate its work. Batting away those concerns, Parly said "those who try to say it's either the EU or NATO: it's a false debate". But EU nations must be ready to act "without asking the United States to come to our aid, without asking them to divert their ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities or their supply craft from other missions," she added. Von der Leyen agreed that building up Europe's military autonomy was compatible with shoring up the NATO alliance. "It is about a Europe that can also add more weight militarily so that it can be more autonomous and carry more responsibility -- also within NATO," she said. - 'Wake-up call' - The European Union launched PESCO with much fanfare in December, spurred into action by Brexit, the migrant crisis, a more assertive Russia and an unpredictable White House. "This was the wake-up call we needed to understand that we had to change something and stand on our own two feet," von der Leyen said. The pact, signed by 25 EU members, aims to get member states to cooperate more closely in spending on defence and developing new military equipment. At a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Sofia, the bloc's foreign policy chief was also at pains to allay concerns about PESCO. Federica Mogherini said talks with NATO defence ministers including US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday had allowed her to give reassurances that the EU plan did not seek to replace the alliance. But she dismissed a call by Mattis for written assurances that common defence was solely a job for NATO, saying this was already "clearly stated in black and white in the EU treaties". - Soft power - Stoltenberg, also at the Munich gathering, reiterated that the EU's defence pact should "not compete (with) but complement the efforts of NATO". He noted that once Britain leaves the EU, 80 percent of NATO's defence expenditure will come from states outside the bloc, underscoring the importance of non-EU allies in the battle against security threats. "The EU cannot protect Europe by itself," he said. European members of NATO have in recent months promised to step up their defence spending following complaints from US President Donald Trump they were not pulling their weight in the military alliance. France in particular has announced plans to bolster its expenditure, earmarking nearly 300 billion euros ($370 billion) of investments by 2025. That would take France's defence budget to the NATO goal of two percent of GDP -- a target that few alliance members currently meet -- compared with about 1.8 percent today. Germany has also vowed to spend more on defence but remains well off the two percent target, much to the irritation of the Trump administration. In her speech in the southern city of Munich, Von der Leyen rebuffed the US criticism by highlighting the need for aid work and other so-called "soft power" as well as military might. "We watch with concern as some partners are ever more reducing their funding for diplomacy and development cooperation or for the United Nations," she said. In its 2019 budget, the Trump administration has proposed lifting defence spending by 10 percent to $686 billion, while slashing the State Department's budget. General Atomics enlists Boeing for its MQ-25 Stingray proposal Washington (UPI) Feb 14, 2018 General Atomics has announced their collaboration with Boeing, among other companies, to develop and build the MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based tanker drone for the U.S. Navy. Tuesday's announcement comes as the Navy has suggested in its latest budget request that it will only order four of the drone tankers during the next several years, despite years of development on the program. The Navy has for several years been seeking an unmanned aerial system with refueling capabilities to support a ... read more DALLAS, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cherubim Interests, Inc. (OTC:CHIT) (the Company), an expansion-stage alternative construction and real estate development company, announces update to shareholders. Shareholders, The company has been notified by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the public interest and the protection of investors required a suspension of trading in the securities of the Company, respectively. Pursuant to Section 12(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trading in the securities of the company has been suspended for the period from 9:30 a.m. EST, on February 16, 2018, through 11:59 p.m. EST, on March 2, 2018. The company will be complying with any regulatory inquiry during this period as requested. Warm Regards, Patrick J. Johnson CEO About Cherubim Interests Inc. Cherubim Interests specializes in alternative construction projects, as well as covering the entire spectrum of real estate development: due diligence, acquisition, planning, construction, renovation, and management; providing complete beginning-to-end development programs for mixed use, single, and multifamily projects and properties. For more information, visit www.cherubiminterests.com Safe Harbor Statement This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E and/or 27E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements as to the future performance of the company and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to raise necessary financing, retention of key personnel, timely delivery of inventory from the company's suppliers, timely product development, product acceptance, and the impact of competitive services and products, in addition to general economic risks and uncertainties. For more information please contact: Cherubim Interests, Inc. Patrick J. Johnson Chief Executive Officer (844) 842-8872 pjohnson@cherubiminterests.com Back again for the 2018 event, the Soil Pit at Cereals will be showing farmers what really goes on below ground level and how to tackle some of the most important soil issues. After doubling in size at last years event, Cereals will once again showcase a 20m long x 1.5m deep soil pit in order to demonstrate the impact of different cropping options on soil structure. The soil pit is a unique opportunity for farmers to explore the foundations of a farming system, explains Elizabeth Stockdale, head of farming systems research at NIAB. By having an in depth look at soil, we can start to have conversations about what the issues are and how to alleviate them. What really stands out is how much the lower ground differs from what farmers expect. This years crops surrounding the Pit will include a mixture of both winter and spring options, such as beans, wheat and oats, as well as cover crops like radish and vetch, adds Ms Stockdale. Once again, the soil pit will also have experts on hand to discuss some of the biggest issues faced by farmers. Our stand is bigger this year meaning we will be able to showcase more examples of soil structure implications, including our rhizotrons and Game and Wildlife Conservation Trusts wormeries, says Ms Stockdale. Our experts will be discussing everything from understanding the uses of cover crops to the importance of a wider range of crops in rotations. This collaborative pilot program is focused on gathering agronomic and operator feedback on the use of this technology in everyday vineyard activities, with the ultimate objective of delivering autonomous solutions that are driven by the real-world requirements of winegrowers. The pilot program is the latest step in the New Holland Autonomous Vehicle Program and its exploration of the various applications that can benefit the most from this technology. The Brand unveiled its NHDrive autonomous solution in 2016 at the Farm Progress Show, and to date, has previewed it on the T7 Heavy Duty and T8 tractor ranges to illustrate possible row crop applications. The new pilot program with the T4.110F demonstrates that New Hollands autonomous solution is applicable to the brands entire range of tractors, from high horsepower row crop all the way through to its specialty ranges. Carlo Lambro, New Holland Agriculture Brand President, explained: Sustainability and innovation are in New Hollands DNA; thats how we help our customers to farm efficiently and profitably today and anticipate the way their needs will change. We believe that specialty operations, and in particular those in the vineyard environment, could significantly benefit from the introduction of autonomous technology, in terms of productivity and sustainability. Our partner in the pilot program, E. & J. Gallo Winery, shares our commitment to innovation and sustainability in viticulture, as well as our objective of providing an autonomous solution that will benefit winegrowers around the world. The pilot program is taking place in an E. & J. Gallo Winery vineyard in California, USA, with T4.110F tractors fitted with NHDrive autonomous technology. During the course of the initial research and development program, further progress has been made into the integration of the various component parts specifically the sensing and perception elements and the signal receivers. As such, the T4.110F NHDrive maintains its sleek overall silhouette. This pilot is focused on a full range of vineyard maintenance and crop production tasks, which will provide feedback to further develop these activities during autonomous operation. These often repetitive applications, represent a broad cross-section of activities that are undertaken in vineyards, and are also representative of those carried out by the wider agricultural community. The data generated during the pilot will enrich the New Holland Autonomous Vehicle Program, providing real-world detail on the full range of possible automated and autonomous applications. These include Operator Assisted Autonomy, where the NHDrive supports the operator in the cab, Supervised Autonomy, where the operator will be in the field and supervises unmanned vehicles, and ultimately Full Autonomy, with no local supervision. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pinnacle, one of the nations leading multifamily management firms, announces the restructuring of its Learning & Development department to enhance course content creation, programming and training for over 4,100 team members. To facilitate this, Shelly Twibell has been promoted to national training director and Beth Luques moved into the role of director of organizational learning and development. Both leaders report to Jennifer Staciokas, senior vice president of marketing and training, and guide a combined team of 11 individuals. Pinnacle is leveraging the passion, skills and knowledge of both Shelly and Beth to better align our Learning & Development department with overall company goals, said Staciokas. We are extremely optimistic about this new structure, which endorses our culture of professional and personal growth. A 5-year veteran of Pinnacle, Twibell moves from a regional operations role with extensive onsite experience to foster the companys learning environment. In her new position, she will be actively involved in technology rollouts, property transitions, implementation of national projects and the day-to-day oversight of our nationwide trainers. Twibell will also help Pinnacle team members up-skill or re-skill as they take part in programs available through the University of Pinnacle, a comprehensive education platform offering coursework specific to job roles. Through this system, team members have 24/7 access to supplemental training resources including user guides and one-topic videos. Twibell joined Pinnacle in 2013 after working in managerial and leadership positions at Maxus Properties, Cohen-Esrey Communities and Venterra Realty. She holds designations as a Certified Property Manager, Housing Credit Certified Professional and Certified Occupancy Specialist and brings a passion for training to her role. Working in tandem with Twibell is Luques, who transformed Pinnacles Learning and Development department when she joined the company in 2015. She will continue her work with curriculum development while expanding the functionality of the companys Learning Management System. Luques will also focus on developing specialized programs catered to company leaders and creating on-demand videos designed to refresh skills and advance careers. About Pinnacle Property Management Services, LLC Pinnacle Property Management Services, LLC, (Pinnacle) is a privately held national real estate provider specializing in third party management of multifamily residential communities. As one of the nations preferred third-party managers, Pinnacles portfolio includes over 165,000 residential units and 2.75 million square feet of commercial assets. With the Corporate headquarters located in Dallas, Texas, Pinnacle has more than 4,100 employees located in 30 states. For more information, visit www.pinnacleliving.com. MEDIA CONTACT Suzi Smith (214) 891-7831 ssmith@pinnacleliving.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5940f891-e606-4772-be0b-786968d8d714 PASCAGOULA, Miss., Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced today that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division was awarded a $1.43 billion, fixed-price incentive contract for the detail design and construction of LPD 29, the 13th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. This contract is further recognition of the confidence the Navy/Marine Corps team has in the great work our shipbuilders are doing in the LPD program, said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. This efficient work is proven through our hot production line keeping the work going in the shipyard and through our nationwide network of suppliers. We are excited to build this additional ship and in providing our sailors and Marines with the best amphibious ships in the world. A rendering of LPD 29 is available at: http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=595654102cfac21a4479c961. Ingalls has built and delivered 11 San Antonio-class ships. The 11th, Portland (LPD 27), will be commissioned on April 21 in Portland, Oregon. The 12th, Fort Lauderdale, is under construction and is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2020. Preliminary work has begun on LPD 29, and the start of fabrication will take place later this year. The San Antonio class is a major part of the Navys 21st century amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ships are used to embark and land Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey. The ships support a Marine Air Ground Task Force across the spectrum of operations, conducting amphibious and expeditionary missions of sea control and power projection to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions throughout the first half of the 21st century. Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Mission Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 38,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries Contact: Bill Glenn william.glenn@hii-co.com 228-327-1671 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RSI International Systems Inc. (TSX-V:RSY) (RSI or the Company) today reported that it has reached an agreement (the Settlement Agreement) to settle a billing dispute with one of its customers, as first reported on November 3, 2017. RSI President & CEO, Tim Major, commented, Although we feel our case was strong, the prospect of a protracted and time consuming litigation with uncertain consequences led us to conclude that settlement was the best course of action, allowing us to direct our full focus on improving our business. Mr. Major concluded, We worked hard and are extremely disappointed that we werent able to renew our business relationship with this customer. However, as a result of careful planning, the loss of this account will not change our focus of becoming free cash flow positive and continuing to progress on bringing to market new incremental innovations and features. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the customer, who represents approximately 5% of RSIs hotel property portfolio, will not be required to pay for services from May 1, 2017 to May 15, 2018, and as of May 15, 2018, RSI will cease to provide services. RSI will also reimburse the customer a total of $130,000 in installments over a 12 month period. RSI began planning for the possibility of losing the affected customer a number of months ago when collection of receivables became in doubt. The Company has made, and will continue to make, restructuring and efficiency improvements while continuing to provide the high-quality customer service the Companys customers and chains have come to expect. For financial statement presentation, the Company has been fully providing for the affected billings in its allowance for doubtful accounts. Billings to the client between May 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 will not be included as revenue in the Companys 2017 fiscal year, but will be offset by the elimination of the allowance, so that earnings data will be unaffected. Given the payment agreed to in this settlement and the timing of some of the restructuring and efficiency improvements, the Company expects that it will have a period of off-trend cash flow performance until most of the benefits our restructuring take effect by the middle of 2018. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About RSI RSI International Systems Inc. is the developer of RoomKeyPMS, a web-based Property Management System (PMS) that incorporates a fully integrated Online Reservation Booking engine and seamless real-time connectivity to the major Global Distribution and Internet Distribution Systems. RSI markets its RoomKeyPMS and a number of other proprietary hosted software solutions to a wide variety of Hospitality Industry clients around the world. For more information, please see our website at www.roomkeypms.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not strictly historical fact are considered "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed and involve assumptions and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements made herein are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to revise or update any forward-looking information and statements except as required by applicable laws. For more information, please contact: RSI Systems International Inc. Tim Major, CEO (604) 914-3711 http://www2.roomkeypms.com/investors/contact-us Published: 16 February 2018 Young people in Kymenlaakso are working or studying less often than others in 2016 According to Statistics Finland's employment statistics, 27 per cent of the population aged 18 to 24 living in Kymenlaakso were outside work and education 1) at the end of 2016. Of the 12,460 young people in the region, 3,310 were unemployed, pensioners or belonged to the group others in the inactive population. In the whole country, the proportion of young people not working or studying was 19 per cent. Among regions, the share has been highest in Kymenlaakso in all years between 2011 and 2016. Share of persons aged 18 to 24 outside work and education of the correspondingly aged population by region and year, % At the end of 2016, there were 84,900 young people aged 18 to 24 outside work and education (19 per cent of the age group). The share was slightly lower than in the previous year but still five percentage points higher than five years earlier in 2011. Examined by region, the share of people outside work and education was largest in Kymenlaakso and smallest in Ostrobothnia. In Kymenlaakso, more than one-quarter of those aged 18 to 24 (27 per cent) were not working or studying at the end of the year. In Ostrobothnia, fewer than one in six were outside these groups (14 per cent) in 2016. The share has been highest in Kymenlaakso and lowest in Ostrobothnia in all years between 2011 and 2016. In Kymenlaakso, the share of employed persons in the age group 18 to 24 was 41 per cent and that of students 31 per cent. The proportion of the unemployed in the labour force in this age group in Kymenlaakso was 29 per cent. In Ostrobothnia, the share of unemployed persons in the labour force aged 18 to 24 was 12 per cent and the share of employed persons was 53 per cent. Population aged 18 to 24 by main type of activity living in Kymenlaakso and Ostrobothnia in 2016, % Share of persons outside work and education (aged 18 to 24) exceeded 28 per cent in 21 municipalities in 2016 Examined by region, the share of young people not working or studying was highest in the region of Kymenlaakso but examined by municipality, the shares of municipalities belonging to Kymenlaakso were not among the highest in the country. For example, the region of North Karelia also had municipalities, where the proportion of the population 18 to 24 outside work and education was higher than in the municipalities of Kymenlaakso. However, the share of young people outside the groups was higher in the region of Kymenlaakso than in North Karelia. Share of persons aged 18 to 24 not working or studying among the correspondingly aged population by municipality in 2016, % 1) Those outside work and education refer to persons who were outside the following main type of activity categories: employed, students, and conscripts and those in non-military service. The group includes unemployed persons, pensioners and others in the inactive population. Source: Employment Statistics, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Netta Hiitola 029 551 3552, info@stat.fi Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma Publication in pdf-format (360.6 kB) Updated 16.2.2018 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Employment [e-publication]. ISSN=2323-6825. Background information on unemployed persons 2016. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 15.9.2021]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyokay/2016/03/tyokay_2016_03_2018-02-16_tie_001_en.html Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (135) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (348) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (442) Jan 2014 (547) Feb 2014 (476) Mar 2014 (526) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (469) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (443) Oct 2014 (472) Nov 2014 (497) Dec 2014 (536) Jan 2015 (539) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (582) Apr 2015 (658) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (924) Nov 2015 (802) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (866) May 2016 (947) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (967) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (880) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (809) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (935) Jul 2019 (950) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (849) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (789) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (812) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (382) iStock/Thinkstock(SPARTANSVILLE, S.C.) -- A juvenile was arrested in South Carolina on Thursday after posting to social media a message that warned of a shooting rampage similar to the attack that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday in Parkland, Florida, officials announced Thursday night. The social media post in question, which was shared by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, features a photo of the suspect holding a firearm. The unidentified individual's face is blurred in the version distributed by officials. Across the image is a banner that reads "Round 2 of Florida tomorrow." The Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Thursday, "A recent post with the title 'Florida Round 2' and the image of a male with a firearm and a mask has been circulating over various social media channels. We have investigated the origin, and the original poster was arrested by local authorities in South Carolina." The statement continued, "Variations of the post have continued to be circulated over social media with captions added to warn people not to go to various schools throughout South Florida. The posts being circulated are being monitored for any violations of law or threats to public safety." The Manatee County Sheriff's Office, located on the state's Gulf Coast, also confirmed that the image did not represent a "local threat." "Our detectives have confirmed it is a photo of a juvenile in Spartanburg, South Carolina," read a tweet from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. "He has been arrested." The Broward County Sheriff's Office warned would-be copycats, "Remember, any posts that appear to be threatening in nature or are of a concern to a user should be brought to the attention of law enforcement, who will monitor and investigate the validity and attempt to identify the source. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Every year people express their affection for those they love on various holidays. Their expression can take the form of, romantic dinners, flowers or candy, or even some kind of special gift. In Israel, one such celebration is the minor holiday, Tu BAv, also known as Chag HaAhavah, the Holiday of Love, which will be celebrated this year beginning at sundown July 26. Meanwhile, in the United States, and other parts of the world, Valentines Day is upon us. These two holidays, while similar in some aspects, differ in their origins, traditions, histories and how they are celebrated now. Additionally, many Jewish Americans do not know much about Tu BAv. Tu BAv is a celebratory holiday whose beginnings date back to ancient Israel, signaling the start of the grape harvest. The holiday is held annually, on the 15th of Av, which corresponds to the summer months of July or August. ADVERTISEMENT [Tu BAv] comes after Tisha BAv which can be counted as the saddest day on the Hebrew calendar, said Rabbi Andrea Goldstein at Congregation Shaare Emeth. Many Jewish students never have the opportunity to learn about Tu BAv. Though the Talmud says [Tu BAv] is one of the happiest days on the Jewish calendar, it has always been a minor holy day in Jewish tradition. Therefore, there is not a lot of education about it. It also occurs in the summer, when most young people are not in religious school, so it is not often touched upon in religious education settings, Goldstein said. Philip Nadel, originally from San Diego, Calif., now lives in Kfar Saba, Israel. Nadel is a Reform rabbi at Kehillat YOZMA in Modiin and is familiar with the celebration of Tu BAv in Israel. [There is] no formal celebration of [Tu Bav] at the synagogue. [Except] perhaps a sermon or dvar Torah with a theme inspired by the holiday, Nadel said. There are both spiritual and traditional components related to the celebration of Tu BAv. It starts on a full moon on the lunar calendar, giving the night an atmosphere of love, according to long-established beliefs. In ancient times, it was customary for women to wear white. They wore these clothes and danced in the vineyards outside of Jerusalems walls. The men went to the fields as well in hopes of getting wives. Tu BAv also has spiritual meaning. During the holiday, the white clothes that Jewish women wore were lent to them by other women, so that no one would feel bad if they couldnt afford to buy their own. This also helped to encourage men not to choose a woman to marry based on her wealth. After a day that marks the Destruction of the Temple, it is a joy to have a day where harvest, fruit and love are celebratedhowever, the idea of young single women gathering to dance for the purpose of attracting men to marriage does not resonate for me at all as a modern woman, Goldstein said. Meanwhile, in the United States, Valentines Day is also a holiday of love. It is celebrated annually on February 14th with romantic meals and gift exchanges. It is also celebrated in many other countries such as Denmark, France and the Philippines. On Valentines Dayevery year my family always has fondue as a fun family dinner, Rebecca Sachs, a sophomore at Ladue Horton Watkins High School and a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth said. The origins of Valentines Day are connected with the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia. Later, in the third century AD, on February 14th, two different men named Valentine were martyred by the Catholic Church after being put to death. Years later, Pope Gelasius I blended Lupercalia and St. Valentines Day, ultimately creating a day dedicated to love. Although Tu BAv and Valentines Day may be different in many ways, there are some similarities. For both holidays, chocolate is a popular food and restaurants and meals often have a romantic flair. Both holidays are a time in which people may choose to get married, engaged, renew their vows and take time to reflect. Further, many gifts are heart-shaped and red and pink are common colors for both Tu BAv and Valentines Day. In Israel, Tu BAv places a greater emphasis on music and dancing as being more integral parts of the holiday, which I like. For secular Israelis, Tu BAv is a day where love is commercialized and commoditized by companies and businesses. So, in this respect, it is very similar to the way we celebrate Valentines Day in the United States, Goldstein said. Not only do the two holidays share commonalities, but some believe they also contribute to the popularity of each other. Roslyn Roucher grew up in Decatur, Ill. She works for the Via Sabra tour company, as a content manager and exercise guru. She is married to Rabbi Philip Nadel and lives with him in Kfar Saba, Israel. The thing Ive noticed most about Tu BAv is how it seems to be getting more popular because people are more aware of Valentines Day, she said. Often Israelis want to celebrate things that are celebrated in Americamore and more people are celebrating Valentines Day- maybe even more than Tu BAv. Most importantly, both Valentines Day and Tu BAv provide opportunities for people to pause their normal routines and appreciate their loved ones. Goldstein said she had one couple who wanted to get married on Tu BAv. They found the notion of being married on the Jewish day of love romantic and meaningful for them, she said. Posted Thursday, February 15, 2018 12:00 pm Service: 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Roller-Christeson Funeral Home, with interment at Maple Leaf Cemetery; Visitation: 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the funeral home. The soul leaves the body as a school boy jumps from a school door, suddenly and with joy. There is no horror in death. Christopher Eric Scudder, age 72, of Harrison, suffered a heart attack and passed away Sunday, Feb. 11 (2018). Chris was born in Santa Monica, California, to Donah June Polk and Cedric Scudder. He married Pamela Duck in Harrison on Feb. 20, 1966. He was educated at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, California, and a graduate of Marian College in Indianapolis, with a degree in history. Chris enlisted in the Army during the war in Vietnam. He served as a drill sergeant at Fort Ord, California, and then became a second lieutenant and tactical officer at the Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Chris served as a platoon leader with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968. He was severely wounded during a night ambush outside Dau Tieng in the Michelon rubber plantation and convalescended in Harrison, his home. He then returned to Fort Benning to serve as an OCS Company Commander. Subsequent Army assignments for him and his family included overseas assignments with the 8th Special Forces Group in Panama; duty as the Adjutant General, 19th Support Command, in Korea; another Vietnam tour as an advisor in the Central Highlands; and posts in the U.S. at Forts Benjamin Harrison, Rucker, and Stewart. In Washington, DC, he was assigned to the Pentagon to work in the Office of The Adjutant General as the Army Staff Point of Contact for Reserve Component Quality of Life Issues. Chris' final Army tour prior to retirement in 1985 as a major was as adjutant general and later deputy director for Personnel and Community Activities at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. His military awards and decorations include the Combat Infantry Badge, three Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, the Republic of Vietnam Honor Medal, and various other service medals. Chris and his wife, Pamela, were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For over three and a half years he served as bishop of the Harrison Ward serving members in Boone, Newton, and most of Marion and Searcy counties. He later served on the High Council of the Springfield, Missouri South Stake. Chris had served his community as an executive director of the American Red Cross Ozark Mountains Chapter. He had volunteered as a unit commissioner with the Boy Scouts. He was a Paul Harris Fellow, past president of the Rotary Club of Harrison, and an Assistant Governor for Rotary District 6110; past president of the Jordan Milam Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution; and past president of the Northern Arkansas Chapter, Military Officers Association of America. At the time of his death, he was a board member and genealogist of the Scudder Association, one of the oldest family organizations in the country. Chris was preceded in death by his wife, Pamela Duck Scudder, who died of cancer in 2014, and his daughter, Shannon Pudleiner, who died of ovarian cancer in 2004. He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Trent, a feature film post-production supervisor; four grandsons, Jack and Will Trent of Studio City, California, and Steven and Mathieu Pudleiner of Vancouver, Canada; his sister, Cathy Goldman, of Phoenix, Arizona; and his brother, Craig Bassett, of Los Angeles, California. Visitation is from 1-2 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Roller Christeson Funeral Home, with funeral to follow in the chapel. Interment is at Maple Leaf Cemetery. The funeral and interment will take place on Chris and Pamelas wedding anniversary, marking the date that they will be reunited for all eternity. Pallbearers are Craig Bassett, Jack Trent, William Trent, Michael Trent, Grant Farmer and Jeffrey Rowley. Donations in memory of Chris can be made to The Scudder Association, https://scudder.org/philanthropy/donation-form/. Sign the online guestbook atrollerfuneralhomes.com/harrison . 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. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. Hrayr Tovmasyan, who chairs the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and Protection of Human Rights in Armenias parliament, will renounce his membership in the ruling Republican Party of Armenia to qualify for appointment to the Constitutional Court. Members of the court, according to the countrys constitution, cannot be members of a political party. Tovmasyan told Hetq that hes accepted the nomination to the Constitutional Court, made yesterday by parliament speaker Ara Babloyan, and that he has no desire to eventually become president of the court. The Armenian government has given the green light to Armenian Oil and Gas LLC, a company mainly owned by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, to explore for oil and natural gas in the first and the third sectors in Armenia, which include the provinces of Shirak, Lori and Tavush. The Ministry of Nature Protection, in its finding, says that exploratory work will only temporarily impact the environment. The company has also filed an application to explore for gas and oil in Armenias second sector - a 7,250 square kilometer parcel of land encompassing Yerevan, all of Armavir and Aragatsotn Provinces, and portions of the provinces of Ararat, Kotayk and Shirak. Armenian Oil and Gas Company LLC, is wholly owned by Energy Invest Holding CJSC. According to the companys website, the sole shareholder of Energy Invest Holding is the Hrazdan Energy Company, 100% of shares of which are owned by Tashir Capital CJSC. Tashirs shares mostly belong to Samvel Karapetyan and his children. I am a Canna What Flower Are You? table width="145">"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that." AK AL AS AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA GU HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VI VA WA WV WI WY The meeting was scheduled as Trump is considering whether to proceed with limiting imports of steel and aluminum for national security reasons.The Commerce Department last month completed the pair of Section 232 investigations and sent the reports to the White House. Trump has about two months left to decide whether and how to proceed with tariffs, quotas or a combination of both. On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 , an eye-opening view of what President Trump faces took place when in a public meeting with members of Congress, the Cabinet and Trump and Pence called to deal with Trade, Infrastructure & Technology. A transcript of the meeting can be found here. The meeting was a listening session during which lawmakers were permitted to air their concerns and priorities to the administration. During the meeting President Trump listened to bipartisan members of Congress having a spectrum of opinions on trade matters. For the President the meeting was part of his commitment to ensure fair and reciprocal trade policies that support not only the American worker but will also grow the American economy. The delegation of lawmakers that attended were members largely from steel-producing states and included Ohios delegation of Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman and two leaders of the Congressional Steel Caucus: Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ark.). Trump officials attending were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. During the listening session Republican lawmakers in attendance, one-by-one, took the bait and fully exposed themselves. Taking turns telling POTUS to quit trying to save American high-wage jobs, drop the national economic view, and just accept multinational corporate globalism were Lamar Alexander, Mike Lee, Pat Toomey and Roy Blunt, in what amounted to a full-throated establishment display of their disagreement with Trump's America First philosophy. Even so, it was Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin who really went the full distance with these remarks: In Wisconsin, a big manufacturing state, in seven years I have not visited one manufacturer that could hire enough people. That was certainly my experience in the last 20, 25 years. For a host of reasons, we tell our kids you have to get a four-year degree. We pay people not to work. So we do need to be concerned about, in such a tight labor market, do we have enough workers in manufacturing. So my final point is, it makes no sense for me to try and bring back high labor-content manufacturing to America. We need to do the value-added things. And so I would just say, proceed with real caution there. Most people are becoming increasingly aware of the Republican agenda to keep the interests of multinational corporations at the top of their priority list; however, it is still rather remarkable to listen to an entire room of them admit, openly, their agenda is to work against the U.S. middle-class, support mass immigration, and keep the U.S. economy on the service-driven path. Might it be better for Senator Johnson to look to his own backyard? Johnson will have little help from D.C. now that Priebus is no longer in D.C, Paul Ryan has hinted about retiring, and Scott Walker has a 50% disapproval rating. Many Wisconsin Trump voters are tired of supporting every freeloader on welfare of some sort (including higher education that just dispenses politically correct propaganda rather than life skills for success), while they slave away for relatively low wages in Johnson's factories. It's insane for us to depend on China to produce goods critical for our national defense. There is also a limit to how much we can trust Mexico and Canada which are increasingly run by left wing presidents. Instead of grandstanding by attacking Roy Moore, asking for more H1-B wage slaves, and supporting more boondoggles with the latest budget agreement, Johnson should be applauding Trump's education and welfare initiatives that will generate the workers he claims he can't get. But like most, Senator Johnson thinks all he needs is Bezos' money. Senator Johnson is a symbol of everything that is wrong in today's Republican Party. "At the end of 1992, the Wenzhou Lighter Industry Association (WLIA) was established. [...] WLIA began a program to protect industry from unfair competition in which each industry association member was compelled sign an affidavit to defer to association rulingswhen applying for product design rights (i.e., de facto patents). These designs are then evaluated and published in local newspapers for comment. If nobody opposes the new design within a five-day window, the patent is granted. As a result, there is an IPR/Patent mechanism completely within the industry association. If there is found to be cases of infringement, the association handles it" (emphasis in the original text). "Patents (and designs) exist because they form an indirect system of stimulating innovation, which is low in risk and costs for the government"("Mitteilungen der deutschen Patentanwalte", 2013, 181-187). As recently discussed on this blog, conferring IP rights is not the only way of incentivizing innovation. Baker, Jayadev and Stiglitz have suggested that innovation can also be incentivized by offering tax subsidies or by granting prizes or award. So why is it that the patent system, with its grant of an exclusive right to the patent holder for a fixed period of time, has prevailed over other alternatives for incentivizing, primarily, prizes and awards, which already in the 19th century had been proposed by German and Swiss scholars as an alternative to patents, but at best play a minor role, if at all? Again: why does the current patent prevail?Contrary to what Baker, Jayadev and Stiglitz write (The patent, of course, is a prize), a patent is usually not a prize. It is rather better conceived as something like an "option", in the sense that it does not guarantee higher revenue due to the ability to charge a higher price, but only gives the patentee a chance to do so by virtue of the granted monopoly (or, as patents for some technical sectors have been somewhat deprecatorily called by Mark Lemley and Carl Shapiro , a "lottery ticket"). But even if so, why the strong preference for patent protection in the form of conveying IP protection in favour the patentee, as opposed to having society give out awards and prizes for incentivizing research? If you ask companies, it is this blogger's impression that most would choose the latter instead of being required to make often substantial expenditures to secure such an uncertain right as IP protection, in general, and patent protection, in particular.At first glance, the answer seems easy: It costs less - or to be precise, IP rights costs society less than providing awards or prizes. The advantage of an IP system for the state, in contrast to a price or award system (with tax subsidies also being a form of a premium system ), is that, at least initially, the burden of selecting which innovation is worth a prize is shifted from the governmental institution to the applicant. Moreover, an IP recordal system need not cost any tax money (if the patent authority is self-funded). As we know since, at least since Roman times, in the words of emperor Caracalla ,"", i.e., the government's resources seemingly are always needed elsewhere.But the issue of the limitations on the allocation of public moneys addresses only one-half of the story; economists such as Michele Boldrin and David Levine are vocal in their hostility against IP rights as being superfluous subsidies that should be abandoned. In their view, competition amongst companies is fully sufficient to ensure an adequate level of investment in productive R&D, since companies will always try to distinguish themselves from their competitors in order to achieve higher prices. Stated otherwise, "copycat capitalism" is adequate to incentivize innovation.That this approach may be misplaced as an empirical matter can be seen by the example of Wenzhou , the "dark dubious sister" of the radiant and urban dynamo, Shenzhen . As Wenzhou emerged in the 1980's to become one of the industrial centres of Deng Xiaoping's China, Friedrich Engels would surely have observed striking parallels between it and 19th century Manchester in terms of unhindered capitalism. One product where Wenzhou developed a manufacturing stronghold was in the area of cigarette lighters. such that, by 1993, there were more than 2,000 such manufacturers in the city. However, the cigarette lighter manufacturers discovered that copycat capitalism has its downsides too, and the solution that they adopted was remarkable. Prof. Andrew Mertha (of Cornell University) writes When one takes into account that a cigarette lighter is a relatively simple product, in contrast to pharmaceuticals or mobile telecommunication, it is remarkable that the actors in this industry concluded that some kind of protection was deemed to be needed, but it was provided, not by the government, but rather by the industry itself. So the WLIA system is another example of a norm-based system, like the system of French chefs in keeping their recipes secret. The WILA system existed quite effectively for more than a decade until, in the course of the strengthening of the IP system by the Chinese government, it was abandoned.So to summarize:- Some kind of innovation incentives are needed, as the example of Wenzhou tells us;- But prizes or awards have the downside of being costly, both directly and in their administrative costs.On the basis of the foregoing, permit me put forward a new patent definition that I have suggested:Photo on lower left by Joe Haupt (https://www.flickr.com/people/51764518@NO2) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license Weve all been there: You have hundreds of tasks to complete, and very little time to do any of it but you cant dig in and start working because you are buried in email, meetings and messages. Communication, in other words, can be exhausting. During a keynote address this morning at ITEXPO, Atlassian Head of Product Oji Udezue elaborated on the gridlock of workplace communication that we are all mired in. Even worse, he pointed out, workplace communication often spills over into personal time after hours. Nobody likes being the person on their cell phone at a Little League game, or having to leave dinner to put out a fire at work. But things happen that need to be dealt with, putting busy professionals in the awkward position of having to take time away from their personal lives. Udeuze, who has spent years developing communication and collaboration tools for some of the largest technology firms, actually apologized during his presentation for stealing our time by keeping us glued to email and chat. Its 2018, and we are still spending two thirds of our day communicating and collaborating, he said. Those interactions are great. They are awesome. [And they] seem almost innocuous until you realize that communicating and collaborating isnt actually working. It gives you priority of how to work, but its not actually work. In the words of Udueze, people are losing the freedom to focus. And this is a problem. Granted, over the last 10 years we have seen amazing improvements in productivity tools. These tools help us by keeping workers informed and updated with team members, but even the best solutions still silo workers and make it impossible to become immersed in deep work. Udueze and his team, however, believe that its possible to reach a place at work where people are kept in the loop about whats happening without sacrificing their need to actually get work done. Last year, for instance, Atlassian released a communication and collaboration solution with a built in timer that actually allows workers to let others know they are checking out to perform deep work in a way that also lets others know they remaining productive. When workers come back after the timer is up, they are given updates that allow them to easily catch up with whats been happening. Its exciting to think about where this type of technology is heading and this is just one company that is working to improve the way we communicate. The enterprise communication and collaboration space is changing, as companies are striving to find new ways of making the sharing of information a seamless and enjoyable process. Share this Page Edited by Ken Briodagh These days, you cant open the news without reading about a terrifying new security threat. New threats are popping up by the day, leaving business owners scrambling to find ways to keep their organizations protected. This afternoon at ITEXPO, HD Voice News Editor-in-Chief Doug Mahoney led a panel titled How to Beat Evolving Security Threats, where he was joined by Ingate Systems President Steven Johnson, Area 1 Security Ops and Development Director John Morgan and neXt Curve Principal Analyst and Consultant Akshay Sharma. The panel offered practical advice that ordinary businesses can use to keep malicious insiders out of their networks. The main take away from the panel is that there is no one size fits all approach to cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is now a 24x7 job, and one that requires a multi-pronged approach. If you rely on antivirus software alone or any one solution your business will eventually get breached. Hackers want to intrude on our networks, and they have a lot of time and energy to devote to the process. So make no mistake about it: If you have sensitive data, hackers want it. And they will go to great lengths to obtain it. Businesses must also look beyond brand name cyberattacks, which come and go quite frequently. Its just as important to focus on everyday phishing attacks, where hackers go after user credentials in order to gain a foothold into a companys infrastructure. This type of attack takes time, but if successful the results can be devastating for a business as it allows hackers to access large amounts of data and get out quickly. As the panel explained, a multi-layered approach is the only way to really stay safe online today, with specific solutions like artificial intelligence, blockchain, biometrics, behavior analytics and more all working together to create a secure environment. This week, for instance, there is a lot of talk about blockchain at ITEXPO. And while blockchain is a remarkable advancement for cybersecurity, its not the end all be all. Just because your blockchain architecture is secure, it doesnt mean your entire organization is secure, explained Sharma. There can still be vulnerabilities. So, what are some critical actions that CISOs can take to protect their end users and infrastructure? One critical piece of advice from Morgan is that businesses are only as secure as their least secure business partner. Look down the supply chain, and try and assess hidden vulnerabilities that could compromise your organization. Whats more, he explained, always make sure there is an aggressive patching program. Multifactor authentication is also imperative for success. The panel also brought up the issue of malicious insiders. As Johnson explained, businesses need to be very careful about who they employ. And a certain amount of monitoring is need for various positions to prevent malicious activities from happening. Share this Page Edited by Mandi Nowitz Telintas new your--domain.com provides sample website designs which VoIP service providers can use as a guide for selling their own services online. Includes sample webpages to sell Hosted PBX, Calling Card, Mobile VoIP, Mobile Top-Up, as well as Telintas award-winning Virtual Office solution for small and home-based businesses. Springfield, NJ-February 16, 2018- Telinta, a global leader in white label cloud-based switching and billing solutions, today announced a unique sales tool helping VoIP service providers sell their own services online. Telinta calls this online tool your--domain.com and presents sample webpage designs that VoIP service providers and their own web developers can use as a guide. Using Telintas unique collection of sample webpages, VoIP service providers can plan their own websites for popular services such as Hosted PBX, Calling Card, Mobile VoIP and Mobile Top-Up. The tool also includes a guide for offering Telintas award-winning Virtual Office solution to small and home-based businesses. With Virtual Office, Telinta customers can enable their end users to customize their own VoIP solution in the cloud via a series of online self-service web portals to select DIDs, configure extensions, set up call routing, customize greetings, auto-attendants and more all without needing an IP phone or ATA. Telintas your--domain.com demonstrates important selling tools like online sign-up, subscription plans, rate calculators, service bundles, and other key capabilities which VoIP service providers and can easily offer to end users and resellers via Telintas cloud-based softswitch and billing platform. Telintas carrier-grade TeliCoreTM softswitch platform integrates switching, billing and customer management to offer world-class solutions for VoIP service providers. Telinta leads the industry in providing its customers with comprehensive training and 24x7 live technical support. Telinta is often asked for guidance by VoIP service providers who want to create their own websites to sell popular VoIP services, said Alex Ferdman, CEO of Telinta. With our new your--domain.com Telinta customers and their own web developers can easily visualize how to sell profitable VoIP services online. About Telinta Founded in 2002, Telinta, Inc. offers secure and reliable cloud-based Switching and Billing solutions for VoIP service providers around the globe. Telintas full portfolio of white label carrier-grade solutions is highly customizable for VoIP service providers and their resellers. This includes Hosted PBX, Mobile Solutions, Audio-Conferencing, Business and Residential VoIP, Calling Card, Pinless, Wholesale VoIP and other hosted solutions. Please visit us at www.telinta.com for more information. Contact: Anthony Stiso Vice President of Marketing and Sales anthony@telinta.com tel: +1 305.993.1199 40k Chinese tourists expected during Chinese New Year Nepal expects to receive a record 40,000 tourists from China during the two-week-long Chinese New Year Holiday which begins on Friday, travel traders said. AG Bhandari submits resignation to PMO Attorney General Basanta Ram Bhandari on Thursday said he has given his resignation letter to the Prime Ministers Office. His resignation is yet to be approved, according to reports. Mark Wilson/Getty Images (PARKLAND, Fla.) -- Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hid in their classrooms on Wednesday as a former student fired shots through the glass windows. It was terrifying for all those involved, but the students put into practice what they had been trained to do. And the steps they took likely saved lives. Another potentially life-saving measure came in the form of the classroom doors that locked, which teachers secured on Wednesday and kept the shooter out, and the school regularly held lockdown drills. School security consultant Ken Trump told ABC News that the students reacted properly even though some may have thought the warnings were just a drill. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said today that the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, pulled the fire alarm and waited for students to come into the hallway. This isn't the first time that a school shooter has used that move. David Chipman, a senior policy adviser at gun violence prevention advocacy group Giffords and a former ATF officer, pointed to the Jonesboro school shooting in 1998 where the two shooters pulled the fire alarm and opened fire when people fled the school. Five people were killed in that Arkansas shooting. "If you have a teacher that says 'Fire alarm, everyone get out,' you're inadvertently showing a lack of discretion and you're walking people into a fire zone where they'll be killed," Chipman said. "That kind of judgment you don't have in a critical incident unless you train." "Really good training teaches you to have confidence to exercise judgment and discretion," he added. Both teachers and students at the Florida school had been trained in different types of scenarios. A fire drill had been conducted at the school on Wednesday, hours before the shooting, and some students reported hearing a plan for a "code red" situation, which is used to refer to school shootings. Chipman said that such examples of training help show "how can you take a horrible situation and have it not be absolutely catastrophic, which is hard to say." "To me, I think the fact that only 17 people were killed in a school of 3,000 shows that there was a lot of bravery that day. Police responded quickly [and] teachers did everything they knew how to do," he said. Effective law enforcement moves Trump, who is not related to the president, pointed to the quick identification of the shooter as one key move. "They had the surveillance cameras and the wisdom to immediately go to those to immediately identify the perpetrator and then subsequently capture that person even though he had gotten out," he noted. Another key moment was having students leave their bags in a designated area as they fled the scene. Steve Gomez, a former FBI special agent in charge and current ABC News consultant, said that such a move was likely done to check that no pipe bombs or explosive devices were inside the bags. Gomez called that an example of "really good, fast police work." "Law enforcement response appears to have been outstanding," Gomez said. "They responded right away, they immediately were extracting the students and the faculty out of the area where the shots were reportedly fired." The frequent public status updates provided by multiple branches of law enforcement were cited by Trump as being helpful in the emergency situation. "They're doing an excellent job in their crisis communications," he said, adding that the news conferences and Twitter updates "at least helps manage the parental and community anxiety. It's the lack of communication or inconsistent communication that creates increased anxiety." Remaining questions One issue that could be a double-edged sword was the suspect's expulsion from the school. Gomez said that school administrators "expelled him, you got him away from your kids [at the school]... but now you may have somebody who has a beef against you and may want to come back to your school and act out a vengeance against the school or specific teachers and you have to be prepared for that." Now, as the lengthy list of mass shootings in this country continues to grow, the debate over what happens next - both at individual schools and at the national and state level - rages on. "I don't want people to be left with the impression that this as a nation is the best we can do," Chipman said. "We can't say that the best we can do is teachers that act as heroes and then have politicians pay for funerals," he added. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Change of guard As the new Premier takes over, time to reflect both on Deubas legacy and Olis challenges Dahal seeks package deal before joining govt CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has made it clear that his party decided not to send any ministers in the new Cabinet for now as the issues regarding party unification and allocation of ministries are still pending. Deubas departure leaves mixed legacy Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba resigned on Thursday leaving a mixed political legacy at a time when he was labeled as incapable prime minister when he was thrown out in 2002 after not holding elections. Govt will get full shape soon: PM Oli Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has extended best wishes to all people from the Sherpa community living in the country and abroad. Indian PM Modi, Chinese PM Li congratulate PM Oli Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on his appointment as the 38th Prime Minister of Nepal on Thursday. Indian PM Modi called up PM Oli at around 10:30 pm yesterday and congratulated him and wished for a successful term. Maoist Centre will joint govt within next few days: Minister Pandit Newly appointed Minister for Population and Environment Lal Babu Pandit has said the Cabinet will be expanded within a couple of days and the CPN (Maoist Centre) will also participate in the expansion. MC leaders appointed CM in Province 6, 7 CPN (Maoist Centre) Parliamentary Party leaders have been appointed Chief Minister in Province 6 and 7 on Thursday. Outgoing PM lists China, India ties and hydel works among successes Two months after successfully holding the elections of Federal Parliament and Provincial Assemblies, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba announced his resignation on Thursday, paving the way for the left alliance to form a new government. Province 1, 2 and 5 chief ministers take oath Chief Ministers of Province 1, 2 and 5 took oath of office and secrecy amid separate functions held in the provincial capitals on Thursday. In Biratnagar, Governor Govinda Bahadur Tumbahang administered the oath to CPN-UML Parliamentary Party (PP) leader Sherdhan Rai as the CM. Rise of leader from Tehrathum after fall The adage there are no permanent enemies in politics came true on Thursday when KP Sharma Oli started his second tenure as Prime Minister of Nepal with the support of CPN (Maoist Centre). Sonam Losar celebrated with fanfare (in photos) Tamang people from Mahayana tradition across the country celebrated Sonam Losar-the beginning of the New Yearwith much fanfare on Friday. Trishuli jeep accident: Missing engineer found dead An engineer, who had gone missing along with his father after a jeep plunged into Trishuli River on Saturday afternoon, was found dead on Friday. US, Bangladesh congratulate Oli The United States of America and Bangladesh have separately congratulated newly appointed Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Voices from the plains Response to lingual sentiments in Province 2 is becoming crucial Waiting and waiting Conflict victims have been demanding a fair investigation, but it is nowhere in sight Wild elephants run amok in the East Wild elephant menace in eastern Nepal has risen in recent times. Six persons have died after being attacked by the elephants from the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in the running fiscal year, according to the reserve officials. 1. Yes. COVID-19 can only be stopped through vaccinations. A mandate is needed. 2. Yes. This is a major step, but were facing a national emergency. It is a justifiable move. 3. No. The government is right to promote vaccinations, but not to require them. 4. No. This is government overreach and legally questionable. A mandate is wrong. 5. Unsure. Its in the publics interest, but mandates infringe on individuals rights. Vote View Results By Shamim Nateebwa. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali has urged Ugandans to celebrate Archbishop Janani Luwum whose courage and vision will live for generations. The country today commemorates the JananiLuwum Day, a special time designated to remember the life of the church leader who was killed by operatives of the Amin regime on 16 February 1977. Archbishop Ntagali says Luwums courage should be celebrated because he stood firm in tough times and preached the gospel uncompromisingly. He adds that this day was declared public holiday to give an opportunity for young people who did not see Luwum, to celebrate his life. In the same stride, the State Minister for Ethics and Integrity Father Simon Lokodo, is urging all institutions including schools to respect the day. Luwum became Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire in 1974. The main celebrations are held in Mucwini, Kitgum district, atLuwums ancestral home where he was buried. By Sahamim Nateebwa & Cissy Makumba The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali has urged Ugandans to celebrate Archbishop Janani Luwum whose courage and vision will live for generations. The country today commemorates the 41st anniversary to mark the martyrdom of Janani Luwum Day, a special time designated to remember the life of the church leader who was killed by operatives of the Amin regime on 16 February 1977. Archbishop Ntagali says Luwums courage should be celebrated because he stood firm in tough times and preached the gospel uncompromisingly. He adds that this day was declared public holiday to give an opportunity for young people who did not see Luwum to celebrate his life. In the same stride, the State Minister for Ethics and Integrity Father Simon Lokodo, is urging all institutions including schools to respect the day. Luwum became Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire in 1974. The main celebrations are held in Mucwini, Kitgum district, at Luwums ancestral home where more than 5,000 Christians from different walks of life are expected to attend the event. The Chairperson organizing committee also the Kitgum District Chairperson Jackson Omona says all preparations have been made to ensure the day is celebrated colorfully. We are ready and set to host more than 5,000 Christians from different walks of lives. We expect this years ceremony to be unique and colorful, Mr Omona said. He says more than 1,000 pilgrims from Acholi sub region under the Northern Uganda Diocese, Bukedi, Karamoja and Lango sub-regions have already made their way to the memorial grounds. According to Omona security at the memorial grounds has been heightened to ensure the safety of the pilgrims and guests who will attend the memorial prayers. The Kitgum Diocese care taker Bishop John Charles Odur Kami said this years commemoration has been drawn from the book of Isaiah Chapter 43:18-19. He noted that the commemoration will be to celebrate St Janani Luwums life and legacy but not a day of mourning. We are not going to mourn St Janani Luwum, we are going to celebrate his life. He has done some of the amazing things for this country that few others did, he liberated our country through his sacrifice, he said. The party Nur Otan is ready for cooperation and interaction with the Communist Party of China in various directions. The perspectives of the Kazakh-Chinese inter-party dialogue were discussed at the meeting of first deputy chairman of the party Maulen Ashimbayev with China's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kazakhstan Zhang Hanhui, the party's press service said. According to Ashimbayev, the friendship between our peoples and our leaders - President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Chairman of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping - is a powerful foundation and basis of cooperation between the two parties and the two countries. "Kazakhstan is very pleased with China's successes, and also highly appraises the results of the 19th Congress of the Communist Party, which determined a new course for the development of the country," says the statement on Friday. Kazakhstan is interested in further strengthening of interaction with China, the initiative of the Economic belt of the Silk Road provides a good basis for the development of our relations in the next decade. There are many areas where our interests coincide: this is trade, the creation of joint productions, related to the supply of Kazakh agricultural products to China, I think that in the coming years the relations between Kazakhstan and China in the sphere of economy will only deepen and expand," the first deputy chairman of Nur Otan, whose words are given in the information. In the sphere of development of inter-party dialogue, Astana and Beijing also managed to achieve certain results. Ashimbayev stressed the need for systematic cooperation with Chinese colleagues on the party line. He outlined interests in sharing experience in matters of party building, in the field of consultations on international issues, participation in forums and conferences on topical issues. In addition, the party Nur Otan and the Communist Party of China could together help state bodies implement major joint strategic projects, in particular such as "One belt, one road". We are open for dialogue and cooperation, I look forward to very intensive contacts at all levels, at the level of the party leadership, at the level of the central apparatus, and at the regional level. I believe that it is very symbolic that my first international meeting is with the representative of the People's Republic of China," says Ashimbayev. The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of China to Kazakhstan, in turn, stressed the deep and strategic level of relations between our countries, expressing confidence in the readiness of the Chinese side to develop this dialogue at the level of leading political parties. "We support cooperation between the Nur Otan party and the Communist Party of China. We have great opportunities for interaction, for example, we could work together to train high-quality party cadres, we have a good party school. In general, there are tangible results in the work of Nur Otan. The ruling party is the basis of state governance, further development of the country, as well as maintaining stability in the state," the diplomat stressed. This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today. When citing our content a hyperlink to this Kazakhstan Today website is obligatory. Broward County Sheriff(PARKLAND, Fla.) -- Authorities are still digging for clues to why a Florida teen allegedly opened fire at his former high school on Wednesday, killing 17 people. Family members, classmates and former friends described suspect Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student, as a troubled teen who was largely alone in the world when he allegedly stormed through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, carrying an AR-15 rifle and multiple magazines. He was able to leave the school after the shooting by blending in with other students who were trying to escape, but he was apprehended shortly thereafter. He has been answering questions from investigators working on the case. Some questions about Cruzs possible ties to a hate group are under investigation, according to Broward County sheriff Scott Israel. Its not confirmed at this time. Were looking into that, Israel said. The Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights watchdog group, reported earlier today that they have information they believe to be credible linking Cruz to a white supremacist group called Republic of Florida. They reported that the groups leader, Jordan Jereb, confirmed that Cruz had attended one or more training exercises run by ROF. Another group that monitors hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center, released a statement to ABC News saying that "we cannot confirm the link between Cruz and the ROF," and raised questions about motives, saying the group seeks publicity. What is known about Cruzs background is family life mired in tragedy. Cruz was adopted as an infant, but he had been living with the family of a classmate after the sudden death of his adoptive mother late last year. His adoptive father died in 2005. In an interview with ABC News George Stephanopoulos, an attorney for the family that had taken Cruz in for the past few months said Cruz was depressed following his mothers death but he had been going to therapy. The family is still shocked, he said, that Cruz would allegedly engage in mass violence. They indicated they saw nothing like this coming, Lewis said. They never saw any anger, no bad feelings about the school. They were aware that Cruz was in possession of a military-style assault weapon, he said, which two law enforcement officials told ABC News was legally purchased by Cruz within the past year from a federally licensed dealer. They insisted that it be locked in a safe. He brought it into the home and it was in a locked gun safe, Lewis said. That was the condition when he came into their home that the gun was locked away. Cruzs former classmates, however, were less surprised. A student who told ABC News that he participated in Junior ROTC with Cruz described him as a psycho. Cruz was a well-known weapons enthusiast, the student said, who once tried to sell knives to a classmate. Another student told ABC News that before Cruz was expelled from the school he was barred from carrying a backpack on campus. The classmate said the rule was put in place after the school found bullet casings in his bag after a fight with another student. One student said Cruz even once threatened to shoot up the school. "About a year ago I saw him upset in the morning," student Brent Black told ABC News. "And I was like, 'Yo, whats wrong with you?' And he was like, 'Umm, dont know.' And I was like, 'Whats up with you?' He's like, 'I swear to God I'll shoot up this school.' And then I was like, 'Watch what youre saying around me,' and then I just left him after that. He came up to me later on the day and apologized for what he said." On Thursday, the FBI issued a statement saying that it was alerted in 2017 to a threat on YouTube by someone who said, I am going to be a school shooter. "In September 2017, the FBI received information about a comment made on a YouTube channel. The comment said, Im going to be a professional school shooter. No other information was included in the comment which would indicate a particular time, location, or the true identity of the person who posted the comment. The FBI conducted database reviews and other checks, but was unable to further identify the person who posted the comment." According to Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, investigators have already found some disturbing content on social media that could have provided warning signs. We have already begun to dissect his websites and things on social media that he was on, and some of the things that have come to mind are very, very disturbing, Israel said. The photos posted on an Instagram account law enforcement sources tell ABC News belongs to the suspected shooter shows a young man displaying an arsenal of weapons. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. LAHAINA The Island Gents-Gentlemen By Choice (IG-GBC) curriculum is a proven success on the West Side. As a matter of fact, the GBC Community Development Corp. nonprofit has been on the fast track since it was founded on the Mainland in 2013, with multi-chapters now installed in Nevada, Washington and Hawaii. Its co-founder, Richard Jack, a transplant from Las Vegas, landed on Maui in 2015, joining the Princess Nahienaena Elementary School staff as one of its two counselors. With the support of then-principal Lynn Kahoohalahala, the first on-island IG-GBC course opened its doors on campus that same year. A retired Air Force man on a mission, Jack had goals to see chapters installed at schools from the top of Lahainaluna Road down to Front Street. It didnt take long for the concept to catch on and progress up the hill to Lahainaluna High School, offering the boarders a seven-week leadership development course at the start of the school year in 2017. Not a person to rest on his laurels or anything, Jacks vision is all-inclusive, and the Island Gents program has expanded to Lahaina Intermediate School with lessons commencing Feb. 22 for 12 weeks on Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. The course, open to 25 middle school age young men, focuses on Leadership, Image, Financial Management and Etiquette (L.I.F.E.) training. According to the GBC website (mailto:info@gentlementbychoicecdc.com>info@gentlementbychoicecdc.com), These basic L.I.F.E. skills are essential for proper growth and development and are aligned with the organizations classroom to boardroom philosophy. The premise of the program is that you have to set the example of what you want these students to become by being professional gentlemen, Jack explained. To this end, volunteers from the community join Jack in the classroom as experts in their fields. Born on Oahu, Brandon J. Maeda has served as The Westin Complex director of food & beverage for the past three-and-a-half years. He is an Island Gent mentor, and The Westin is a benefactor. He is a devoted advocate of Jacks mission along with his philanthropic employer. This program allows professionals in the community to connect with our local youth at a critical age when we can make a lasting impression on their future. We hope to serve as positive role models for them and instill values and skills that will help them to be successful contributing members of the community as they grow in to young adults. I assist, Maeda continued, with speaking to the students about dining etiquette and other developmental topics, and we host a lunch at The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas and The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas for the students to practice their etiquette skills and training. Lee Otaguro is director of human resources at the Sheraton Maui. Sheraton Maui, Otaguro said, hosts the annual Black Tie Gala for the GBC program at the end of each year. Sheraton Maui has also sent guest speakers to speak to the gentlemen in the program about various topics, including leadership, accountability and attitude. I think any school for any grade level would benefit from this program, Otaguro observed. Unfortunately, there arent enough people like Mr. Richard Jack to go around. Ive seen Mr. Richard Jack have a tremendous impact on kids ranging from fourth grade through high school. He truly has an impact that you can clearly see. I think Lahaina Intermediate is incredibly fortunate to have this program at their school. Otaguro is not only a mentor-speaker-favorite fan he also serves on the GBC Maui Chapter Advisory Board along with Maeda; Jeri Dean, Lahainaluna High School vice principal; Annette Davis, Kaanapali Ocean Resorts Complex human resources director; Lei Gonzales, human resources director the Hyatt Regency Maui; and Angie Berkey, Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua human resources director. Jacks peers also support the enrichment training. Lindsay Ball is the Department of Education complex area superintendent for Hana, Lahaina, Lanai and Molokai. Gentlemen by Choice after school program at LIS will allow students to be exposed to positive roles, Ball said. Gentlemen by Choice is a good character education, helping students understand their responsibilities, how to conduct themselves in appropriate ways to interact with others. LIS Principal Stacy Bookland is of like mind: Students that are selected for this program will have the opportunity to experience much more than the academic education. They will have the opportunity to improve self-image and work with positive role models in our own backyard. They will get a taste of financial management and etiquette skills. This program provides valuable life skills to help set our Lahaina keiki up for success. Bookland was more specific. I believe in this program, because I have witnessed firsthand the positive effects with the young men and women. Those students who had the opportunity at Princess Nahienaena Elementary School are now our Sons and Daughters (LIS vision statement). Middle school students, Bookland added, are experiencing their second largest growth spurt. They are learning who they are and (what they) want to become as adults, so this is the key time to offer such a program. Otaguro left the Lahaina News with this impression, a quote from W. Hodding Carter II, a Pulitzer Prize winner born in 1907: There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings. With the support from the IG-GBC opportunity, educators, mentors, community members and local businesses, our keiki have been given a flying start. Jack is seeking like-minded, community-driven support. He has dreams: I would like to see this program grow from the high school all the way down to King Kamehameha III Elementary School. In addition to people visiting our Facebook page Island Ladies/Gentlemen, they can also reach me directly at Richard.Jack@gentlemenbychoice.org, he concluded. 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(5) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (6) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (5) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (2) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (2) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (2) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (2) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (2) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (2) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (2) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (2) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (2) Jul 03 (2) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (2) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (2) Jun 15 (2) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (2) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (7) May 16 (2) May 15 (3) May 14 (4) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (3) May 08 (2) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (1) May 04 (2) May 03 (4) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (1) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (1) Mar 07 (1) Mar 04 (2) Mar 02 (2) Feb 28 (1) Feb 24 (1) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (2) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (5) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (1) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (3) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (5) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 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(1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 21 (1) Mar 20 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (1) Mar 14 (2) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (1) Mar 04 (1) Mar 03 (2) Mar 02 (2) Mar 01 (2) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (1) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 23 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (1) Feb 02 (1) Jan 31 (1) Jan 22 (1) Jan 18 (1) Jan 16 (1) Jan 09 (1) Jan 01 (1) Dec 20 (2) Dec 15 (1) Dec 13 (1) Dec 11 (1) Nov 30 (1) Nov 27 (1) Nov 20 (1) Nov 11 (1) Nov 10 (1) Oct 23 (1) Oct 20 (1) Oct 01 (1) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (1) Sep 24 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 02 (2) Aug 31 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (2) Aug 24 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (1) Aug 18 (3) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 11 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 03 (1) Jul 27 (1) Jul 26 (1) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jul 21 (1) Jul 19 (1) Jul 15 (1) Jul 14 (1) Jul 13 (3) Jul 10 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jul 03 (1) Jul 01 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 18 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (2) Jun 11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) DMCI Homes recently launched the second building of its Infina Towers development along Aurora Boulevard in Project 3, Located across the LRT 2 Anonas Station, Infina Towers offers a good set up for startup families with easy access to educational institutions such as University of the Philippines-Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University, as well as businesses in nearby Araneta Center in Cubao area. The South Tower, with a mix of two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, started selling last month. The units with a gross floor area ranging from 52.50 to 81.50 square meters, are priced at P5.08 million onwards. Residents can use an array of resort-inspired amenities such as lounge areas (Seen here), snack bar, game area, fitness gym, audio-visual room and sky lounge, among others. Infina Towers North and South Towers will be turned over in 2021 and 2022, respectively. One hundred thirteen (113) Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) arrived from Kuwait today. They flew back home on board Philippine Airlines Flight 669. The plane landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at about 10 am. Officials of government agencies who were on hand to welcome the OFWs at the airport promised the workers will be given financial assistance. 2,229 OFWs in Kuwait want to be repatriated but only 1,754 have been given clearance to leave the gulf state under its amnesty program. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano was among the government officials at the airport. He said the Philippine government hopes Kuwait's amnesty program will be extended to three more months.Cayetano said the relations between the Philippines and Kuwait are going through rough times. "We are going through a rocky period," he explained. The Philippines is seeking improvement in the treatment of OFWs in Kuwait. This is amid reports of several abuses that OFWs suffered in the hands of their employers. Cayetano is hoping for concrete commitments and resolutions from Kuwaiti government. SYDNEYAustralias parliamentary sex scandal opened a rift in the governing coalition on Friday as deputy leader Barnaby Joyce described Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as inept for criticizing his affair with an aide. Joyce, 50, whose National Party rules alongside Turnbulls Liberals, admitted last week to having an affair with his 33-year-old media adviser, who is pregnant with their child. Turnbull on Thursday harshly admonished Joyce for making a shocking error of judgment for the affair and said he had created a world of woe for his wife, four daughters and lover Vikki Campion. Turnbull, head of the Liberal Party, acknowledged that he was powerless to remove Joyce, who holds the deputy position as leader of smaller National Party on which he relies to govern. He instead announced that a formal ban on sexual relations between cabinet members and their staff would be added to the ministerial code of conduct. Joyce hit back in a defiant press conference in Canberra Friday, refusing to resign and accusing Turnbull of interfering with internal National Party affairs. He blasted the PMs comments as inept, unnecessary and causing further harm. I dont believe people should be resigning in any job over personal issues, Joyce added. In any workplace in Australia, when personal issues become the determination of a job, then I think weve moved to a very sad place, he said. He also batted away revelations he accepted a rent-free apartment from a millionaire after his marriage collapsed, saying the accommodation was just a gesture of support from a friend.Daily media headlines about the affair have riveted the public and sparked debate about workplace culture in Australia amid the global #MeToo movement against sexual harassment. But it has also highlighted the perilous state of the coalition government, which just a few months ago survived a crisis over lawmakers dual citizenship that threatened its wafer-thin parliamentary majority. The Labor opposition has capitalized on the ructions, with leader Bill Shorten on Friday calling for Turnbull to sack Joyce. This government is in crisis. It is a full-blown political crisis, Shorten told reporters, adding that the spat showed neither man was fit for the high office they currently hold. The citizenship crisis had capped a decade of turmoil for Australian politics that saw a revolving door of prime ministers. Labors Kevin Rudd, who came to power in 2007, was ousted as prime minister by his deputy Julia Gillard, before snatching back the top job in 2013. He lost the national election in the same year to the Liberals Tony Abbott, who was then deposed by rival Turnbull in 2015. KUALA LUMPURMalaysia has apologized after a government ad in Chinese-language newspapers featuring a picture of a barking rooster to mark the Year of the Dog sparked a flood of mockery. The full-page advert by the domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism ministry showed a rooster emitting the word wang, used to represent a dogs bark in Mandarin. The advert, printed in Chinese-language newspapers in the multi-ethnic country on Thursday, also carried a message welcoming a prosperous Year of the Dog. Chinese New Year is being celebrated across Asia, marking the start of the Year of the Dog and the end of the Year of the Rooster. Ethnic Chinese are a substantial minority in mostly Muslim Malaysia, making up about a quarter of the population. The ad sparked mockery online. While some lambasted the government for what they saw as a picture mix-up, others thought it was a cack-handed attempt to avoid using a dog image as the animals are considered unclean in Islam. It reflects nothing but mere stupidity, said Facebook user Tony Yeo.Another user said the ad was a national embarrassment and accused authorities of seeking to avoid using a canine picture: There is nothing wrong with using the dog image as its a Chinese Zodiac animal. The ministry issued an apology late Thursday and said a technical error was behind the mistake, without saying how they had intended the ad to appear. We deeply regret any inconvenience, said a statement from spokesman Luqman Hakim Abd Malik. Images of barking canines are commonly used to mark the start of Year of the Dog, as the word wang also translates as prosperity in Mandarin. But stores and shopping malls in Malaysia have shied away from prominently displaying dog imagery this year for fear of causing offense, at a time of growing concern about Islamic conservatism. Posted Friday, February 16, 2018 3:00 am While Fordland doesnt have a chamber of commerce, Rogersville does, and Fordland Clinic CEO Joan Twiton said she felt fortunate the community health center gets to be a member of the organization. That fortunate feeling had to be amplified when Fordland Clinic was named the 2017 Business of the Year by the Rogersville Area Chamber of Commerce. The annual award is voted on by chamber members and Twiton said she was informed a few months ago by board member Jennifer Piland that the clinic was one of the award nominees. Piland serves as Fordland Clinics marketing coordinator. It was real exciting, Twiton said about the clinic receiving the award at the chambers annual Christmas party. Something local like that is so fun. Even though this time of year is typically busier than normal, with the flu, colds and other ailments sending patients to the clinic, Twiton said the nonprofit health facility that offers medical, dental and mental health services sees plenty of visitors year round. She marveled how a town of a few hundred residents could generate so much business, as more than 5,000 patients are served by the clinic annually. She said patients largely come from the Highway 60 corridor, with Seymour making up the most visitors, followed by Fordland residents. The majority of our patients who are uninsured qualify for our nominal rate, which on the medical side is a flat $25 fee for an office visit, Twiton said. Accommodation of so many patients was made a lot easier with the completion of a two-phase expansion in 2016, that added more than 4,200 square feet of space to the back end of the original 4,800-square-foot facility, Twiton said. Two rooms were added to the dental side of the clinic for use by spring 2015, with additional medical rooms and an administration wing completed by June 2016. If not for the expansion, Twiton said, we never would have been able to expand to three providers and be able to accommodate the patients. It was funded through the Missouri Department of Economic Development Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP). A phase-three expansion project is in the planning for the future at the clinic, which also opened a location in Kimberling City in 2012. However, Twiton said funding options are still being considered for the work that would ultimately expand the front portions waiting area. Theres not a lot of space, Twiton said. We end up with a lot of traffic in one central area in the front with patients coming to check in, patients checking out, patients paying their co-pay, patients scheduling their appointments. She added providing more space for billing is also under consideration. So were looking for funding to be able to expand that area ... and to also allow more of a separation for those who are coming in on the dental side and feeling fine from those who may be coming in with a bad cough, she continued. They dont want to be sitting right next to them. NAP funding might not be an option for this phase, as Twiton said the clinic might not qualify. Funds are awarded for service expansion, and even though this would be adding more space for patients, its not adding actual dental or medical rooms for them. She said in the event NAP funds are not in cards, the clinic is always on the lookout for grants and other sources. Twiton, who has been at the clinic since 2001, said the high number of patients they see doesnt mean theyre a household name to everyone who walks through the door. We still find people who come in and have no idea, for one thing, that we offer so much. They dont know all the services we have, she said about the clinic, which marked its 20-year anniversary in 2016. The Fordland location is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 417-767-2273 or visit www.fordlandclnic.org. Posted Friday, February 16, 2018 5:30 am To the editor, Once again, the mainstream media has used a thinly veiled portrayal depicting those who are against illegal immigration in this country the majority of Americans as nothing more than uneducated, redneck bigots. Im referring to the editorial cartoon that appeared in the Feb. 7 edition of The Marshfield Mail. The truth is, the list of wonderful attributes associated with the illegal immigrant in the cartoon also perfectly describes many of us who are against illegal immigration in this country, but you would never know it by the mainstream media. The mainstream media would have us believe that all illegal immigrants are upstanding role-model citizens who just need a hand up. This may be true of some, but others who break our laws by sneaking over our borders are murderers, rapists, child molesters, gang members, thieves, drug dealers, addicts, anti-American, freeloaders and other assorted felons. These are the ones that mainstream media ignores completely or downplays because it does not fit their agenda. You might say that this list could also describe some Americans, and yes, it does. That is exactly why we do not need additional social deviants and malcontents sneaking over our borders from other countries. Its time the mainstream media realizes that those who are against illegal immigration are not uneducated, redneck bigots. What we are is everyday American citizens concerned about the future of this great country of ours. Russ Kracman, Marshfield Emirates cargo service has been mobilized to move the countrys third locally made satellite to South Koreas Incheon International airport for a planned launch. Satellite, KhalifaSat, manufactured at Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, was shipped Thursday aboard Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777 freighter to Seoul airport. The project started five years ago following the launch of Dubai-1 and Dubai-2. KhalifaSat is designed by Emirati engineers. It will be launched this year and placed in a low earth orbit of about 613 kilometres. It will provide detailed images of earth that can be used in several industries, local media say. It took three months for the space agency and Emirates to fly the satellite. Both entities conducted trial loading exercises ahead of the transportation due to sensitivity of the shipment as they wanted to ensure no harm is caused to the satellite. Police escort was assigned to the shipment from the Space Centre facility to freighter cargo terminal in Dubai airport. The UN expressed concern over the return of normal life in Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, citing the presence of thousands of mines in the wake of the defeat of the Islamic State group (IS). For Pehr Lodhammar, program director at the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), life after IS could take more than a decade. Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, the UN expert explained that it could take more than a decade to de-mine totally the city despite ongoing efforts to clear the former IS stronghold of un-exploded bombs. Lodhammar told reporters that two thirds of the explosive materials are believed to be buried in rubble, adding that the campaign to win back the city will be long for the terror group left 11 million tons of debris. Our estimations indicate that it will take more than a decade to clear western Mosul. The density and complexity of the explosive materials will not allow this clearance to be completed within months or even years, he said. We have noticed munitions that have been dropped from the air, bombs weighing 500 pounds have also been dropped, penetrating the ground for a distance of 15 meters or more. Just taking out one of them takes days and sometimes weeks. Baghdad in December declared victory over IS following three years of intense fighting. The national forces, backed by international coalition and Iran-backed militias, finally drove out the jihadists. It is reported that close to 1,000 IS fighters are still roaming about in the are. The UN demining agency reportedly removed last year 45,000 explosive materials and 750 improvised explosive devices throughout Iraq, including more than 25,000 in western Mosul alone. The Iraqi government Wednesday received pledges of $30 billion for the countrys reconstruction. The sum is however far below the nearly $90 billion needed for the reconstruction plan. Egypts armed forces have killed about 53 Islamist militants and arrested 680 suspects in a week-long offensive in Sinai Peninsula, Reuters reported. The massive raids came three months after an attack by militants on a mosque in Sinai killed more than 300 people. The massacre was the bloodiest of the present Islamist war against the government of Cairo. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is seeking re-election in March, has given three months to the military to defeat the militants. The security operation, which involves the army, navy, air force and police, targets terrorist and criminal elements and organizations in north and central Sinai. According to Colonel Tamer al-Rifa, the armed forces have destroyed over 1000 kg of explosives, 378 militant hideouts and weapon storage facilities including a media center used by the militants, Reuters reported. Major General Yasser Abdel Aziz of the Military Operations Authority said the operation would end when Sinai was free of terrorists. The Egyptian military said the operation also covers parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert. Sinai Province, a group previously known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis swore allegiance to IS in 2014. Since then, it launched deadly attacks on army and police checkpoints. South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on Thursday resigned as ambassador for Oxfam citing a sex scandal involving staff of the British aid agency in Haiti. The Nobel Peace laureate, in a statement released on Thursday, said he is deeply disappointed by allegations of immorality and possible criminality involving humanitarian workers linked to the charity. The allegations would tarnish the good work achieved by many thousands of people working for Oxfam, he said. The Times newspaper reported last week that some Oxfam staff paid for sex with prostitutes in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. According to the report, a survey of 120 staff across three countries found between 11% and 14% witnessed or experienced sexual assault. Seven percent of staff in South Sudan witnessed or experienced rape or attempted rape involving colleagues. The scandal has led Oxfams chief executive Mark Goldring to resign just hours after his deputy, over the scandal, AFP reported. British actress Minnie Driver and Senegalese musician Baaba Maal also quitted as celebrity ambassadors for Oxfam. Desmond Tutu the first black Archbishop of Cape Town was an anti-apartheid icon in South Africa, campaigning against white minority rule. He announced his retirement from public life in 2011 but has still traveled widely and made public appearances. Hailemariam Desalegn, on Thursday, resigned as Ethiopias Prime Minister and chairman of the ruling coalition, State run media Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reported. Desalegn submitted his resignation letter to the House of Peoples Representatives, FBC said. The ruling coalition accepted the resignation but tasked Desalegn to continue in the role until a successor is named. A statement from the Ethiopian Embassy in the United Kingdom said the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was due to hold a Congress at which Desalegns successor will be named. The resignation comes as the country struggles to contain a political crisis with unrest in the restive Oromia region. Earlier this year, Desalegn-led government announced the release of 2,345 prisoners, who were sent to jail following the 2015 and 2016 protests in the Oromia region. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn then announced that political prisoners would be released to build a national consensus and to widen the democratic space. Journalist Eskinder Nega and opposition leader Andualem Arage walked free on Wednesday (February 14). A day earlier, Bekele Gerba of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) was set free. They are the most prominent political prisoners to be freed this week. Rights watchdog Amnesty International, which had been campaigning for the release of the prisoners, appealed to the government to change its method of dealing with political critics. Company Makes Explanations over Expired Products in Kindergartens By Tea Mariamidze LTD Nil, which supplies Tbilisi state kindergartens with products, has made explanations over the recent allegations from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), saying Nil supplied kindergartens with expired salmon.Nil released a statement, claiming they meet all standards and note the recent developments around the company are the result of false and ungrounded accusations from some interested people."Our company has been working on the Georgian market since 2005 and has gained recognition and prizes during the 13-year period. The company is the leader of the industry and the false accusations over improper quality are aimed only at discrediting us, the statement reads.Nil assures the products they take to kindergartens undergo proper laboratory tests every month and are safe for children.We guarantee that the products of Nil are of the highest quality, the company added.The allegations towards the company started three days ago, when the NGOs claimed the Salmon fillet, provided to the kindergartens by Nil LTD, was expired.The NGOs added the labeling said the fish was refrozen, which intensified dissatisfaction.Inga Kalandadze, the leader of the NGO Preschool children Our Future, stated not only Nils ,but the principals of the kindergartens as well should be held responsible, adding they knew that fish was expired but still let the children eat it.Chairman of Georgian Customers Federation, Madona Koidze explains that it is unacceptable to feed children with refrozen products, especially meat and fish.When you defrost products and then refreeze them, the amount of microbes increases and the product is no longer suitable for eating, she underlined.Furthermore, the NGOs added that LTD Nil sent new labels to kindergartens, and asked the principals to replace old labels with the new ones - which said the fish was fresh. The principals did not confirm to media that they were instructed by the company to replace the labels.Sandro Kuloshvili, representative of Nil, said the fillet was not expired, and that the frozen fish that had a two-year term was exported from the USA in August 2017All the products had proper labeling and this misunderstanding is the part of a deliberate campaign against our company, he added.The issue of allegedly expired products was the subject of discussions at Tbilisi City Council session on February 9. The opposition parties demanded proper explanations from the Mayors office over the issue.Deputy Tbilisi Mayor, Ilia Eloshvili, stated that all the products, supplied to Tbilisi kindergartens are fresh and not dangerous.It was just a misunderstanding. The company forgot to attach proper labeling to the products and the statements made in this regard are speculations, Eloshvili stressed.There are around 61,000 children in Tbilisi state kindergartens at present. Kvirikashvili: Orthodox Church as a Tool to Maintain the National Identity By Vladimer Napetvaridze International Conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the restoration autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Georgia took place in the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel Tbilisi on February 12. The The event was attended by the representatives of the Government as well as the representatives of the patriarchate authorities.Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili spoke about the role of the Church in the improvement of the mental condition of citizens: "It is very important that citizens have hope for future. It does not only depend on economic and living conditions. Spiritual hopelessness is much more difficult. The church aims at easing this condition for people-stated Margvelashvili.Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili emphasized the role of the Church in the process of maintaining the Georgian identity: "For 15 centuries, the Georgian church has been a spiritual leader of the nation. It was the reason why Russian empire struck against its autocephaly. The imperial regime tried to weaken the church, collapse the power of the nation and to question its national identity. Fortunately, our ancestors had the greatest strength to fight this war and after 100 years restore autocephaly of the church, which has played a turning point in the nation's consciousness," said the Prime Minister.Georgia's Orthodox Church has been one of the main targets of foreign invaders. According to the decision of Emperor Alexander I, in 1811, the Church of Georgia was deprived of autocephaly and was subordinated to the Russian Church. The Patriarch Anton II was exiled. In the begging of the 19th century, Georgia lost both secular and clerical self-government.It took more than a century for the Georgian Church to restore its autocephaly. On March 12, 1917, Georgian clergy received a document of the restoration of autocephaly of the Georgian Church.Despite the restoration of autocephaly, the struggle against the Orthodox Church continued. In 1918 the Patriarch Kirion II was killed in Martkopi Monastery.The second elected Patriarch Leonide, died in June 1921, several months after Georgia lost its independence. The next patriarch Kalistrate was the supporter of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and against the Soviet power.In 1922, at the conference in Geneva, he demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.The Soviet Court sentenced the Patriarch to seven years of imprisonment. He was put in Metekhi prison. Kalistrate was released from the prison due to his poor health, and died shortly after his release.The orthodox church did not recognize the governance of the Soviet power for seven years. Therefore, the struggle against the Orthodox Church was intensifying. The Soviet government was destroying churches and arresting priests. Finally, the Patriarch Kristopher recognized the governance of the Soviet authorities and thus saved the Orthodox Church, although this decision led to great disappointment and frustration in society.The Georgian Church declared loyalty towards the Soviet governance. However, the struggle against the Autocephaly of Orthodox Church has not stopped. In the state where the largest part of the population was Orthodox Christian, the Soviet government was confronting the elements that define nations identity, such as religion, language and history.The Orthodox Church plays a major role in formulating the public opinion. According to the survey held by the National Democratic Institute, 94% of respondents expressed their respect towards the patriarch of Georgia. The News in Brief Georgia and Cyprus to deepen cooperation in education Costas Kadis and Mikheil Chkhenkeli signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Minister of Education and Culture of Cyprus, Costas Kadis paid an official visit to Tbilisi and together with the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the fields of Education and Culture. The deal envisages cooperation and establishment of direct contacts between Cyprus's higher education institutions and educational and research institutes of Georgia. It also intends to facilitate the introduction and expansion of exchange programs for academic personnel, researchers and students, Georgias Education Ministry reports. Kadis introduced Chkhenkeli to an educational-environmental project successfully implemented in Cyprus. Within the program, students receive significant education on environmental issues and are encouraged to apply their knowledge to environmental activities. The Minister will visit the Tbilisi State University and the Institute of Classical, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. Health Ministry Announces New Study on Lead in Food Georgia's Minister of Health, Labor, and Social Affairs, David Sergeenko spoke about the lead content in food and environment during the most recent Parliament committee hearing. The Minister stated that his body planned to carry out a new study with UNICEF to specify the current situation in terms of lead content in Georgian food and the countrys environment. Sergeenko referred to the the study conducted by the World Health Organization in 2016, reading that none of the countries feel completely safe from negative influences of lead. Sergeenko explained that lead preserves its damaging features for centuries. He also noted that during the previous government session, the decision was made to control the sale of spices, as they contained lead. "Sometimes, unfortunately, in order to produce some products, household paintings are often used and this paint has a high content of lead, Sergeenko stated. Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bones, damages the nervous system, and causes blood disorders. It is particularly problematic in children: even if blood levels are promptly normalized with treatment, permanent brain damage may result. (Prepared by Mariam Chanishvili) @alextdaugherty Three of the four Republicans who represent Miami-Dade County in Washington received at least $2,000 from the National Rifle Association during the 2016 campaign, according to campaign finance records from the Center for Responsive Politics. Sen. Marco Rubio, who was in the midst of a reelection campaign against former Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, received $9,900 during the 2016 campaign. That total was the largest amount the NRA gave to any Florida lawmaker in Congress. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who won an expensive reelection bid against former Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia, received $2,500 while Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart received $2,000. Diaz-Balart is also the single largest recipient of NRA cash among Floridians in Congress since 1998, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. Diaz-Balart has received $26,450, according to the Post. The National Rifle Association is facing pressure from Democrats and anti-gun activists in the wake of a mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 59 people dead and over 500 people injured after a lone gunman fired on an outdoor concert from a high-rise hotel. An NRA-backed bill that would make it easier to obtain gun silencers is facing fresh opposition after law enforcement officers in Las Vegas said that tracking the sounds of the shooting allowed them to find the gunman faster. None of the Miami lawmakers are cosponsors on that bill. Critics of the nation's largest gun lobby argue that the NRA blocks sensible measures in Congress that would reduce the chances of a mass shooting. In the 2016 cycle, the NRA contributed $839,215 to federal candidates nationwide and the Post reports that the NRA gave over $3.5 million to members of Congress since 1998. The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Rubio, Curbelo and Diaz-Balart's campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment. iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- The Republican and Democratic candidates running to represent southwest Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District are in a virtual dead-heat with less than a month to go before the highly anticipated March special election and with President Donald Trump's aura looming over the race. A new poll conducted by Monmouth University found Republican Rick Saccone garnering the support of 49 percent of respondents, compared to 46 percent for Democrat Conor Lamb, well within the 5.5 percent margin of error in the poll of likely voters. The survey could serve as a shot of momentum for Lamb, whose campaign faces the daunting task of flipping the deep-red district that favored Trump over Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 points in 2016 and where former GOP Rep. Tim Murphy ran unopposed in his last two races. The seat, which came open when Murphy resigned in October amid a sex scandal, has since been eyed by some ambitious Democrats who believe that momentum from the party's electoral victories in 2017 including Sen. Doug Jones' improbable triumph in Alabama's special Senate election in December would carry into 2018 and eventually the November midterm elections. The Monmouth poll, released Thursday, drew upon what it described as a "surge model" featuring turnout "similar to voting patterns seen in other special elections over the past year." In additional models that weighted responses based on turnout lower than the 2014 midterms and based on turnout at presidential election levels, the Saccone-Lamb split changes to 50-45 and 48-44, respectively, still within the poll's margin of error. According to Monmouth, likely Democratic voters are far more engaged than their Republican counterparts, with 48 percent of the Democrats responding that they are following the election "closely," compared to 26 percent of Republicans. Such interest, which is usually a key contributor to an election's turnout, has adversely affected Saccone, a fourth term state representative, in the poll. "If all potential voters were likely to cast a ballot next month, Saccone would hold an even larger lead of 48 percent to 41 percent over Lamb in the current poll," Monmouth noted in a press release accompanying the results. Approval of Trump's presidency slightly outpaces disapproval among the district's likely voters. 51 percent said they approved of the president, versus 48 percent registering disapproval a more positive result than the majority of recent national polls conducted on the topic. Some 84 percent of the 320 likely voters surveyed by Monmouth said it was important that they cast a vote for Congress to show support for or opposition to Trump. The president was scheduled to travel to Ambridge, Pennsylvania just outside of the 18th district next week for a campaign rally where it was likely that he would have stumped for Saccone, but the trip was postponed Thursday afternoon out of respect for the victims and survivors of Wednesday's school shooting in Florida, the Trump campaign said. Though the orignal announcement of the event mentioned neither the special election or the GOP candidate, Trump formally endorsed Saccone in January (a fact known by 58 percent of Monmouth's respondents) and a fundraising email sent by the Trump campaign Thursday said that the president would be in the state "because Saccone is running for Congress." Lamb, a former assistant U.S. attorney and current Marine corps reservist, attracted the support of 64 percent of self-described moderates in the Monmouth poll and holds the edge over Saccone in favorable-unfavorable ratings at 49-31, compared to the Republican's 48-39 split. For many in the district, Lamb's political independence, should he win, is a key factor. Though advertisements from the National Republican Congressional Committee and others have attempted to paint the 33-year-old Democrat as a liberal in the mold of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., -- going so far as to label the candidate one of Pelosi's "sheep," in a play-on-words with his surname -- Lamb has said he would not support Pelosi as the party's leader should he win. However, only 40 percent of the likely voters tallied by Monmouth had heard of Lamb's pledge, though 18 percent said it increases their likelihood of supporting him. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Mount News Center Featuring the extraordinary people, stories, and news of Mount St. Mary's University, America's oldest independent Catholic university. Members of the media looking for information about setting up interviews, finding faculty experts, or gaining access to campus for stories should contact Donna Klinger, Director of Public Relations and Communications, at 301-447-5657 or d.j.klinger@msmary.edu. Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire [] We have lost almost everything we ... TV personality turned Christian Youtube vlogger Grace Msalame is on a mission to try out new things this year. Being her season of trying out new things, the Vivo brand ambassador has acquired a new car. In conjunction with a business entity, Simba Corp, the former Kiss TV presenter is the owner of a brand new Renault Megane. She took the ride for a spin a few days before making the purchase and took to Instagram to sing the cars praises. In my season of trying out new thing, simbacorpke said why not try out the renault megane & My Oh! My! Talk about an experience! Such an exquisite beauty! Sleek & so powerful & if youve been following my insta stories youve seen how Im enjoying the sound system???& the mood lighting is something else? @simbacorpke I think Im sold. Two days later, the mother of two shared another picture in the car and encouraged her followers, writing; God promised He would do a New Thing this year & indeed He is not Man that He should lie! So I urge you to keep your Faith in Him 100% take His Word to the Bank & He will truly surprise you exceedingly abundantly above. On another post, Ms Msalame posed in front of the Sh4.4 Million ride and said, And the Adventure begins #NewSeason #RenaultMoments#IDriveARenault. The saloon car, priced at Sh4.4 million inclusive of Value Added Tax, was introduced into the Kenyan market last September. KTNs Betty Kyallo was among the first to acquire one after hosting its launch last year. Also Read: Betty Kyallo Replaces Johos Sh13 Million Porsche with Sh 4.4 Million Ride If you ever wanted to vibe with Huddah Monroe, heres your chance. The petite beauty is changing her phone number and has challenged those who want it to work hard for it. The self-styled Boss Chick made the revelation through her snap chat where she said that everyone asking for her number will have to go through a test of some sort. To get her number, one will have to will have to explain themselves in 360 words and answer a series of questions. Describing herself as the first female President of Kenya, Huddah joked: Changing my numbers too. Lol! To have my number one must sweat! And explain themselves in 360 words. Who are you, what do you want? Why the fuck should you be in contact with me the First Female President of Kenya? The popular girl-about-town has in the recent past been saying she has had enough of fake people around her and it is time for a clean slate. She has since deleted her Instagram pictures leaving behind three posts about her cosmetics products. Just last month, she revealed why she doesnt date Kenyan men hinting that her countrymen are stingy. I dont date Kenyans. Dont know the last time I was ever with a Kenyan, she said. I consider all Kenyan men my brothersCoz if you cant help my business or my life, then what are we?Siblings. Huddah has also been a strong advocate of women empowerment saying that they should stop depending on men for everything. Worship Services Friday, Feb. 16, 5:30 p.m. for Pre-Oneg Shabbat, followed by Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:30. Be inspired, come to Torah Study Study with Rabbi Niles, Saturday, Feb. 17, 9:30-10:45 a.m. Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., Rabbi/Author Niles Goldstein will be at Napa Bookmine, reading from his book, God at the Edge. March 2, bring the entire family to a celebration of Purim Shabbat at CBS, 5:30-6:30 p.m. 1455 Elm Street, Napa, cbsnapa.org , 253-7305. Sunday service is at 10:15 a.m. Spanish Church begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday school and childcare are available at both services. Our midweek service is at 6:30 on Wednesday nights. There is childcare and childrens activities at this service. Middle school and high school study meets on Wednesday nights, as well, at 6:30 in the Youth Room. 3305 Linda Vista Ave., Napa; 252-2909. cmnv.org . On this first Sunday in Lent, well take a long, hard look at what can sustain us in the days to come. What will nourish us on our Lenten journey? At 10:30 a.m. Interim Pastor the Rev. Lynda Hyland Burris will remind us that Gods Love, Gods Word, and Gods Hope is all we need. God is our daily bread. Rev. Burris and Liturgist, Liz Groelle, will read the text of Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15, and the spirit will descend like a dove. The Covenant Choir, led by Director Mark Teeters, will rejoice in song to I Want Jesus to Walk with Me and Ted Lassagne will accompany on grand piano. 1226 Salvador Avenue cpcnapa.org, facebook.com/cpcnapa. The recall allowing voters to fire elected officials before their terms expire was one aspect of the populist political reform movement that swept through California more than a century ago. The recall, the initiative (direct legislating by voters) and the referendum (empowering voters to overturn newly enacted laws) gave Californians the right to confront, and even bypass, governments deemed to be ineffective and/or corrupt. The three processes were only occasionally used for many decades, but that changed as the states politics became polarized and mercurial during the final years of the 20th century, and even more so in the first decades of the 21st. In the aftermath of Proposition 13, the iconic property tax limit passed by voters in 1978, the initiative became an important political policy tool, eventually eclipsing the traditional legislative process. Writing, qualifying, financing and enacting ballot measures has become a multi-million-dollar industry and this election year will be no different. The referendum has been used more sparingly to overturn laws passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor, but even the threat of a referendum may force legislators to alter legislation before its passed. And then theres the recall, until recently the least-used of the three tools. Two Republican legislators were recalled in the 1990s for helping Democrats retain control of the Assembly but the big one occurred in 2003. Voters tossed out Gov. Gray Davis just a year after he had been elected to a second term and installed action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger as his successor. Davis had bungled two very high-profile situations a state budget deficit and the near-collapse of the states two largest electric utilities but probably would have survived the recall had Schwarzenegger not been on the ballot. This year, voters in two California communities face recall efforts, one aimed at Democratic Sen. Josh Newman in Orange County, the other at Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky. The cases against both are paper thin. The state Republican Party is the chief proponent of the recall effort against Newman, claiming that he betrayed his constituents by voting for a state gas tax increase to raise money for transportation. quote "Were Newman and Persky to be ousted, it could bring more chaos to Californias already fragile structure of governance..." The gas tax is unpopular, to be sure, and could be repealed by one of those pending initiatives this year. However, Newman was only one of the 27 senators who voted for the bill, including one Republican. Newmans real sin is that he captured a Senate seat that Republicans had held for decades and that his win gave Democrats a 27-seat supermajority. In other words, its just a partisan maneuver. That said, neither party has clean hands. Democratic leaders also deserve criticism for making election law changes specifically to help Newman survive. And then theres Judge Persky, who faces recall because he gave a shockingly lenient sentence to Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner six months in jail after Brock was convicted of three felony counts of sexual assault on an incapacitated young woman. The case became symbolic evidence, in the minds of many, that the criminal justice system takes crimes against women too lightly. Perskys decision can be fairly criticized, but, as with Newman, his judicial conduct does not approach the incompetence, neglect or dishonesty that the recall was designed to combat. Were Newman and Persky to be ousted, it could bring more chaos to Californias already fragile structure of governance, declaring open season on any official who happens to do something thats unpopular and encouraging politicians to protect themselves by distorting election laws even more. CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary. The most dramatic news in the years first big round of political polling, out a few days ago, was that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, once the prohibitive leader in the run for governor, has fallen into a virtual tie for first place with former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in the seven-candidate field of significant candidates.Villaraigosa has gained about 10 percentage points in the survey of the Public Policy Institute of California since serious campaigning began at mid-2017, while the former San Francisco Mayor Newsom lost about five points and other candidates showed no significant gains. Thats somewhat ironic in this year of #MeToo revelations of sexual harassment in politics and business, since both ex-mayors have had well-publicized sexual incidents that both say they now deeply regret. The poll findings become more ironic when paired with the details of an almost simultaneous poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies (IGS). That survey, examining two long-Republican Southern California congressional districts that are now in serious play, found a large gender gap thats likely to be duplicated in the other five or six districts where Democrats hope to flip seats in November. These races are vital to the current strong Democratic hopes of retaking control in the House of Representatives for the first time this decade. Republican congressional incumbents are unpopular all over California, found the IGS survey, heir to the polling organization of the longtime, but now defunct, Field Poll. Thats no surprise when the GOP congressional majority steadfastly does President Trumps bidding at a time when his approval rating in the nations largest state sits at just 29 percent. The IGS study concentrated on two very different districts with previously secure Republican incumbents. In the coastal Orange County district of Dana Rohrabacher, who has held the seat 30 years, he gets an approval rating of just 38 percent, while 51 percent of voters there say they are inclined to vote against him, no matter which Democrat he might face this fall. They indicated they are more influenced by national issues than local concerns. Its much the same in the variegated district of Steve Knight, stretching from ultra-suburban Simi Valley in Ventura County through booming Santa Clarita to the high desert area around Palmdale, where Knight was once a city councilman. The two-term congressman gets a mere 37 percent job-approval rating, while 56 percent of his constituent voters say they oppose his reelection.(tncms-inline)b52b17f5-a620-4006-a06b-6b2352d56fce[0](/tncms-inline) Most striking among the components of those big disapprovals is the gender gap. In Rohrabachers district, 59 percent of women voters said they lean toward opposing his reelection, while an almost identical 60 percent of women voters in Knights district say they wont vote for him. Those are huge edges, not easily erased when national Republicans, including Trump, strongly oppose abortion and the environmental and workplace safety and fairness issues generally favored by women. And when Trump refuses to condemn former White House staffer accused of domestic abuse. While Rohrabacher voted against Trumps tax changes, which set a $10,000 cap on what individuals or couples can deduct for state and local taxes (well below the amount of property tax paid by many residents of both districts), Knight is paying for backing that bill. About 32 percent of voters most of them women said that vote inclined them to oppose him. Meanwhile, Rohrabachers disapproval among women was strengthened by his votes to cripple the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Like other Republicans in contested districts, Rohrabacher and Knight also trail Democratic opponents in fundraising. Theres a strong likelihood these poll findings on Knight and Rohrabacher come close to matching the feelings in several other districts. Said IGS poll director Mark DiCamillo, the former Field Poll chief, Republicans should be worried about the effect Trump is having on California. Theres an undercurrent that whats happening in Washington is negatively affecting California. His survey suggests its a strong tide, not merely an undercurrent. And the strongest component is the firm anti-Republican sentiment Trump has aroused among women voters in this state who will also help decide the futures of Newsom and Villaraigosa. The surveyfound a large gender gap thats likely to be duplicated in other districts where Democrats hope to flip seats. Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It. California lawmakers are rolling out a series of new bills aimed at easing the state's housing crisis by helping renters who face eviction. Assembly Bill 2343 was introduced by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, and co-authored by state Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. If passed, the bill would extend the period of time that tenants have to respond to eviction lawsuits so they can present a legitimate defense. It would also give them more time to pay their rent or comply with other contractual obligations in the lease. Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, is planning to introduce legislation Friday that would extend "just cause" eviction laws like the one already in place in Oakland to the rest of the state, requiring landlords to provide a specific, valid reason before an eviction can take place. Those include failure to pay rent, continuing to damage a rental unit after being provided with a written notice to stop or refusing to pay for the repairs, refusing to re-sign a lease after the old one expires, ongoing disturbances to other tenants and neighbors, if the owner wants to move in or if they want to take it off the rental market through the Ellis Act. This prediction turned out to be incorrect. The pre-1965 trend continued unabated, and by 1985, just 1 legal immigrant in 10 arrived from Europe. As Europeans became wealthier, fewer wanted to relocate, while other nationalities continued to find ways into the family-sponsored system - first through marriage and later through other relations. Nonetheless, the conservatives' theory has merit: Chain migration does act as a conservative force, maintaining the status quo longer than would selecting immigrants solely on market or humanitarian factors. Without "chains," European immigration may have died out even faster than it did. Myth No. 3: One immigrant can bring in many far-flung family members in just a few years. In his State of the Union address, Trump claimed, "Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives." In reality, America's immigration laws strictly limit the types and numbers of family-sponsored immigrants. The laws allow U.S. citizens and legal residents to sponsor only immigrants who are their immediate relatives - spouses, children, siblings and parents - and the spouses and minor children of those immigrants. Affordable and Bordeaux are not two words that typically go hand in hand. Bordeaux is perceived as intimidating, complex and stuffy. First Growth wines can be found for $500 or much, much more and are the wines collectors seek. But what about us mere mortals? Is there affordable Bordeaux for us to drink? Yes, actually there are plenty. But what if I told you one of them came from First Growth producer Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) for less than $50. You might say that is the stuff legends are made of but Legende has made it true. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of only four classified first growths in Bordeaux. The Chateau was purchased by Baron James de Rothschild in 1868 and today is run by Baron Eric de Rothschild, the fifth generation in the family. While the Chateau Lafite Rothschild garners praise and high prices for those who seek it, the family also produces a range of more accessible wines that can be enjoyed every day. These wines were originally called the Reserves des Barons. From the Reserves des Barons and with the idea to offer classic Bordeaux wines that are affordable and can be drunk immediately, the line of Legende was born in 2002 and became available in the U.S. in 2017. Despite the relative paucity of them in the market, white aromatic varietals have a dedicated following, particularly Riesling, which some people consider to be the finest of all white wines. Anderson Valley, a small pocket of Mendocino County off Highway 128 leading to the coast, is cool enough to be one of the most blessed places in North America in which to grow many of the aromatic grapes. It is here that the local industry has long hosted an annual festival dedicated to aromatic grape varieties. This year the event is Feb. 24 in Boonville. Without doubt, Riesling is what draws more people to attend the Anderson Valley Aromatic White Wine Festival than any other. And for those who think Riesling is always a sweet wine, this event proves that notion to be false. One of the wine worlds most interesting recent trends has been the rise in interest of dry Rieslings. Even though most dry Rieslings still have a trace of sugar, what makes them so enticing to consumers is how the sugar usually works with acidity to make for a perfectly balanced wine that can offer not only the flowery aromas of an aromatic wine, but also the faintly earthy (slate, steel, mineral-y) complexity that allows these wines to work with food. BREVARD COUNTY, Florida - A Brevard County teenager suspected of modifying a Snapchat photo depicting a masked gunman with the caption "Round 2 of Florida" so that the threat appeared to be directed towards a Brevard County Public School was arrested on Friday. The original post from South Carolina (above image) went viral across the country due to heightened public emotions as a result of the Florida school shooting that occurred on Ash Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Although the original post and threat was initiated in South Carolina yesterday by a South Carolina teen who was later arrested , the post was allegedly modified by a Canaveral Groves teen last night to make the threat directed against Space Coast Jr/Sr High School in Port St. John, Florida (below image). Brevard County Sheriff's investigators say that they identified a 15-year-old female student at Space Coast Jr/Sr High School as the person who localized threat by adding the text "Im coming space coast, watch out. According to investigators, the Space Coast teen said that she thought it was funny because everyone else was doing it and the reaction it was generating. The student was arrested early Friday morning and charged with Written Threats to Kill or do Bodily Harm. The teenage girl was then transported to the Brevard County Juvenile Detention Center. However, Sheriff Ivey announced later on Friday during a press conference that the judge found no probable cause for the arrest because the threat was a general one rather than one against an individual as required by current Florida statutes. Ivey said that the State Attorney's Office is researching other possible charges to refile against the teen and that she will still be subject to disciplinary actions by Brevard Public Schools. We know our families are concerned, and we are grateful for their vigilance in reporting threatening behavior or social-media posts," said Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Desmond K. Blackburn. "We will continue to work closely with the Brevard Sheriffs Office to protect our children and staff. Our team will keep families informed about their schools as quickly as possible by text, email, social media and recorded phone calls. [February 15, 2018] Vonage Names Ken McMahon Senior Vice President of Client Operations HOLMDEL, N.J., Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage (NYSE: VG), a leader in business cloud communications, has announced the appointment of Ken McMahon in the newly-created position of Senior Vice President of Client Operations. Vonage provides companies with solutions that help make employees more productive and more connected to their customers to drive better business outcomes. Mr. McMahon will oversee all aspects of the customer experience for Vonage, including service delivery, account management and customer care worldwide. He will also lead international operations and expansion for the Company's unified communications business. Mr. McMahon reports to Kenny Wyatt, Chief Revenue Officer. Vonage takes a customer-first approach to doing business. With the growth of Vonage's mid-market and enterprise customer base, the Company has increased its investments in client operations to ensure customers have the best experience from the point of sale through the entire customer lifecycle. "Vonage's dedication to ensuring our customers have a delightful experience at every touch point embodies our core value of putting the customer first. Creating this senior leadership position demonstrates that cmmitment. We are thrilled to have someone with Ken's track record of success lead this critical function for Vonage," Mr. Wyatt said. Mr. McMahon has 20 years of experience leading various aspects of the end-to-end customer experience including service delivery, customer care, national operations and sales. He joins Vonage from CenturyLink. During his seven-year tenure at CenturyLink, he held a number of senior-leadership roles with P&L responsibilities and led large organizations encompassing sales, field operations and capital investment, among others. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Enterprise Sales. Prior to CenturyLink, Mr. McMahon served as Director of Sales Support at EMBARQ, which was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States before it was acquired by CenturyLink in 2009. Before EMBARQ, he held several roles managing customer care, support services and business transformation for Sprint. "I am thrilled to join Vonage to be a part of a team that is so clearly committed to putting the customer first and that continues to invest in creating a best-in-class experience at every stage of the customer life cycle," Mr. McMahon said. "I look forward to working with the entire Vonage team to drive the ultimate customer journey." About Vonage Vonage (NYSE: VG) is a business cloud communications leader. Vonage transforms the way people work and businesses operate through a portfolio of cloud-based communications solutions that enable internal collaboration among employees, while also keeping companies closely connected with their customers, across any mode of communication, on any device. Vonage's Nexmo API Platform provides tools for voice, messaging and phone verification services, allowing developers to embed contextual, programmable communications into mobile apps, websites and business systems. Nexmo enables enterprises to easily communicate relevant information to their customers in real time, anywhere in the world, through text messaging, chat, social media and voice. Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. (vg-a) View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vonage-names-ken-mcmahon-senior-vice-president-of-client-operations-300599152.html SOURCE Vonage [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that a Guatemalan mother who fled her home country and Nebraska to escape abusive men can keep her children. Moroccan authorities arrested three individuals loyal to IS, including a Polisario member, who were plotting attacks in the Kingdom. Moroccos counterterrorism agency, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), arrested the three IS members, aged between 24 and 30, in Laayoune, Sale and Marrakech, the Interior ministry said in a statement. The arrested individuals are pursued on charges of belonging to IS, inciting murder and seeking information on bomb making. The Polisario member rallied Tindouf camps wherefrom he came back with plots to undertake terrorist attacks inside Morocco. The Separatist member was arrested in possession of electronic gadgets and ID cards delivered by the Polisario as well as military outfit and a separatist flag, said the statement. Around 100 members of the Separatist Movement have joined ranks of the Islamic State group (IS) in Libya and in the Sahara desert, head of the BCIJ Abdelhak Khiame, told the media last April. In october 2016, Moroccan authorities busted a supposedly Al Qaeda-linked terrorist cell, the Saharawi Jihad Front, headed by a Polisario supporter. Since 2010, the link between the Polisario and terrorist organizations in the Sahel has been making the headlines. In August 2010, in response to AQIMs demands, Mauritania released Omar le Sahraoui, a Polisario veteran on hire for AQIM who kidnapped three foreign aid workers in November 2009. In January 2011, Algerian security services arrested Sidi Mohamed Mahjoub, a Polisario Imam, whose home allegedly contained arms, 20 kilos of explosives, and correspondence with AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel. Russia, in the current state of affairs, will not resume flight connections with Egypt, Russian deputy Prime Minister has announced adding that immediate resumption of Russian flights to Egyptian resorts is currently impossible. Arkady Dvorkovitch reportedly made the remarks to Egyptian deputy foreign minister on the sidelines of the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Iraq held this week in Kuwait. According to the Russian news agency TASS, Arkady Dvorkovitch told the Egyptian official that air connections between Russia and Egyptian resorts are out question for the meantime. Egypt has been trying to drum up Moscows approval for the re-establishment of flights between the two countries since 2016. Moscow suspended all flights to and from the North African country following the downing of a Russian commercial flight in October 2015. All the 244 passengers and crew perished in the North Sinai few minutes after takeoff from Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. Most passengers were Russian holidaymakers. The Islamist State group in the peninsula was blamed for the tragedy. Moscow imposed improvement of security at Egyptian airport as condition for the resumption of the air traffic. Cairo has spent millions of dollars to meet up Russian demands. The return of Russian tourists is vital for Egypts tourism sector. Russians account for the largest chunk of international tourists visiting Egypt. Morocco has donated Paraguay $700,000 destined to refurbish the infrastructure and equipment of six Family Health Units in two departments of the Latin American country. The donation by the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) will improve medicare in six health units in Guaira and Caazapa in Southern Paraguay and reduce child and maternal mortality. The donation-related agreement was signed earlier this week during a meeting between the Paraguayan Minister of Health, Carlos Morinigo, and Moroccos Ambassador to Paraguay, Badreddine Abdelmoumni. Two of the six Family Health Units to be rehabilitated will be supplied with delivery services, laboratories and radiology rooms, which will benefit some 50,000 women. A Moroccan delegation is expected in Paraguay next week to supervise the rehabilitation work of the health centers that mostly benefit pregnant women. Infant mortality affects 17 out of 1000 births, according to the Multiple Indicator Survey (MICS) published by UNICEF last November. The Polisario member who was arrested by Moroccos counterterrorism agency, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), during the dismantling Thursday of a terror cell is a separatist who underwent training to the handling of weapons in the Polisario-run camps in Tindouf. According to a security source, quoted by the news portal le360, the detainee, who was arrested in Laayoune, had lived for two years in Tindouf, where he embraced jihadist extremism. He returned to Morocco to perpetrate terrorist acts under Daesh (ISIS) label, the security source said. The suspects jihadist extremism highlights the existence of documented links between the Polisario separatist front and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis terrorist rampant monster. Hundreds of young people from the Polisario front joined the terrorist groups roaming in the Sahel and Libya, the security source told the e-journal. Like his accomplices, the pro-Polisario member was totally imbued with the bloody ideology of Daesh. He invested himself in an unbridled cyber propaganda for the terrorist entity, in an attempt to rally like-minded extremists, the source said. The initial findings of the investigation revealed that the respondent had repeatedly checked how to make explosive devices and was planning to perpetrate terror acts against security guards and soft targets, the news portal stated. When he was arrested, he was in possession of electronic gadgets and ID cards delivered by the Polisario as well as a military outfit and a separatist flag. Around 100 members of the Separatist Movement have joined ISIS ranks in Libya and in the Sahel. In october 2016, Moroccan authorities busted a supposedly Al Qaeda-linked terrorist cell, the Saharawi Jihad Front, headed by a Polisario supporter. Since 2010, the link between the Polisario and terrorist organizations in the Sahel has been making the headlines. Mitt Romney stares at something. Photo: Courtes of Romney for Utah Mitt Romney, who was born and raised in Michigan and was later elected governor of Massachusetts, launched his campaign to represent Utah in the U.S. Senate Friday. The announcement came in the form of a two-and-a-half minute video that includes Romney touting his leadership of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and his big family. He does not mention his business career, which earned him the label of vulture capitalist during the 2012 GOP presidential primary, or President Trump, whom Romney called a phony, fraud, and very, very not smart in a blistering 2016 speech. He does, however, take a couple of not-so-subtle swipes at Trump in the video, saying, Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world, Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion. And on Utahs Capitol Hill, people treat one another with respect. Romneys campaign reportedly has the blessing of retiring Republican senator Orrin Hatch, but his criticism of Trump and loose affiliation with Utah have also won him a few enemies in the state. Just this week, Utah Republican state GOP chairman Rob Anderson criticized Romney for being a carpetbagger. I think hes keeping out candidates that I think would be a better fit for Utah because, lets face it, Mitt Romney doesnt live here, his kids werent born here, he doesnt shop here, Anderson told the Salt Lake Tribune. Now that Romney is in the race though, he is the prohibitive favorite to end up in Washington a year from now, where he wont be eager for a second helping of frog legs. Suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz makes a video appearance in Broward County court on February 15, 2018. Photo: Susan Stocker/TNS via Getty Images On the morning after a shooting at a Florida high school left 17 people dead, President Trump met our already rock-bottom expectations by posting a tweet suggesting that the fault lies with shooting victims and others who failed to report Nikolas Cruz, rather than with politicians who refuse to tackle the mass-shooting epidemic. So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018 As we learned more about the 19-year-old who has confessed, according to the the Broward County Sheriffs Office it became apparent that Trump wasnt just being appallingly insensitive, he was also casting blame on people who tried to alert authorities, and found a system that often fails to keep firearms out of the hands of troubled individuals. Cruz was adopted at age 2, along with his baby brother, by Lynda and Roger Cruz. His father died of a heart attack more than a decade ago, and his mother died of pneumonia in late October. Trump was right that neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem and they tried to approach the issue in multiple ways. As Cruz terrorized animals around the neighborhood, trespassed in their yards, posted scary images on social media, and attacked another teens car, they tried confronting him directly and talking to his mother. One family even took the troubled teen into their home after he was orphaned. The Washington Post reports that a friends parents gave Cruz their guest bedroom, got him a job and drove him to an alternative school every day to work on his GED. Neighbors in affluent Parkland, Florida, also called the police repeatedly. Malcolm Roxburgh, who lived three doors from Cruz for many years, told The Wall Street Journal, The police knew all about him. They came to that house maybe 30 or 40 times, as far as I know, to straighten out problems. After repeated suspensions, Cruz was expelled for unspecified disciplinary reasons, said to involve fighting and bringing bullets to school in his backpack. Math teacher Jim Gard recalled that administrators sent an email warning teachers about Cruz. We were told last year that he wasnt allowed on campus with a backpack on him, Gard told the Miami Herald. There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus. Even the FBI investigated what now appears to be an early warning of the violence to come. Last fall, a YouTube user with the name nikolas cruz left a comment on a video posted by Mississippi bail bondsman Ben Bennight: Im going to be a professional school shooter. Bennight found the comment so disturbing that in addition to flagging it for removal by YouTube, he took a screenshot and tried to email it to the FBI. When it bounced back, he called the local FBI field office. Two FBI agents met with Bennight the next day, but he told them he didnt know anything else about the user. A law-enforcement official told the Post that they didnt feel they had the legal justification to issue a subpoena to YouTube for the users information. No other information was included with that comment, which would include a time, location, or the true identity of the person who made the comment, said Robert Lasky, special agent in charge of the FBIs Miami Division. The FBI conducted database reviews, checks, but was unable to further identify the person who actually made the comment. Then at some point last year, according to two federal law-enforcement officials, Cruz went to Sunrise Tactical Gear in Florida, passed a background check, and purchased the AR-15-style weapon he would use on his former teachers and classmates. It was his gun, family lawyer Jim Lewis said. The family made him keep it in a locked gun cabinet in the house but he had a key. Though plenty of people raised alarms with school officials, police, and federal agents, he had no criminal record, and no record of mental illness that would prevent him from purchasing a gun. Under federal law, someone can be put in to the background-check database if theyve been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, or if a government body has declared them mentally incompetent. Getting someone committed involuntarily, or even into mental-health treatment, can be extremely difficult. In the work that Ive done with law-enforcement officers, theyre in a tough spot because they want to be helpful but cant do much when laws havent been broken, Melissa Reeves, a former president of the National Association of School Psychologists who assists schools in assessing potential threats, told Politico. I dont know what law-enforcement officers wouldve done. The question of when and how to keep firearms away from someone experiencing mental illness is complex. In the wake of the Florida school shooting, officials from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to House Speaker Paul Ryan to Florida Governor Rick Scott have made vague calls to address the role of mental illness in mass shootings, which is often how Republicans avoid talking about tightening gun-safety laws. But some are calling for their states to take specific action, by passing laws that would allow law-enforcement officers, or in some cases family members, to petition the court to temporarily seize firearms from someone believed to pose a threat to themselves or others. The New York Times reports: The measures, known as red flag laws or extreme risk protection orders, have shown evidence of reducing suicides in Connecticut, where the first such law was passed in 1999, and in recent years have also been passed in California, Washington and Oregon. Eighteen states, including Florida, and the District of Columbia are considering such laws this year, according to a list compiled by Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit advocacy group. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who is leading the investigation of the Parkland shooting, pleaded with Floridas lawmakers to pass such a measure on Thursday night. People are going to be rightfully so concerned about their rights, as am I, but what about the rights of these students? the sheriff told MSNBCs Chris Hayes. What about the rights of young kids who go to schools with book bags and pencils? Dont they have the right to be protected by the United States government to the best of our ability? If Mitch McConnell set up an immigration debate hoping nothing would happen, hes getting his wish. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images The Great Senate Immigration Debate of 2018 came a cropper today as the Senate failed to give any of an assortment of immigration proposals the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The most promising proposal a bipartisan bill (it had eight GOP and eight Democratic co-sponsors) that provided what the president had asked for in border-control funding and what the president had proposed in a path to citizenship for Dreamers got only 54 votes (though three liberal Democrats appeared to vote against it only when it was obvious that it was going to fail). Its failure was largely attributable to a frantic lobbying effort from the administration culminating in a Trump veto threat. This negative win for the administration didnt translate into any positive accomplishment because the Senate also decisively (by a 60/39 margin) rejected the Grassley bill closely modeled on Trumps own proposal. It did attract one Democrat, Joe Manchin, but lost a lot of Republicans. The Senate also gave only 52 votes to a skinny bill from John McCain and Chris Coons that would have matched less extensive border-security funding commitments with less sweeping Dreamer protections. And in a vote that was designed mainly to set up attack ads on Senate Democrats, Pat Toomeys proposal to deny certain grants to sanctuary cities (a legislative version of an administration proposal struck down in the courts) got only 54 votes. Theres theoretically another day left before Congress books for its Presidents Day recess. But the Senate votes eliminated every lively option on the table, and thats without even considering the high odds against House consideration of any bill that could get 60 votes in the Senate. The administration apparently thinks the rejection of bipartisan proposals will eventually force Democrats to bend to Trumps will, according to Politico: The White House has been telling Republican senators that it expects the Supreme Court to overturn the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling extending protections for undocumented immigrants under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The implication is that what is now an indefinite grace period would quickly disappear and that Democrats would be without leverage and forced to accept more Republican demands in order to codify DACA. Well see about that. But for the moment, nothings about to happen on the immigration front, and thats apparently fine with Donald J. Trump. People embrace while leaving the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel after a deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday February 14, 2018, in Coral Springs, Florida. The hotel was a staging point for witnesses to the shooting. Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post/Getty Images On Thursday morning, the president delivered a speech about gun violence without ever uttering the word gun. By the time Donald Trump began his remarks, America had suffered 18 school shootings in 44 days, and more than 300 mass shootings since the start of his presidency. But this broader context also went unmentioned. Instead, Trump focused his address narrowly on Wednesdays massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and the need for healing in its wake. The president spoke of God and prayers and love. He promised to tackle the difficult issue of mental health (an endeavor that apparently requires, in Trumps estimation, draconian cuts to federal spending on mental-health care). And then, he delivered one of the most Orwellian lines of this most-Orwellian presidency. It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference, Trump said. We must actually make that difference. In a speech devoid of references to firearms and delivered by a vehement opponent of all forms of gun control the implication of these sentences was unmistakable: Some may have a superstitious belief that mass shootings can be prevented by restricting access to guns, but those who care about evidence-based policy-making know that doesnt work. This is, of course, the opposite of the truth. The Trump GOPs approach to issues of public safety is defined by its dedication to privileging policies that make conservatives feel secure in their worldview over ones that would actually make them secure in their communities. The cause of our nations epidemic of gun violence is neither complicated nor mysterious. The United States is home to 4.4 percent of the worlds humans and nearly half of all its civilian-owned guns. Since 2015 there have been more privately held firearms than people in the United States. No other country has anything resembling that density of gun ownership (not even failed states wracked by perpetual civil war) and no other developed country has anything resembling our gun-homicide rate. Illustration: Javier Zarracina/Vox Photo: Max Fisher/Washington Post Common sense would suggest that these two facts are related. And mountains of empirical research have confirmed that intuition. Within our nations borders, states with more guns suffer more gun homicides; within those states, regions with more guns suffer more gun homicides; within those regions, households with more guns suffer more gun homicides and suicides. The particular tragedy that struck Florida on Wednesday was likely the product of myriad social pathologies. It is possible that in a country with just as many guns as ours but with better systems of education and mental health; or a less cutthroat economic system and more generous welfare state; or a less troubled racial history and stronger sense of social solidarity; or a less toxic ideal of masculinity and more women in positions of power, Nikolas Cruz wouldnt have turned Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School into a war zone this week. But it is a certainty that if our gun-ownership rate was comparable to that of our peers in the developed world, we could remain every bit as messed up as we are today, and still witness far fewer atrocities like the one Cruz perpetrated. Human beings are, ultimately, just highly intelligent apes. Were all subject to fleeting impulses and patterns of thought that are unwise and uncontrollable. Surround enough of us with tools that can turn temporary moods into irrevocable violence, and youre going to get a lot of irrevocable violence. In most cases, that violence will take the form of suicide; in a few, it will take the form of mass murder. Alas, for all their claims to Christianity, many conservative voters do not like to think of themselves as flawed and humble creatures but rather, as temporarily embarrassed action heroes. Guns dont make Republicans safe. But they do make many feel safe. And so, the Republican Party staunchly opposes all effective means of preventing the United States from suffering mass shootings on a near-daily basis, and gun homicides and suicides far more often than that. It is true that even Democrats refuse to propose the most effective policies for curbing our epidemic like, for example, a mandatory buyback program for all semi-automatic and automatic weapons. But more modest reforms, while insufficient for bringing the U.S. into the realm of normality on gun deaths, can nonetheless save significant numbers of lives. As Voxs Dylan Matthews notes: But none of those reforms flatter the Republican worldview; and so Republican politicians including those who preach the supreme importance of law and order and national security will fight tooth and nail to prevent their passage. And this commitment to protecting conservatives security in their ideological beliefs even when doing so undermines public safety extends beyond issues of gun regulation. Since 9/11, right-wing extremists have murdered 70 Americans on U.S. soil. For most of the past decade, such extremists were killing more Americans annually than Islamist terrorists were. All but three of those killed by far-right terrorists since 2001 lost their lives after Barack Obamas election a surge anticipated by a 2009 report from the Department of Homeland Security. In that analysis, DHS warned that the combination of a weak economy and an African-American president was spurring a wave of white-supremacist radicalization, which had made lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent right-wing extremist ideology into the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States. But this claim made conservatives feel ideologically insecure. So they forced DHS to withdraw the report; and two years later, the Washington Post revealed that the analytical team behind it had been effectively eviscerated. The Trump administration has continued this policy of putting (right-wing) political correctness above counterterrorism. Shortly after taking office, the president cancelled a $400,000 grant to Life After Hate, a nonprofit dedicated to de-radicalizing white nationalists and other right-wing extremists. This move came amid an effort to refocus the Countering Violent Extremism program (which had historically worked to counter propaganda and recruitment from terrorist groups of all stripes) exclusively on combating Islamist extremism. The victims of a public-safety regime that privileges the rights feelings over empirical reality arent limited to those memorialized in gun-homicide statistics, or Southern Poverty Law Center reports; the lives that we fail to save in deference to conservative ideology are dwarfed by those we actively sacrifice on its altar. Reasonable people can disagree about how the state should balance the imperatives of promoting public safety and preserving civil liberties. But the balance we have decided to strike on these issues is incoherent and homicidal. We have concluded that preventing acts of mass violence on U.S. soil isnt important enough to restrict access to assault weapons but that this goal is, nonetheless, vital enough to justify turning away tens of thousands of Syrian refugees on the baseless suspicion that welcoming them will increase the frequency of such attacks; and that the mass murder of 58 concertgoers by an apolitical white man is an event unworthy of any policy response whatsoever but the prospect of politically motivated Muslims committing similar atrocities is such an existential threat, it is worth overthrowing sovereign governments, killing more than 1 million foreign civilians, and investing trillions of American dollars in an indefinite, global war aimed at extinguishing every last radical Islamist who might have even daydreamed about committing such an attack. Both parties are responsible for perpetuating this insane state of affairs. Conservatives are not the only voters who struggle to accurately weigh risks; Republicans arent the only politicians who shape policy around the publics prejudices, instead of empirical realities. But the center-lefts sins on this front are rooted in cowardice; the rights, in quasi-religious conviction. The security that (much of) the Republican base longs for cannot be won through measures that lower the crime rate or deter terrorism but only through policies that affirm their faith in a world divided between the righteous, who look like us, and the wicked, who look like them; between Gods people and the barbarians; Judeo-Christian civilization and the Muslim hordes; the good guy with a gun, and the bad guy with a gun. It is not enough to take actions that actually make a difference. We must actually feel that we are different, that evil is a quality unique to alien others. And if we can just keep them behind a wall, and a gun beneath our pillows, we will always know who we are; and that we are good; and that we are safe. President Donald Trump. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images We have no idea if the wildest and most memorable allegation Christopher Steele picked up in his investigation of Donald Trump that the future president is vulnerable to Russian blackmail related to his paying Russian prostitutes in 2013 is true. There are two common grounds for skepticism. One is that Trump, who is known both for his affairs and for grabbing women, would pay for sex. The second is that a man so happily associated with infidelity and vice could be blackmailed at all. We now know neither of these objections holds water. Ronan Farrows new story shows that Trump habitually pays for sex. He had an affair with former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, and offered her money after sex, which she turned down. At another point in the story, he offered adult entertainer Jessica Drake $10,000 for her company. Farrows reporting also implies, without quite establishing as an absolute certainty, that Trump maintained a system for silencing his sexual partners. A network of sleazy operators, sometimes working in conjunction with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, Trumps close friend, would pay off women to prevent their stories from seeing the light of day. In any case, previous reporting by The Wall Street Journal has already established that Trumps personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid at least one of his former mistresses to stay quiet. So, we know Trump habitually pays for sex, and we also know he is willing to pay to keep embarrassing secrets from going public. That is to say, these secrets could be leveraged against him. One of Peckers former employees tells Farrow, In theory, you would think that Trump has all the power in that relationship, but in fact Pecker has the power he has the power to run these stories. He knows where the bodies are buried. What else do we know? We know Russia has a decades-old system for gathering compromising sexual secrets on prominent foreign visitors. We also know Trump harbored a burning resentment of President Obama in the wake of Obamas mocking him at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner. And many reports of Trumps decision-making suggest that the strongest consideration in any decision is the chance to defile or destroy something associated with Obama. Far from being bizarre, imagining Trump paying prostitutes to pee on a bed Obama used as a primitive revenge ritual, and Russians taping the episode, is perfectly consistent with what we know about both parties. That exact scenario may not have happened. Indeed, sex is not the only kind of secret Trump harbors. He endured months of criticism first from Republican candidates, then Democrats, and all along from the media, for refusing to disclose his tax returns. Trump clearly feels protective of his financial information. Some of that information is in the hands of his business partners, many of whom are associated with Russia or are unsavory in some other way. All in all, the odds are disconcertingly high that Russia, or somebody, has blackmail leverage over the president of the United States. Robert Mueller. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images This afternoon, as part of his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted a number of Russian individuals and organizations including the infamous Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked troll farm known for its social-media campaigns. The indictment contains allegations confirming what most of us already know that the IRA was engaged in information warfare to sow discord during the 2016 election through its use of social-media accounts falsely claiming to be ordinary Americans. The conspiracy had as its object impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of the United States by dishonest means in order to enable the Defendants to interfere with U.S. political and electoral processes, the indictment states. IRA employees, known as specialists, were directed to create social-media accounts and were divided into day-shift and night-shift hours and instructed to make posts in accordance with the appropriate U.S. time zone, as well as making comments related to American holidays. They also created social-media pages surrounding divisive issues, with names like Secured Borders, Blacktivist, United Muslims of America, and Heart of Texas. The indictment says that many of the pages had follower counts in the hundreds of thousands. It also confirms that the IRA ran the @TEN_GOP Twitter account, which its counterpart, the real Tennessee GOP Party, spent months trying to get shut down. While the objective of sowing discord is floaty and inexact, the political aims of the online work was clear: Throughout the 2016 campaign, the IRAs workers were ordered to use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump we support them). IRA employees who ran the Secured Borders page were criticized for not having enough posts criticizing Clinton. They purchased ads on social media to that end. The Russians also tried to suppress minority turnout in the campaign. Pages that appeared to support social-justice issues encouraged users to not vote at all or vote for a third-party candidate, and highlighted Clintons hawkishness. Some of the Russian effort manifested in real-world meetups organized by deceiving real Americans into participating, or paying them to do things like dress up as Hillary Clinton in a prison uniform (she wants to continue the war on Muslims in the middle east). By the time Trump had claimed the nomination, the IRA had turned to building him up and tearing Clinton down. In June of 2016, the indictment states, the @march_for_trump account contacted a volunteer for the Trump campaign in New York, and the volunteer agreed to provide signs for a rally that the IRA-run account was organizing. Its interactions like these that are central to Muellers investigation how an American campaign interacted with foreign agents, wittingly or unwittingly. L-R: Julius Kakeeto, the managing director of Orient bank and Ibrahim Kaddunnabbi Lubega of IRA Orient Bank has become the eighth financial institution in Uganda to offer insurance policies to their customers and the public through Bancassurance after acquiring a license from Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) . It joins dfcu, Barclays, NC bank, Diamond Trust bank, Stanbic, Bank of Africa and Finance Trust in this now seemingly attractive business. This follows the amendment of the Financial Institutions Act 2016 to allow banks engage in insurance services. Alhajji Ibrahim Lubega Kaddunnabbi, the chief executive officer of IRA, said if more banks can sell insurance products, it will increase insurance penetration, which currently stands at less than one per cent in Uganda. Bancassurance is one of the ways used for the distribution of insurance products through a banks branch network. As you are already aware, there is demand for simple insurance products in Uganda due to the huge and largely untapped emerging markets, Kaddunnabbi said at the launch this week. Kaddunnabbi believes using banks as insurers will instill confidence and trust in the public, subsequently attracting more people into the insurance fold. Julius Kakeeto, the managing director at Orient bank, explained that through collaboration with a range of local main insurance companies, Orient Bank will offer different varieties of insurance including in life assurance and general insurance. We are targeting to work with 11 insurance companies but for now we are starting with Sanlam Insurance (Life). We have also built in-house capacity and the bank will carry out training on the importance of insurance to its customers at every branch, he said. Bancassurance is the selling of insurance products through banks distribution channels. Banks leverage their extensive customer base and wide geographical spread and many branches. justuslyatuu08@gmail.com President Yoweri Museveni has downplayed reports of fighting between the police and the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). Reports of animosity between the two agencies emerged after the arrest of several police officers and informers. President Museveni But Museveni told journalists at Kawumu presidential demonstration farm in Luweero district that there was no fight between the security agencies. He however hinted at possible bickering between individual security officers. It is a public secret that security minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde and police boss Gen Kale Kayihura are not the best of friends. They have publicly attacked each other's work methods in ensuring security and peace in the country. Museveni added that police officers who were recently arraigned before the General Court Martial misbehaved by serving the interests of foreigners at the expense of Ugandans. He urged security personnel to focus on fighting the enemy instead of weakening security strictures by fighting amongst themselves. President Museveni says #Uganda's security organs being "infiltrated", "hijacked" and used by criminals is like a type of HIV/AIDS that hijacks blood cells. Some Ugandan top security officials have recently been implicated in a number of high profile murders, robberies pic.twitter.com/qMtw95P68z The Observer (@observerug) February 15, 2018 Those facing charges before the General Court Martial include Nixon Agasirwe, the former head of the Special Operations Unit in police. He is charged alongside Joel Aguma the former commandant of Professional Standards Unit, Faisal Katende, an operative of the Flying Squad, Sgt Abel Tumukunde also of Flying Squad and James Magada who works with Crime Intelligence. The nine are accused of kidnapping Lt Joel Mutabazi, a former bodyguard to Rwandan president Paul Kagame and Jackson Kalemera and repatriating them to Rwanda. Others who have been arrested are Abdullah Kitatta, the chairman of Bodaboda 2010 and 12 others who were jointly charged before the Unit Disciplinary Court sitting at the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence in Mbuya. Kitatta was a close confidant of Kayihura. While reacting to a refugee scam involving senior government officials and some members from humanitarian assistance organisations, Museveni said that all those found guilty will go to jail and refund the money. "Well, the ones whore stealing refugee money will go to jail. That is simple because the prisons are there, Luzira is there it is waiting for some occupants from the Prime Ministers office who steal refugee food. And of course, I think God will kill them himself because to steal what is meant for refugees, what is meant for desperate people, God will also come in. These thieves have lots of problemsthese thieves will paythey will pay and they bring shame to our country because these refugees come from all sorts of countries and the funder...They will regret," said Museveni Complaints indicate that the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in connivance with aid workers have been inflating refugee figures in order to attract more aid which is then corruptly shared. The allegations were reportedly raised by South Sudan refugees to UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, during a recent visit to Uganda. Donors have since threatened to withdraw the funding if the government doesn't act tough on those found guilty of the scam. Two police officers attached to Kawempe police station were killed by unknown assailants last night.The officers identified as Vincent Habiyaremye and Ambrose Otim were attacked at 8pm in Kizza zone, Kawempe Division while on foot patrol duty. The attackers went away with two guns."By the time our officers arrived at the scene, it was already too late. They were already dead and the thugs had gone with the guns," Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire told URN.The case has already been handed over to the Police elite force; Flying Squad Unit to hunt down the assailants and recover the stolen guns. A team of operatives is currently at the scene recording statements from eyewitnesses.This is not the first time police officers are attacked, killed and their guns were stolen. More than six police officers were attacked last year, and their guns were stolen.In December 2017, the inspector general of police Kale Kayihura issued a directive for all armed police officers to always move in pairs and officers in charge of the personnel to provide transport for the officers.The ideal foot patrol is supposed to be made by at least six police officers, two armed with AK-47 guns and others armed with batons and sticks. A day after members of parliament demanded for the whereabouts of veteran journalist, Rev Isaac Bakka, who went missing four months ago, government has said that he is incarcerated in Luzira prison on charges of treason and misprision of treason. Misprision of treason is an offence, committed where someone conceals knowledge of the mission of any treason against the state. It attracts a life sentence upon conviction. Veteran journalist Rev Isaac Bakka is facing treason charges Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine says Baaka was brought to Luzira Upper prison on February 14. "He is admitted as Rev. Captain at Upper prison in Luzira, but they just brought him recently," Baine said. Bakka, who is attached to Bornfree Technologies Network (BTN), a television broadcaster based in Arua, West Nile went missing on October 9, 2017 after being kidnapped by unknown people in Mukono. His whereabouts remained unknown until yesterday when MPs raised a matter of national importance on the floor of the House. They tasked government to explain the whereabouts of Bakka and New Vision journalist Charles Etukuri. Bakka was reportedly secretly charged and remanded to Luzira prison. Etukuri was, also this week kidnapped by men dressed army uniforms and his whereabouts remains unknown. Etukuri was reportedly kidnapped on Tuesday afternoon outside the New Vision premises. New Vision supposes that Etukuri, who was very close to police boss Gen Kale Kayihura, could have been abducted in connection to a series of investigative stories that he recently worked on. His last story was about the death of an investor, a Finnish national who died at Pearl of Africa hotel in Kampala under unclear circumstances. The story implicated some operatives attached to the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) in the death of the Finnish tycoon Tuomas Terasvuori Juha. Etukuri's story stated that Terasvuori had travelled to Uganda with Finnish politician Suvi Linden to meet the head of ISO Col Fred Bagyenda. The story further stated that although security agencies claimed that deceased died after inhaling drugs, Linden had told Saturday Vision that the deceased was not taking drugs. In the same article, it was reported that Terasvuori died a day after he was arrested in an operation by ISO officers led by Joel Agaba in Entebbe on Monday, February 5. He was arrested on accusations that he had travelled into the country on a forged clearance letter by Bagyenda and later set free. He died a day later. The Ohio River -- on it, in it, over it, beside it. No politics. The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday suspended the passports of diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi after the advice of Enforcement Directorate. The passports have been suspended for a period of four weeks. The duo have been asked to respond within a week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under the Passports Act 1967. The investigation agencies, banks, and now Interpol (International Criminal Police Organisation) - all agencies and institutions have tightened the noose around billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi, who's at the heart of the Rs 11,400-crore 'fraud' detected at Punjab National Bank's (PNB) Mumbai branch. The first complaint against Nirav Modi's company was filed on January 29, but he and his family had already fled the country on January 1. Now that the 'fraud' is out in the open, the PNB has fired its 18 employees, and the government has promised not to "spare anyone". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have raided several properties of Nirav Modi and his alleged accomplices, including his family members and business partner Mehul Choksi, the owner of diamond jewellery brand Gitanjali Gems, and have sealed diamond, gold, jewellery, and precious stones worth over Rs 5,100 crore. Though Nirav Modi has reportedly assured the PNB authorities to repay the entire money, he has been asked to come up with a concrete plan. 10.23pm: Nirav Modi, who left India about over a month ago along with his family, is living in a posh hotel in New York's South Central Park, reports Mirror Now. Reports suggest he may be living there with his family. 9.21pm: The CBI Says PNB complaint to it said that Mehul Choksi and his companies caused a loss of Rs 4,886 crore to the bank, reports CNBC-TV 18. 8.15pm: The Reserve Bank of India says it has directed Punjab National Bank (PNB) to meet its commitments under the Letter of Undertaking (LOU) to other banks. "RBI denies having given any such instructions," says the statement. 8.00pm: "The fraud in PNB is a case of operational risk arising on account of delinquent behaviour by one or more employees of the bank and failure of internal controls. The RBI has already undertaken a supervisory assessment of control systems in PNB, and will take appropriate supervisory action," says the RBI. 7.38pm: The ED registers another case against Nirav Modi on Friday. Both Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi summoned by the ED to appear before its Mumbai Office on 23rd February, reports ANI Total locations raided: 35 Searches held in states: 11 Total seizure: Rs 5,700 crore 7.35pm: After today's searches, total seizure from Nirav Modi's property amounts to Rs 5,700 crore, reports India Today 7.21pm: AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked the Modi government to give specific timeline to bring back Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi to India. BJP govt shud give specific timelines by when will they bring Vijay Mallya and Neerav Modi back to India. By when will the money be recovered from them? - Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 16, 2018 Jewellery traders fear that after the Rs 11,400-crore bank fraud involving billionaire Nirav Modi, the banks would now be more cautious, which would hurt their credit flow, reports Firstpost. They urged in light of the fraud, the entire industry should not be branded as 'risky' industry. 6.10pm: The Income Tax (I-T) officials issues fresh notice to Nirav Modi. 5.33pm: Nirav Modi's passport has been suspended, he can't go anywhere from the place he is right now. "Woh jis country mein hain wahi rahenge, passport suspend hone ke baad woh kahi nahi ja sakte," says MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. 5.29pm: Former Banking Secretary Rajiv Takru says he met ex-Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey only once in his life. "I met this person only once in my life. He had come to my office to resign in 2013. Reason behind resignation was that he was unhappy over something. I accepted his resignation. I have never spoken to him," he told the ANI. 5.23pm: Nirav Modi was not a part of the PM Modi delegation to Davos, says Raveesh Kumar, MEA spokesperson, adding that the 'picture' that's being circulated was part of an informal session with CEOs who register for the event on their own. "It was an impromptu picture." 5.13pm: PNB Managing Director Sunil Mehta was the general manager at the Allahabad bank at the time when I highlighted the Mehul Choksi issue in 2013, former Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey tells India Today. "I had asked the management to first recover the previous loan from Gitanjali Gem before releasing fresh loan, but I was told this needed to be done order to stop NPAs and to run banks." 5.00pm: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar says this is a fraud that happened during the UPA government. "This came to light when we decided to revive the entire banking system, after which this entire scam came to light. So, it's UPA's scam that has been brought to light by the BJP government." It is the alertness of the NDA govt which has brought this scam into light. All the NPAs, the wrongful distribution of loans, amongst others were all passed down to us by the UPA Govt. This is a scam by the bank & not the govt: Prakash Javadekar #PNBFraudCase pic.twitter.com/APu2VycPu4 - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 4.50pm: The entire banking system had falled during the UPA. The scam remained under the carpet between 2011 and 2014, and it came to light after the NDA government tightened the banking norms, says Javadekar. 4.46pm: This is the 'banking fraud' not the 'government fraud'. We, on the other hand, allowed all the enforcement agencies to speed-up the investigation. We have also confiscated his properties worth over Rs 5,100 crore, says Javadekar. 4.45pm: Former CBI director AP Singh says it could take months and years to track Nirav Modi's overseas money trail. Following the money trail is very difficult especially if it goes overseas as you have multiple transactions and for each transaction you have to send a letter rogatory, it can take months and even years: AP Singh,former CBI director on #PNBFraudCase #NiravModi pic.twitter.com/x5AQwxyMdQ - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 The scamster's escape formula: Na(Mo) La(Mo) + Ni(Mo) -----> Bha(Go)#ModiRobsIndia - Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 16, 2018 Congress president Rahul Gandhi's official Twitter handle has defined the current 'bank fraud' through an equation, calling it an escape formula.Dinesh says the scandal that started during the time of the UPA has not grown 50-times. "UPA Sarkar se chala hua aaya kand aaj NDA sarkar mein 10 guna, 50 guna badh gaya," says Dinesh Dubey. 4.33pm: According to ANI, former Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey says he had sent a dissent note against providing a loan to Gitanjali Gems to the government and the RBI in 2013 but to no avail. I had sent a dissent note against #GitanjaliGems to the Govt and RBI in 2013 but to no avail, I was directed that this loan has to be approved, I was being pressurized so I resigned: Dinesh Dubey,former Allahabad Bank Director pic.twitter.com/yMqxiYWw7X - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 If all the layers of this scam are opened up, the scam will go up to Rs 30,000 Crore. Modi govt's new buzz word 'Udaan' has found a new meaning - 'every scamster can flee & fly undetected & unchecked: Randeep Surjewala, Congress #PNBFraudCase pic.twitter.com/fhL5cYkmIZ - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 Has India's biggest 'Bank Loot Scam' touched 30,000 Cr? What is Modi Govt whitewashing? #ModiRobsIndia Pl wait for AICC Press Conf. At 4 PM? - Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) February 16, 2018 Under the Modi government's new scheme 'Udaan', every scamster can fly undetected, says Congress.The bank fraud scam could total around Rs 30,000 crore, says Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. 4.02pm: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, which Reuters obtained through a right-to-information request, shows state-run banks have reported 8,670 "loan fraud" cases totalling Rs 612.6 billion ($9.58 billion) over the last five financial years up to March 31, 2017. Exclusive: Unpublished data shows India's fraud problems extend far beyond PNB https://t.co/ee0C0HIar8 by @aditishahsays and @dtripathy - Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) February 16, 2018 Actors Priyanka Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra have already cut ties with Nirav Modi, reports India Today. "My contract (with Nirav Modi's company) ended a year ago, so there's nothing to talk about it," says Sidharth Malhotra when asked about his association with the jewellery brand. 3:24pm: Rs 4,900 crore unaccounted funds found during raids on Nirav Modi properties. 2.35pm: The ministry of external affairs has suspended the validity of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi's passports for four weeks. #BreakingNews On the advice of ED, MEA suspends validity of passports of Nirav Deepak Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks. pic.twitter.com/HMavFV8hNK - All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) February 16, 2018 2.00pm: The shares of Gitanjali Gems tank another 20% in morning trade after the detection of Punjab National Bank's Rs 11,400-crore fraud. Gitanjali Gems is one of the companies charged by investigating agencies for colluding with Nirav Modi in carrying out the fraud. Also read: Gitanjali Gems tanks 40% since February 14, Rs 300 crore in market cap wiped out 1.55pm: Finance Ministry sources tell ANI that over 50 companies with links to Nirav Modi will be raided by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Income Tax Department. 1.50pm: The FIR filed by CBI includes more 143 Letters of Undertaking (LoU) and 224 foreign letters of credit. #NiravModi #PNBScam: Fresh CBI FIR involves 143 LoUs and 224 foreign letters of credit, which are separate from the earlier 150 LoUs relating to the FIR dated 31 January 2018. - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 Quite often animals or even the birds are the first to warn humans of an approaching earthquake. Financial markets, too, have many soothsayers. Raghuram Rajan, the celebrated economist, actually predicted the global financial meltdown of 2008 much before it created havoc with the world economies. The world is still struggling to recover from that shock. Globally regulators are the best masters to give signals of a financial catastrophe but seldom do players heed their wisdom. The state-owned Punjab National Bank, too, looks to be a victim of turning a blind eye to the crises that was brewing at its backyard for many years. The fraudster Nirav Modi was using the bank's letter of undertakings (LoUs) and a SWIFT messaging system (not linked to their core banking) to get access of funds from the overseas branch of other Indian banks. PNB as an issuing authority of LoUs is now in the soup as it has to honor all the financial obligations as Modi is absconding. The Reserve Bank of India's Deputy Governor SS Mundra, who retired last year, was the first to speak publically about the possible cracks in the banks payment infrastructure. In September 2016, almost 18 months ago, Mundra disclosed that the RBI has come across instances of fraudulent messaging confirming documentary credits being transmitted using the SWIFT infrastructure. The cases may have been minor, but the issue was very sensitive as the system was compromised in some cases. Mundra said although the latter incidents were mainly a result of failure of internal controls and non-adherence to four eyes principles (by banks), it is also on account of reliance on disparate systems whereby SWIFT transactions could be done without originating a corresponding transaction in the core banking solution(CBS). This is exactly took place in the PNB case where the transactions effected over SWIFT system were not captured in the core banking solution. Mundra, who was earlier the CMD of Bank of Baroda, also narrated an incident where an attempt was made on a commercial bank in India by generating fraudulent payment instructions on the Nostro accounts and transmitting them over SWIFT messaging system. "Though monetary loss could be prevented with proactive follow up with the concerned paying intermediary banks, the incident has reinforced the fact that the various stakeholders have not learnt the lessons yet," said Mundra bluntly. Globally, the SWIFT system is already under attack from cyber criminals. Recently, the Central Bank of Bangladesh came under attack from cyber criminals when they successfully manage to withdrew almost $81 million from their account in the US Federal Reserve Bank. Later, SWIFT also admitted that there was some tempering of SWIFT messaging system at the central bank of Bangladesh. In the PNB case, the bank is putting the blame on its employees. Tomorrow, some cyber criminals could attack Indian banks' SWIFT messaging system, the way it happened with the Central Bank of Bangladesh. All these banks have transactions globally with MNC banks. These transactions have to be honored at any cost. Faster the banks especially PSBs realize this, better it is for the financial system. The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday suspended the passports of diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi after the advice of Enforcement Directorate. The passports have been suspended for a period of four weeks. The duo have been asked to respond within a week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under the Passports Act 1967. The investigation agencies, banks, and now Interpol (International Criminal Police Organisation) - all agencies and institutions have tightened the noose around billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi, who's at the heart of the Rs 11,400-crore 'fraud' detected at Punjab National Bank's (PNB) Mumbai branch. The first complaint against Nirav Modi's company was filed on January 29, but he and his family had already fled the country on January 1. Now that the 'fraud' is out in the open, the PNB has fired its 18 employees, and the government has promised not to "spare anyone". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have raided several properties of Nirav Modi and his alleged accomplices, including his family members and business partner Mehul Choksi, the owner of diamond jewellery brand Gitanjali Gems, and have sealed diamond, gold, jewellery, and precious stones worth over Rs 5,100 crore. Though Nirav Modi has reportedly assured the PNB authorities to repay the entire money, he has been asked to come up with a concrete plan. 10.23pm: Nirav Modi, who left India about over a month ago along with his family, is living in a posh hotel in New York's South Central Park, reports Mirror Now. Reports suggest he may be living there with his family. 9.21pm: The CBI Says PNB complaint to it said that Mehul Choksi and his companies caused a loss of Rs 4,886 crore to the bank, reports CNBC-TV 18. 8.15pm: The Reserve Bank of India says it has directed Punjab National Bank (PNB) to meet its commitments under the Letter of Undertaking (LOU) to other banks. "RBI denies having given any such instructions," says the statement. 8.00pm: "The fraud in PNB is a case of operational risk arising on account of delinquent behaviour by one or more employees of the bank and failure of internal controls. The RBI has already undertaken a supervisory assessment of control systems in PNB, and will take appropriate supervisory action," says the RBI. 7.38pm: The ED registers another case against Nirav Modi on Friday. Both Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi summoned by the ED to appear before its Mumbai Office on 23rd February, reports ANI Total locations raided: 35 Searches held in states: 11 Total seizure: Rs 5,700 crore 7.35pm: After today's searches, total seizure from Nirav Modi's property amounts to Rs 5,700 crore, reports India Today 7.21pm: AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked the Modi government to give specific timeline to bring back Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi to India. BJP govt shud give specific timelines by when will they bring Vijay Mallya and Neerav Modi back to India. By when will the money be recovered from them? - Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 16, 2018 Jewellery traders fear that after the Rs 11,400-crore bank fraud involving billionaire Nirav Modi, the banks would now be more cautious, which would hurt their credit flow, reports Firstpost. They urged in light of the fraud, the entire industry should not be branded as 'risky' industry. 6.10pm: The Income Tax (I-T) officials issues fresh notice to Nirav Modi. 5.33pm: Nirav Modi's passport has been suspended, he can't go anywhere from the place he is right now. "Woh jis country mein hain wahi rahenge, passport suspend hone ke baad woh kahi nahi ja sakte," says MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. 5.29pm: Former Banking Secretary Rajiv Takru says he met ex-Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey only once in his life. "I met this person only once in my life. He had come to my office to resign in 2013. Reason behind resignation was that he was unhappy over something. I accepted his resignation. I have never spoken to him," he told the ANI. 5.23pm: Nirav Modi was not a part of the PM Modi delegation to Davos, says Raveesh Kumar, MEA spokesperson, adding that the 'picture' that's being circulated was part of an informal session with CEOs who register for the event on their own. "It was an impromptu picture." 5.13pm: PNB Managing Director Sunil Mehta was the general manager at the Allahabad bank at the time when I highlighted the Mehul Choksi issue in 2013, former Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey tells India Today. "I had asked the management to first recover the previous loan from Gitanjali Gem before releasing fresh loan, but I was told this needed to be done order to stop NPAs and to run banks." 5.00pm: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar says this is a fraud that happened during the UPA government. "This came to light when we decided to revive the entire banking system, after which this entire scam came to light. So, it's UPA's scam that has been brought to light by the BJP government." It is the alertness of the NDA govt which has brought this scam into light. All the NPAs, the wrongful distribution of loans, amongst others were all passed down to us by the UPA Govt. This is a scam by the bank & not the govt: Prakash Javadekar #PNBFraudCasepic.twitter.com/APu2VycPu4 - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 4.50pm: The entire banking system had falled during the UPA. The scam remained under the carpet between 2011 and 2014, and it came to light after the NDA government tightened the banking norms, says Javadekar. 4.46pm: This is the 'banking fraud' not the 'government fraud'. We, on the other hand, allowed all the enforcement agencies to speed-up the investigation. We have also confiscated his properties worth over Rs 5,100 crore, says Javadekar. 4.45pm: Former CBI director AP Singh says it could take months and years to track Nirav Modi's overseas money trail. Following the money trail is very difficult especially if it goes overseas as you have multiple transactions and for each transaction you have to send a letter rogatory, it can take months and even years: AP Singh,former CBI director on #PNBFraudCase#NiravModipic.twitter.com/x5AQwxyMdQ - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 The scamster's escape formula: Na(Mo) La(Mo) + Ni(Mo) -----> Bha(Go)#ModiRobsIndia - Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 16, 2018 Congress president Rahul Gandhi's official Twitter handle has defined the current 'bank fraud' through an equation, calling it an escape formula.Dinesh says the scandal that started during the time of the UPA has not grown 50-times. "UPA Sarkar se chala hua aaya kand aaj NDA sarkar mein 10 guna, 50 guna badh gaya," says Dinesh Dubey. 4.33pm: According to ANI, former Allahabad Bank Director Dinesh Dubey says he had sent a dissent note against providing a loan to Gitanjali Gems to the government and the RBI in 2013 but to no avail. I had sent a dissent note against #GitanjaliGems to the Govt and RBI in 2013 but to no avail, I was directed that this loan has to be approved, I was being pressurized so I resigned: Dinesh Dubey,former Allahabad Bank Director pic.twitter.com/yMqxiYWw7X - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 If all the layers of this scam are opened up, the scam will go up to Rs 30,000 Crore. Modi govt's new buzz word 'Udaan' has found a new meaning - 'every scamster can flee & fly undetected & unchecked: Randeep Surjewala, Congress #PNBFraudCasepic.twitter.com/fhL5cYkmIZ - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 Has India's biggest 'Bank Loot Scam' touched 30,000 Cr? What is Modi Govt whitewashing? #ModiRobsIndia Pl wait for AICC Press Conf. At 4 PM? - Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) February 16, 2018 Under the Modi government's new scheme 'Udaan', every scamster can fly undetected, says Congress.The bank fraud scam could total around Rs 30,000 crore, says Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. 4.02pm: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, which Reuters obtained through a right-to-information request, shows state-run banks have reported 8,670 "loan fraud" cases totalling Rs 612.6 billion ($9.58 billion) over the last five financial years up to March 31, 2017. Exclusive: Unpublished data shows India's fraud problems extend far beyond PNB https://t.co/ee0C0HIar8 by @aditishahsays and @dtripathy - Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) February 16, 2018 Actors Priyanka Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra have already cut ties with Nirav Modi, reports India Today. "My contract (with Nirav Modi's company) ended a year ago, so there's nothing to talk about it," says Sidharth Malhotra when asked about his association with the jewellery brand. 3:24pm: Rs 4,900 crore unaccounted funds found during raids on Nirav Modi properties. 2.35pm: The ministry of external affairs has suspended the validity of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi's passports for four weeks. #BreakingNews On the advice of ED, MEA suspends validity of passports of Nirav Deepak Modi and Mehul Chinubhai Choksi with immediate effect for a period of four weeks. pic.twitter.com/HMavFV8hNK - All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) February 16, 2018 2.00pm: The shares of Gitanjali Gems tank another 20% in morning trade after the detection of Punjab National Bank's Rs 11,400-crore fraud. Gitanjali Gems is one of the companies charged by investigating agencies for colluding with Nirav Modi in carrying out the fraud. Also read:Gitanjali Gems tanks 40% since February 14, Rs 300 crore in market cap wiped out 1.55pm: Finance Ministry sources tell ANI that over 50 companies with links to Nirav Modi will be raided by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Income Tax Department. 1.50pm: The FIR filed by CBI includes more 143 Letters of Undertaking (LoU) and 224 foreign letters of credit. #NiravModi#PNBScam: Fresh CBI FIR involves 143 LoUs and 224 foreign letters of credit, which are separate from the earlier 150 LoUs relating to the FIR dated 31 January 2018. - ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2018 The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher, The Gambia has re-joined the Commonwealth almost five years after ex-President Yahya Jammeh took the country out of the organisation, which he described as neo-colonial. He said he was not happy with the Commonwealth for accusing his government of human rights abuses and electoral malpractices. After Mr Jammeh was surprisingly defeated in the presidential election in December 2016, one of the first announcements of his successor, Adama Barrow, was to say that The Gambia would be back in the Commonwealth fold. Last December, the Gambian Parliament unanimously affirmed the countrys desire to re-join the organisation. The countrys formal application to become a member again was presented to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland by the Gambian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Francis Blain, last month and this was unanimously backed by member states. On Thursday, a flag-raising ceremony at Marlborough House, the London headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat, marked The Gambias return, bringing the grouping of mainly former British colonies back to 53. The Gambia will now attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London in April. Mr Blain said: I am thrilled to represent my country as it formally re-joins the Commonwealth after an absence of several years and to become High Commissioner rather than Ambassador. The Gambia looks forward to being able both to contribute to and benefit from the collective wisdom of the Commonwealth family of countries and to playing an active role in supporting the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the many other organisations and initiatives that flourish as expressions of Commonwealth connection. The Government and people of The Gambia will also draw on all that the Commonwealth collectively has to offer, assisting in practical ways to address a wide range of pressing issues - including protecting the environment and tackling climate change, and the empowerment of women and young people, Mr Blain added. Secretary-General Scotland said: When The Gambia left in 2013, the heads of government expressed their regret in its leaving the Commonwealth family. Weve looked forward to The Gambias return and were delighted when, after his election victory in December 2016, President Barrow pledged to return. The Gambia became a member of the Commonwealth on achieving independence from Britain on February 18, 1965 but withdrew on October 3, 2013. Apartheid South Africa withdrew in 1961 because newly-independent African countries that had joined the Commonwealth strongly opposed its membership because of the governments system of racial discrimination. After the democratic elections of 1994 that saw Nelson Mandela become the countrys first black leader, South Africa was readmitted to the organisation. No country has been formally expelled, but in November 1995 Commonwealth leaders took the then unprecedented step of suspending Nigeria under General Sani Abacha. This suspension was lifted on May 29, 1999 with the election of a democratically elected civilian President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, was suspended from Commonwealth councils in March 2002. This followed the presidential election, which the organisation deemed to have been marred by a high level of politically motivated violence and during which the Commonwealth said the conditions did not adequately allow for a free expression of will by voters. Then in December 2003, following a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) statement on Zimbabwe, former President Robert Mugabe withdrew his country from the Commonwealth. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Beginning next month, patrons of the courts will not need to carry volumes of documents to be filed at courts registries because the Judicial Service is set to roll out an online filing system. The Chief Justice, Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, who announced what will probably be the biggest reform of her early tenure, said it was her expectation that by the time she retired on December 20, 2019, all courts in the country would be connected to the system. She was speaking at a two-day conference organised by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Accra on Thursday. The conference, on the theme: The Judiciary and its contribution to Ghana after 60, is meant to provide a platform for the participants to reflect on the countrys Judiciary past, analyse the present and look into the future. Every court There will be, from the district courts all the way to the Supreme Court, connectivity, so that you can appeal from the lowest court. Most of the time the delay is because of records. If, right from the beginning, the records are electronically captured, that is half the problem solved, Ms Justice Akuffo said. Missing dockets The initiative by the Chief Justice comes on the back of reports of missing dockets which sometimes delays cases and judgements. On July 7, 2014, two litigants who turned up at the James Town Magistrate Court in Accra for judgement in their case had to leave in anger and frustration after they were told that the docket on the case was missing. The case had been in the court since February 2012 and had travelled through the process until judgement was due on that day, but the magistrate had to call the two parties to her chambers to find an amicable solution after the registrar had reported that the docket was nowhere to be found. At its annual conference in Sunyani last year, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) had expressed serious concern over the rampant incidents of missing dockets at the various courts in the country. Technology Probably with that concern in mind, the Chief Justice observed that the more technology you pump into a procedure-bound process, such as the legal and judicial process, the less you create opportunities for corruption to tamper with the delivery of our services, she said. She said the online filing of cases would eliminate the amount of face-to-face intervention other than what was needed inside the courtroom. Mechanisms have already been put in place and are being extended to ensure that as much as possible dealings with litigants and officials of the court, particularly at the registry and the clerical level, is limited to only what is necessary, she said. Other jurisdictions Across the world, experts say e-filing provides increased operating efficiency, better-informed public, enhanced customer service, better case information sharing among courts, significantly lower cost to handle and access court records, enhanced timeliness of information and better and more information. In the United States, for instance, the Federal Judiciary case management/electronic case files (CM/ECF) system allows case documents, such as pleadings, motions and petitions to be filed with the court, using a computer and Internet connection. This process gives the courts a way to easily manage the files electronically. In Singapore, the electronic filing system (EFS) is the Judiciary's electronic platform for filing and service of documents within the litigation process. In addition, it provides the registries of the Supreme Court and the lower courts with an electronic registry and workflow system and an electronic case file. Recent enhancements are said to have added a module which facilitates the conduct of hearing using documents that have been electronically filed. Financing the Judiciary The Chief Justice said ensuring that reforms delivered quality justice also depended on the financing the Judiciary received. It is important that the financing of the Judiciary is given very serious consideration. We cannot continue to be a sympathetic-backroom part of governance where, after everything has been served out and enjoyed, then you get the crumbs. That cannot happen. The people of Ghana deserve and need quality justice. They need court buildings that are fit for human use, she said to applause from the packed auditorium of judges, legal academics, lawyers and law students. She expressed concern over deplorable court buildings in rural communities she saw during a working tour of the three regions of the north. She said the Judicial Service had charged some of the assemblies to build courts, adding that every district assembly needed to know that court buildings, furniture and all other amenities at district courts were their responsibility. Corruption On corruption, she said the Judicial Service would not play ostrich but rather be vigilant and continually put in measures, mechanisms and interventions that will ensure that the canker will be controlled and eventually completely exorcised. Hopefully, the exorcising will take place in my time. Public interest Ms Justice Akuffo encouraged the public not to think that they could bring an action to the Supreme Court for an enforcement of the 1992 Constitution only if they had a personal interest. She cited the example of Lawyer Martin Kpebu who, she said, had no interest in the case in which the court declared that all cases were bailable. Expanding frontiers The Omanhene of the Asokore Traditional Council, Nana Dr Susubiribi Krobea Asante, who chaired the conference, eulogised the role of the Judiciary in sustaining the rule of law in the country over the years, in spite of the turbulent environment and times it operated during some regimes. He urged judges to keep expanding the frontiers of law and justice delivery in the face of a changing society and growing expertise in areas, including environmental law, foreign direct investments and cybercrime. Cause to celebrate Speaking to the theme, the Dean of the GIMPA Law School, Mr Kofi Abotsi, observed that 60 years on, Ghanas Judiciary had a cause to celebrate, including producing chief justices for countries including Kenya, Botswana and The Gambia. Sixty years on, mob justice is the exception and not the norm. Sixty years on, the Judiciary has become a major player in our governance, saving the country on occasions. Sixty years on, we see, therefore, the platform to celebrate and reflect on the institutions life for purposes of forging ahead, he added. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Minority Chief Whip of Parliament and member of Parliament for Asawase constituency in the Ashanti Region, Mubarak Muntaka says Speaker of Parliament Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye is a threat to democracy. He says his attitude in parliament does not promote a democratic atmosphere in parliament. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that though they have been complaining about the Speaker's attitude, it is worsening by the day. According to him he should not forget that though he is coming from a political party he is in the interest of all of us. Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, yesterday threatened to disregard the authority of the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye. This follows what he describes as the Speakers failure to recognize him when he wanted to make an intervention during the debate on the Special Petroleum Tax yesterday (Thursday). What further angered the Minority Leader was the fact that the Speaker rather called the Majority Leader for his contribution, even though he, Haruna Iddrisu, had been standing for several minutes. Following the sequence of events, Haruna Iddrisu who was finally given the opportunity to speak, expressed his disappointment. I am sad at the way you have treated me as Minority Leader. I stood up before the Majority Leader. You owe me that courtesy and that respect. Mr. Speaker, even after hearing him [Majority Leader], you have still not decided whether to hear me or not, he said. The minority in parliament have threatened to impeach the speaker if he should continue with this kind of attitude which they say will create a state of lawlessness and division within the leadership of the house. However, Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu says the minority are complaining unnecessary. He says they are trying to thwart the orders of the House which the Speaker is trying to prevent. The Suame MP is asking his colleagues from the minority to behave appropriately and work according to the standing order of the House. Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] 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 Colombia Hoy Para nunca olvidar Paginas vistas en total 'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England Sin palabras La UE le apunta a la paz Cada vez mas solo Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript. Dolar USA Vs Euro Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript. LULA y su Pueblo Bye Bye Homenaje al genial Quino Fueron ellos Una imagen que resume Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero? Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante) Ladrones al poder Asi mira el perrito a su amo Crazy Clamor popular La nueva inquisicion Bolivia Chile Hoy Eso es todo amigos! Piensalo! Pinerachet No More Trump Adios Macri, hasta nunca La Marioneta se desinfla Asi o mas cinico Almugre Mexico en 1794 Mas arrastrado imposible Hasta cuando! La pura verdad Solidaridad con Palestina Serie Capitalismo Espejismos de la clase trabajadora Asi es! Comerciantes o delincuentes No pasaran! Asi es la vida USA HOY 01/01/1959 La avaricia no tiene limites AYUDA HUMANITARIA? Chile Hoy Asi son las cosas Mapa Electoral de Venezuela Patagonia argentina? Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad Retrato del franquismo en Espana Visca Catalunya! El Chulo de Madrid Cuando la policia se roba la democracia Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras La purita verdad Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia Mi pobre clase media Como Chavez nadie Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear Programa de la MUD Asi o mas clarito Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte? Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio? Una verguenza nacional La luz que nos guia La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz? Feudalismo ayer y hoy Obama, el mentiroso Curiosa coincidencia Un mundo de cerdos No es extrano? La Marioneta Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran MARICORI Y OBAMA Cuantas muertes este ano? USA TODAY USA HOY 6 USA HOY 5 USA HOY 4 USA HOY 3 USA HOY 2 USA HOY (1) Insaciable Cronologia de un agresor Guarimbear en USA Mexico hoy Bolivar y Chavez Primero Amargado Dios los cria y ellos se juntan USA hoy (III) USA hoy (II) USA hoy Mexico hoy Mexico hoy Mexico hoy Obama La verdad sea dicha Los ricos Que no nos vea Obama Pobre Obama SOS PALESTINA VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN VICMAN Archivo del blog Archivo del blog marzo (4) abril (9) mayo (8) junio (10) julio (11) agosto (10) septiembre (17) octubre (11) noviembre (15) diciembre (10) enero (9) febrero (10) marzo (8) abril (5) mayo (6) junio (8) julio (13) agosto (10) septiembre (7) octubre (12) noviembre (8) diciembre (15) enero (17) febrero (11) marzo (11) abril (12) junio (6) julio (11) agosto (15) septiembre (5) octubre (15) noviembre (14) diciembre (11) enero (13) febrero (9) marzo (10) abril (8) mayo (7) junio (12) julio (12) agosto (8) septiembre (8) octubre (4) diciembre (8) enero (35) febrero (20) marzo (29) abril (19) mayo (21) junio (27) julio (21) agosto (28) septiembre (40) octubre (47) noviembre (21) diciembre (34) enero (62) febrero (81) marzo (117) abril (141) mayo (114) junio (111) julio (126) agosto (98) septiembre (160) octubre (234) noviembre (493) diciembre (319) enero (219) febrero (267) marzo (230) abril (291) mayo (347) junio (223) julio (179) agosto (191) septiembre (239) octubre (350) noviembre (406) diciembre (353) enero (284) febrero (202) marzo (274) abril (250) mayo (232) junio (251) julio (188) agosto (249) septiembre (230) octubre (178) noviembre (141) diciembre (164) enero (187) febrero (147) marzo (211) abril (190) mayo (199) junio (164) julio (162) agosto (174) septiembre (182) octubre (225) noviembre (114) diciembre (132) enero (223) febrero (147) marzo (133) abril (108) mayo (387) junio (465) julio (785) agosto (748) septiembre (485) octubre (681) noviembre (754) diciembre (805) enero (708) febrero (896) marzo (735) abril (831) mayo (723) junio (555) julio (658) agosto (619) septiembre (457) octubre (455) noviembre (295) diciembre (269) enero (534) febrero (556) marzo (205) abril (119) mayo (194) junio (255) julio (294) agosto (182) septiembre (207) octubre (340) noviembre (351) diciembre (281) enero (114) febrero (128) marzo (216) abril (195) mayo (116) junio (141) julio (182) agosto (181) septiembre (50) octubre (72) noviembre (104) diciembre (88) enero (168) febrero (102) marzo (151) abril (207) mayo (43) junio (72) julio (35) agosto (146) septiembre (31) Chavez Cuanto te queremos! Por culpa de Chavez Cerveza Polar Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar Translate LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares? Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano... Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos: Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias. Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera. No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje. En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio. Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida. Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella. Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal. Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista. Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen. Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che? Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio. Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora. Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo. Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo. Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania. No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar. Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga. Alguna duda? Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia. OZ1 OZ2 OZ3 OZ4 Homenaje a Jason Galarraga La Victoria de Samotracia Odalisca Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008 La Sierra Nevada de Merida Nuestro precioso Churum Meru Homenaje a Picasso Autoretrato Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola? La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar. Mi profesion? Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos. Sal en la Coca Cola? A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar. De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla: Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido) azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa) Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas Mucha Cafeina Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja. Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos. Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja. En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero). Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma. La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate. Bebidas Light? Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal. Publicado por loretahur En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina: 1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias. 2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina. 3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard. 4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos. 5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla. 6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos. Ahora... sobre la margarina: 1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) . 2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias. 3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno). 4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer. 5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna. 6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo. 7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina. Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas: * No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo). * No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!! No a la guerra, Si a la Paz Misterios de la ciencia... Los costos de la guerra medicos y capitalismo... Capitalismo... medicos (2) Quien educa a nuestros hijos? Los Medios... Sin Palabras... Chistes feministas - Cual es el problema, Eva? - Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas. - Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas... - Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti. - Que es un hombre? - Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente. - Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente. - Cual es el truco?. - Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion. - Cual? - Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer. Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Ellas... Ellas (2)... Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1 Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije: -Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro. Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria. Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre? -Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa! VENGANZA NUMERO 2 Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris. A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita: - Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!! Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta. La mujer paso quince dias en Francia. El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla. Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es: - Y amor me trajiste mi francesita?? - Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina. VENGANZA NUMERO 3 El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion. - No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo. - Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz. Te quiero confesar algo. - Esta bien, esta bien. Habla! - He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga. - Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!! machismo y cibernetica Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston. -Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide. -Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!. .Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos. Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco. Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas Gol !!!! Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso! Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy! About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile